Wise Counsel

DEVOTION

EXODUS

WISE COUNSEL

Ex 18:13-27

13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?" 15 Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws." 17 Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men from all the people — men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain — and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." 24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.

NIV

Without rehashing the entire narrative, it is fairly plain to see the lesson which is outlined for our lives today. We cannot stand alone in our tasks of serving the Lord. All too often, however, that is exactly what we are doing. From the senior pastor down it seems everyone wants to do their own thing without help from others. Perhaps it is due to the culture we have been raised in where we have been taught to take care of our own responsibilities, that is to be responsible for our own lives, our own actions. This may have perpetuated the idea that each man is an island onto himself. Moses was certainly of the opinion that he and he alone should be the judge between God and the people, deciding each and every case. This was more than he could do and maintain his own personal life as well. Jethro, seeing from the point of view of an outsider, so to speak, could see this truth and was willing to share the idea he gave to Moses about appointing God fearing men to oversee smaller segments, judging the easy cases, and leaving only the really difficult ones for Moses to judge. Perhaps the idea of multiple pastors in a church follows this example. With a senior pastor, an associate pastor, a youth pastor, a children’s pastor, a Christian education pastor, the load is divided up so no one burns themselves out, as Moses would have done. This also applies in the business world as well and it appears many successful corporations have discovered this idea of sharing the load to be true. In our personal lives, it would seem successful marriages have also found this concept of sharing life’s burdens to be a truth to live by. As interesting as all that is, our lesson may not be about dividing the load of ministry, business or even life, but rather being open to counsel. Moses could have told Jethro to mind his own business, he wasn’t even an Israelite. But he did not do that, but rather listened and took the advice or counsel of his relative, who by the way, had just accepted the LORD God as his God, even making a burnt offering to him. So often we may not be as open to counsel as we should. Although we have been warned not to accept counsel from the ungodly, there is more than enough Godly people around to seek wise counsel from. Now it is true that Moses did not seek the counsel of Jethro, and maybe that might tell us we too should not seek counsel, but rather be open to freely given counsel when it is offered. This may not imply that we have to make the changes offered unless we deem it to be true, using the gift of discernment. Moses surely saw the wisdom of Jethro’s advice. Some people simply enjoy the giving of advice, thinking themselves wise. We do need to be open, but also we need to discern the wisdom of the counsel. Is it acceptable to God? Does it conflict with any of God’s standards? Would it dishonor him in anyway? Would it be helpful and useful in our responsibilities of ministry, of business, of life? However, the truth here is the fact of being open, rather than closed to any counsel at all. If we shut ourselves off from all others, closing our minds, then we may not be acting in a manner God deems correct. We do have to be careful not to judge others as being closed to counsel. We might be the one giving counsel as well as receiving it. But if we judge those we have been impressed by God to give counsel, it is not up to us to convince the listener, but rather just offer the counsel. It is always up to the listener to discern the counsel to be wise or not. So let us be open, but also be wise in listening. 

The Witness

DEVOTION

EXODUS

THE WITNESS

Ex 18:1-12

18:1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have become an alien in a foreign land"; 4 and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh." 5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, together with Moses' sons and wife, came to him in the desert, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons." 7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had saved them. 9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, "Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly." 12 Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God.

NIV

Although we take the Word of God very straight forward, there is sometimes the translators make a choice in words that may or may not actually reflect a multiple meaning of the original word used. Here, as example the word translated as father-in-law is also used as son-in-law or mother-in law. The word “Chathan” is consider as “to make oneself a daughters husband, or son-in-law. It is not known why the translator choose to use father-in-law as Jethro was most likely the son of Reuel the father of this Zipporah as it was told us back in chapter two. Reuel and Jethro are not the same person therefor we will consider Jethro as the son of Reuel, the successor of Reuel as the priest of Midian. Nevertheless, as this is not our lesson, we needed to at least reset the stage of this event. When Jethro brings Moses family to him in the desert, they certainly embrace as family members. As was the custom in those days even among the men, a kiss was used in the greeting. This kiss was most likely on both cheeks as we see still done today in some cultures. Nevertheless as family they were greeted with respect and affection. We may not be able to say that about all families in the bible, and we certainly cannot say that about some families in the present age. Jesus does speak to about that issue, that the scriptures, the truth of God will cause family conflict.

