Exhortation Station

Exodus 16:16-20 — “When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which YHWH has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what YHWH has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’” ¹⁷ The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. ¹⁸ When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. ¹⁹ Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” ²⁰ But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them.”

This is the passage where Yahweh provided manna for the sons of Israel.  Why did Yahweh feed Israel with manna, and why did He command Israel to only gather enough for one day at a time (with the exception of the day before the Sabbath)?  Let’s look at Deuteronomy chapter 8.

Deuteronomy 8:3,16 — “³ He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of YHWH…¹⁶ In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.“

There’s a lesson here that stands out to me.  The way the manna was provided, along with Yah’s instruction to only gather enough for each day, required Israel to rely completely on Him for their sustenance.  By looking to Yahweh for each meal, Israel would learn the precious truth that “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of YHWH.” 

This is a crucial lesson for Yah’s children.  Have you ever gone through times when you’ve longed for greater clarity about the future?  I know I have.  Maybe there’s a job you really want, a vision you want to pursue, a house you want to buy, etc.  In these times, it’s tempting to “jump ahead” of the Holy Spirit in our eagerness.  I heard a quote from a book recently along the lines of “eagerness is a dangerous thing when the Spirit’s desire is to wait upon Yahweh.”  It isn’t wrong to be excited about something, but our excitement must be tempered with patience.  Let’s look at another passage…

James 4:13-15 — “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ ¹⁴ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'”

There’s another important lesson here.  Notice this passage does not say it’s wrong to make plans, but that we should acknowledge the sovereignty of Yah’s will over those plans.  Make plans, but hold those plans lightly.  Let’s look at one more passage…

Matt 6:33,34 — “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  There is not only great comfort, but also great wisdom in “milking each day for all it’s worth” rather than worrying about things far ahead.  Ironically, although it’s tempting to ignore the “baby steps” and worry about things far into the future, taking the “next step of faith” is often the key to unlocking information necessary to understanding how we should proceed. 

Let’s close with a prayer:  “Heavenly Father Yahweh, I thank You for providing for me each day.  Help me to remember that man does not live on bread alone.  Help me to have a healthy vision for the future — a vision that is completely submitted to Your will and subject to change according to however You may lead.  Feed me with the “manna” of every word that proceeds from Your mouth.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matt 6:11-12).  Amen.”

(All Bible passages NASB; Hebrew transl. added.)