Food from Heaven

Exodus 16

After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites entered the desert. But God took care of them and watched out for them. Still, it wasn't long before they forgot about God, and began to grumble. "We were better off in Egypt," they complained. "We had good food there." Then God told Moses He would drop food from the sky—just like rain! "Tell everyone to gather bread each morning, and meat each evening," said God.

The next morning, the ground was coated with white flakes of bread that tasted as sweet as honey. They called it manna. In the evening, quail covered the ground for their meat. God sent them this food the whole time they were in the wilderness.

Food from Heaven

The miraculous bread that God provided for the Israelites was more than mere nourishment. It was also a test to see if the people would trut him to take care of them in the desert.

Would they follow God's instructions? Would they gather only enough food for each they? Or, would their lack of faith cause them to hoard some of the precious food? By hoarding the manna, they would be trusting their own ability to gather, rather than God's willingness to supply their daily food. God wants us to trust him to meet our needs, one day at a time.