Mark 13:12-13

12 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

NIV

He was talking about the conflict of the world against the believer. Families will be torn apart because of the faith of one and the hatred for God of another. But here Moses, knowing Jethro being the priest of Midian serves other gods, rather than God almighty, still greets him with a kiss. They enter the tent and there Moses witnesses to Jethro all that God did for him and the children of Israel, rescuing them, saving them from the hands of Pharaoh. The result of this witness was that Jethro became a believer in God Almighty, stating that he now knows God is greater than any of his gods, in so many words. We do not know if he had forsaken his gods or just added God as one of his list of gods. However we know he offered a sacrifice to God in the presence of the elders. This in a sense would indicate his public profession of faith in God. What we learn here is that although Jesus said some families would see conflict because of the gospel, which does not relieve us from telling our family members all that God has done for us. It also does not relieve us from greeting our family members with a kiss, being a sign of respect, even if they are professed unbelievers or serve others gods. As in the case of Jethro, it is possible they will acknowledge God because of all he has done for us, in us and through us. But we have to have a respectful enough relationship with them in order to sit in our tent and talk. There is no question Moses was an effective witness. That is all we can be a witness, telling what we have seen, heard and experienced. 

Surrender

DEVOTION

EXODUS

SURRENDER

Ex 17:8-16

8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands." 10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up — one on one side, one on the other — so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." 15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. 16 He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."

NIV

We would want to think this narrative is all about a battle with the Amalekites which it is in some sense. But this battle, the winning and losing of it, the ebb and flow of who was having the advantage was dependent upon what position the hands of Moses were in. We might want to think this narrative is about Aaron and Hur holding up the hands of Moses, which we should either be ready to help our fellow believer, or support our spiritual leader, or be willing to accept the help of others. As good any of those would be as a lesson for our lives, they are not the main lesson here. The true lesson here is about God and man. When Moses was holding his hands with staff up toward God, the Israelites were winning, but when he dropped his arms, the Amalekites were winning. This is our life. When we look to God for our defense against the forces of evil, we are winning. But when we drop our arms, when we are not looking to God, the forces of evil are winning against us. We cannot fight this battle in the flesh, on human strength. Surely the Armor of God plays into this battle and we need to remember it is the Armor of God, it is not our armor. We cannot dress ourselves in it. Yes, we are to put on this armor, but without God, it is not his armor, it is ours, and it is weak. Now there is something to be said about Aaron and Hur and that does relate to the Armor of God. When we take up the shield of faith, it is a good thing to have our fellow believers standing at our side with their shield of faith as well. Nevertheless it still all depends on God. We might be tempted to think it is about our faith, our shield of faith, but it is our faith in God for the battle. It is not our faith that wins the battle, it is God. If we are thinking it is our faith, then we are not looking toward God, but rather toward our faith. That seems like a fine line, maybe just semantics, but it is our faith in God, it is not us, but God who brings the victory over the forces of darkness that attack our soul. When the enemy attacks we need to raise our hands toward God and allow him to win the battle. In some sense raised hands mean we surrender. For the most part we think raised hands are a sign of worship, but in all reality they mean, we surrender. Any army would know when the enemy raises their hands they have given up, they have surrendered. Maybe if we are not raising our hands toward God, we have not really surrender the battle to him. Maybe we are thinking we can win it on our own. Even in our time at church, many stand with their hands down instead of surrendering to God. Is this a lesson we should be teaching to others? Maybe we all should stand with raised hands together. Then the body of Christ would be winning more souls for Jesus. Are we as a church depending on our programs to win the battle? Should we not be depending on God? Let us just surrender, but not to the enemy, rather to God. 

The Rock

DEVOTION

EXODUS

THE ROCK

Ex 17:1-7

17:1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?" 3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" 4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me." 5 The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

NIV

Once again we find the people quarreling with Moses about water. First it was about the water they did have being bitter, then about no food, now no water. But Moses wasn’t going to put up with them coming to him. He told them they were quarreling with God and by now they should know God will supply their needs. The people did not even get the truth, they increased in their quarreling against Moses to the point of becoming an angry mob ready to stone him. They were looking to a man rather then to God for their provision. Moses went to God and God instruction him what to do in order to give them water. It was another miracle, water coming forth from a rock. Isn’t they just like God, strike the rock.

Deut 32:4

4 He is the Rock , his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.

NIV

Isa 26:4

4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

NIV

What he not showing Israel that he was the Rock, the provider of water? Was he not leading them to Jesus, who proclaimed he was the spring of living water? We know the story of the woman at the well, who Jesus asked her to give him a drink of water.

John 4:9-14

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water ."  11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water ? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" 13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 

NIV

There is no question God was making a statement to the people that he was the Rock and Jesus was the water coming from the Rock. The Old Testament is full of these pictures of truth about God and his provisions for his creation, both in the physical and in the spiritual, in the moment in time and in the eternal. Why do we ever doubt God? The people were doubting God, they were looking to Moses, not God. They were still getting the manna in the morning, the quail in the evening, yet they could not trust God for water. We could be like them, if we are not careful. We need to always look to God, always trust his provisions. Sometimes we could get sidetracked by our physical situation in life. When it appears we have less then we need in some area of our life, do we grumble against God or do we trust him? He has already done so much for us, in and through us that we should know by now that he will always be with us, that he will never forsake us, that he will always provide a way for us. First and foremost he sent Jesus to save us, to set us free. But he continues to guide our footsteps, and provide us with what we need to live where he leads us. The problem some people might have is they are not following his leading and they went someplace of their own choosing and expect him to provide even in their disobedience. That sounds a little harsh, but throughout the Old Testament this is the story. As long as they followed where he was leading them, he provided. Yet even when they refused to cross the Jordan, he led them into the desert for forty years. They followed, he provided, even their shoes did not wear out. We need to be following the LORD, where he leads us. That implies to where we live, where we work, where we play, where we attend church, basically every aspect of our lives. We cannot just accept Jesus, then go about living according to our own plans. Let us always look to the ROCK of our salvation. 

Bread of life

DEVOTION

EXODUS

BREAD OF LIFE

Ex 16:21-36

21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much — two omers for each person — and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, "This is what the LORD commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'" 24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 "Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any." 27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go out." 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.'" 33 So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the LORD to be kept for the generations to come." 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna in front of the Testimony, that it might be kept. 35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. 36(An omer is one tenth of an ephah.)

NIV

Certainly there is the establishment of the Sabbath within this passage. There is also the proof the God provided this manna for the entire time the Israelites wandered in the desert, forty years. If we haven’t made the connection yet, we certainly should take the time to ponder on this bread from heaven. We have spent time on the daily bread, the consist provision of God, not storing up for the next day, week, month year, or later years, but this bread from heaven also has another significance. The Israelites certainly would have perished if God had not provided bread from heaven. We would also perish if God had not sent the bread of heaven to provide salvation for us.

John 6:47-51

47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life . 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 

NIV

Although they were provided with this manna so they would not perish, Jesus tells the people, they stilled died. But he, being the bread of life, gives us eternal life. We cannot be sure if they experienced eternal life, being the children of Israel, God’s chosen people. We know the whole of the assembly did not believe God when they reached the Promised Land, and so he turned them around and lead them around in circles until all died, except their children, a whole new generation that believed him and took possession of the Promised Land. So did they die in there disbelief and if so, would they not have gained eternal life? Here we have the same situation. If people die in their disbelief about Jesus being the bread of life, being the only true provision from God saving people from perishing in the wilderness, they will in fact perish. We need the bread of life in order to have eternal life. There is also the point the Jesus is our  daily bread. That is we have to have a daily walk with him, we have to eat this bread each and every day. Perhaps we need a double portion the day before our Sabbath. That might be a stretch. But the fact does remain we need Jesus each and every day of our life. If we do not experience Jesus, if we are not in the word everyday of our life, we may well begin the process of starving to death.  They could not save any of the manna for the next day, they had to gather it each day, for that day. We cannot just accept Jesus and think we have enough to eat for the rest of our lives. We need to gather Jesus each day, we need to gather truth in the word in each. We need to have our roots deep within the spring of living water. We need to have Jesus for this day, and then more of Jesus on the next day for that day, and on and on each day the same. How can we go on living if we do not have our daily bread? The people called the bread manna, we call the bread, Jesus. The Bread of life. 

Daily bread

DEVOTION

EXODUS

DAILY BREAD

Ex 16:11-20

11 The LORD said to Moses, 12 "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'" 13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'" 17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. 19 Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." 20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

NIV

This reminds us of that portion of a prayer, “give us this day our daily bread”. It also has been on the lips of others within the scriptures. Here we see the same idea within the saying of Agur.

Prov 30:7-9

7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

NIV

God was establishing the idea of relying on him for our daily bread. This means daily, not weekly, monthly, yearly or for a lifetime. Certainly this manna from heaven as well as the evening supply of quail did not last forever. God only supplied it while they were in the desert, this manna and quail being supplied by God ended at some point, once they, or their children had entered the Promised Land. So was the LORD teaching them anything in this supply of daily bread? Is he teaching us anything in this narrative? Seeing that some of them did not obey and after collecting enough manna, they did not eat it all, but thought they better keep some for the next day, just in case God did not supply a new batch of manna. We can see what happened to the stored up manna, it was full of maggots and it smelled. That is what God thinks about storing up his provision, not trusting him to supply more. He sends the maggots to eat it up and make it stink. We also see that no matter how much they gathered, whether too much or too little, they all had just what they needed. This comes down to trusting in God. Now in this county as well in many socialistic countries the government has attempted to replace God. They want people to be dependent on them for their daily bread. The all-powerful government will feed you, house you and clothe you. Give all praise to your leader, the President, dictator, king or whatever title they prefer. We can see the truth in this lesson about trusting God to supply our daily bread, not the government, but more importantly, not ourselves. We can see the truth about not storing up his provisions for the next day or in our case for our later years. Over and over again this lesson about storing up is brought to us in some form or another. It is unfortunate that some, like those in the camp of Israel, decide to store some up anyway. They were sort of like that rich fool of a farmer who built bigger barns to store up his wealth. We know want happened to him. The maggots got him. Why do we bother to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” if we don’t mean it? Does that imply we don’t mean the rest of the Lord’s Prayer? Certainly that does not mean we should spend every dime out of each paycheck. If we have a water bill, mortgage, gas and electric bills that is due on a certain date we need to have the funds to pay them, thus keeping that much in the bank. But the lesson is not about paying our bills, but storing up the provisions of God because we do not trust him to provide more, or keep providing. Yes we need to work, that also is his command. From the very beginning, because of Adams disobedience he and we are to toil the ground, work, be employed for our food, all the days of our lives. Gather the manna each day, just the amount we need. If we have too much we might become like Agur and forgot about God and his daily provision, or if we have too little we might lose faith in God and rely on our own skills to gather, even ill-gotten gains. No, we need to see the hand of God each and every day with his provisions. Keeping our trust in him, not in us, for our daily bread. 

Provision

DEVOTION

EXODUS

PROVISION

Ex 16:1-10

16:1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days." 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?" 8 Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD." 9 Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community, 'Come before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.'" 10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.

NIV

A nation of grumblers seems to be a more fitting title than a nation of God’s people. If it isn’t one thing it’s another that they feel the need to grumble about. First it was water, now it is food. Always looking back to their better times in slavery then be free following the presence of God. Who do they think is providing the pillar of smoke during the day and the pillar of fire during the night? Are they not content to know God will not only lead them to the right place, but will also make sure they survive to get there? Why are they always wanting to have died in Egypt than be where they are? Grumble, grumble and more grumbling. This time Moses tells them they are not grumbling at him, but at God, and still that doesn’t seem to matter to them. Nevertheless, even in the midst of their discontentment, the LORD provides them with bread in the morning and quail in the evening. We will get to all of that as we continue in this narrative, but for now it is only the bread that we are told he tells them about. Each day they were to gather just enough for what they needed, except on the day before the Sabbath, that day they should gather enough for two days. We are also told the LORD was going to test them to see if they were going to follow his instructions, if they were going to be obedient to his command. Looking ahead, we know they some fail the test, but for now we should know he provides. Just to make a point God does something very special. As Aaron was giving the instructions to the whole assembly, God displays his glory out in the desert. We are not sure what the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud looked like, but we can be sure it was something extremely spectacular. We would think the whole of the assembly would be overwhelmed. It would have been one of those “Wow” experiences, but even more than that, indescribable, for all we are told is it was the glory of the LORD. His splendor must have been immense, shining so brightly that he covered his splendor within a cloud. What must they have thought, our Holy God is showing his glory to us, we are undone, he is too great for us to even see, and all we can see is a glimpse of his glory. Yet we know that was not enough to convince some of them to be totally obedient. Nevertheless, God continues to provide. We are not much different. We have seen the provision of the LORD in so many ways in our lives and yet there are times when we become like disobedient children, discontent with what we have and always wanting more. Unlike the Israelites, we never look back on our times before experiencing the salvation of God. We never think it would have been better for us to die in our disbelief then to follow God, even when our following takes us on a desert trip. The idea of being in the desert rather than in Egypt must have been a culture shock for them. They forefathers lived a Bedouin lifestyle in tents, but this whole generation had been raised in a civilized urban environment, even though they were employed as slaves. Sometimes in our journey with the LORD we might experience some desert time. The point of it is to show us our need to rely on God for all aspects of our lives. If we always have the comfort of everything our hearts desire, maybe we would not look to God for our provisions. It is a trap that we can fall into, looking to our own abilities, our own efforts to provide not only for today’s needs, but those of tomorrows as well. We might think it is appropriate to make provisions for our future, but God tells us to live depending on his provisions, his leading, his ways. We may not ever see his glory being shown to us just to prove himself to us, but we certainly can see we have seen his hand at work in our lives. We know he is GOD, and he has done mighty things on our behalf. Whether we ever see his glory appearing to us in a cloud, he has indeed given us bread in the morning and meat at night. Jesus is the bread of life. He is the Lamb of God.

John 6:35

35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

NIV

What more do we need? This manna from heaven, this quail, this bread and meat were showing them Jesus, but they could not see him yet, but in the grand plan of God the truth is always about Jesus, about his plan for the salvation of his creation. Just as the bread and meat came down from heaven, so did Jesus. As they started their day gather the bread and finished their day gathering the meat, we start our day with Jesus and we should end our day with Jesus. We travel by his guidance all throughout our day. God is before us, around us, behind us, and yes, within us. His glory is all around us, in fact we might even say we are his glory,

Isa 62:3

3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

NIV

We are his crowning achievement of creation, all he created, he did to place the man and woman he created in his own image, within it. Nevertheless we should know he will continue to provide, let us always be looking to him, trusting in his provision.