HUNGER AND GOD'S PROVISION
SCRIPTURE READING:
Exodus 16:1-35
INTRODUCTION:
Exodus chapter 16 is the chapter that talks about the Israelites two months after they have came out of Egypt and out in the Desert of Sin.
They started grumbling against Moses because they were hungry and without food to eat.
And God heard their cry and there, the glory of the Lord appeared among them in the cloud.
Then, God told them that they will be provided with bread in the morning and meat in the evening.
But God gave them specific instructions on how to gather these food in order to test their faith.
Everyone is to gather as much as they needed.
And so, it came about that in the evening, quail came and covered the camp while in morning, there appeared in the camp a thin layer of dew.
When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground or manna appeared on the desert floor.
The people of Israel called the bread manna.
It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.
Some gathered much, some little.
And when they measured it, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.
Everyone gathered just as much as they needed.
Then, Moses told them that no one is to keep any of it until the morning.
But some of them paid no attention to Moses.
They kept part of it until the morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.
So, Moses was angry with them for not following God's instructions.
Each morning, everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.
But on the sixth day, they gathered twice as much to save it and it did not stink or get maggots in it to prepare them for the Sabbath because they will not find any.
Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.
And God was angry because God wanted His people to rest on the Sabbath Day.
It was a painful lesson for them to learn.
And so, to commemorate this incident, the Lord commanded Moses to take a portion of that manna and keep it for generations to come so that they will remember how the Lord provided for them food to eat in the wilderness.
And so, they put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law so that they will be preserved.
The Israelites ate manna for forty years until they came to a land that was settled in the border of Canaan.
To summarize, this chapter is about how the Israelites experienced hunger and how the Lord provided them food to eat.
But you see, hunger is a reality that exist even in the present times.
There are people all over the world who are dying due to lack of food to eat.
The children are the most affected.
Here are some world hunger facts according to freedom from hunger website.
This year, nearly 9 million children younger than five years old will die needlessly, more than half from hunger-related causes.
Few of these deaths are related to outright starvation, but rather to common illness such as diarrhea, malaria, and measles that move in on vulnerable children whose bodies have been weakened by hunger.
In the developing world, more than 1.4 billion people currently live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1.25 per day.
Among this group of poor people, many have problems obtaining adequate, nutritious food for themselves and their families.
As a result, 1.02 billion people in the world are undernourished.
They consume less than the minimum amount of calories essential for sound health and growth.
Undernourishment will negatively affect people's health, productivity, sense of hope and over-all well-being.
A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal development and contribute to mental retardation.
This then is the reality of the problem of hunger and poverty in the world.
These are troubling and heart-breaking statistics considering that we are here in the United States enjoying abundant food that we sometimes throw away because we cannot consume them anymore.
We don't know the real situation until we are presented and face to face with this truth.
But do you know that hunger is also prevalent in the United States?
According to the world hunger.org article, six years after the onset of the financial and economic crisis, hunger remains high in the U.S.
In fact, the financial and the economic crisis that erupted in 2008 caused a dramatic increase in hunger.
In 2013, about 14.3% of household or 17.5 million people, approximately one in seven, were food insecure.
Here in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times, a research found that more than 1 in 5 children in the state are living in poverty.
This is endemic among the State's fastest-growing population - the Latino's with nearly 1 in 3 Latino living at or below the poverty line.
Los Angeles County, with more than 9.6 million people is home to nearly 2.4 million -more than 17% of whom live in poverty, according to the study.
I don't want to give you more bad news but I think these statistics are enough for us to be awaken to the fact that this is a real problem that we need to discuss and see what the Lord wanted us to do.
And so, today, as we study Exodus chapter 16, we will look at the problem that hunger and poverty can do to the people and society,
then we will look at God's promise of provision and lastly,
we will discuss ways we can fulfill our church mission.
I. THE PROBLEM OF HUNGER IN SOCIETY:
1. WHENEVER PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY, THEY GRUMBLE.
Exodus 16:2-3 (NIV) "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.”
The first thing we can learn from this verse is that the entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses when they felt the pain and misery of hunger in their stomach.
To grumble means to murmur or to complain as an expression of personal discontent and restlessness brought about by physical hunger.
It was only recently when the Lord brought them out from Egypt and allowed them to cross the Red Sea in such overwhelming victory.
Yet, due to physical hunger, they have forgotten that incident and wished they were back in Egypt enjoying the pots of meat and all the food they were used to eating.
They even looked with pessimism at life and lost all hope.
Hunger can shorten their memory and can incite people to rebellion and revolt.
There is a problem of hunger in the world.
There will always be a bad repercussion when a person is hungry.
Robert Egger said: "A kid who is hungry cannot learn. A kid who can't learn drops out of school. A kid without education can't get a job and help American compete in the global economy. A kid without a job may turn to crime, get arrested and can cost taxpayers $40,000 a year to sit in prison."
Hunger is a problem that we need to address.
2. EVEN IF PEOPLE'S NEEDS HAVE BEEN FULLY SATISFIED, YET THEY CAN BECOME GREEDY:
Exodus 16" (NIV) "17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they 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."
The next thing that we can learn about hunger is that it makes people greedy.
The text tells us that when they saw the manna and the quail, some gathered much, others gathered little.
But they kept part of it until the morning even if they were told not to.
They were holding on to it as long as they can as much as they can.
But God told them to release it and just gather what they need.
They have been fully provided, yet they wanted more.
This is what greed is all about.
Greed can take away the joy from our hearts.
It can take away the gratitude from our hearts.
It can take away the contentment from our hearts.
Greed and selfishness are connected.
God is our Great provider but He wants us to be grateful with what He has given to us and not to be consumed by greed.
Only Christ can fill in that empty vacuum in our hearts and can cleanse us from selfishness and greed.
That is why a person must not only be provided by a physical bread but also receive the Bread from heaven - Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
II. THE PROMISE OF GOD'S PROVISION:
GOD KNOWS OUR NEEDS AND HE WILL PROVIDE
Exodus 16:8 (NIV) "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.”
After looking at the problem, let us look at the solution.
God has given us a promise from His Word that He will meet all our needs according to His riches in glory Christ Jesus.
He knows our needs even before we ask them.
And He wants to provide us with the things we need each day.
He wants us to totally depend upon Him.
He is our Great provider - Jehovah Jireh.
He loves to meet the needs of His people.
And He wants us to be an extension of His blessings to others.
That is why in this verse, Moses assured them that God will give them meat to eat in the evening and bread to eat in the morning.
The key is to live every day one day at a time and remember that only God knows our future and that He will not put you through any more than you can bear.
And so, we do not look to man for our blessings, but we look to God.
He has already prepared in advance to provide for us.
We must only wait, be still and be patient.
We must keep God first and everything else will follow.
III. THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PROMISE:
1. BEING IN NEED IS PART OF OUR FAITH TEST.
Exodus 16: (NIV) "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."
Let us review:
The problem is the hunger in the world and in our society.
Hunger can make people greedy or it can people hopeless and in despair.
The solution is the promise of God's daily provision.
Let us examine this solution further.
Being in need is part of our faith test.
The text says that God tested them to see whether they will follow God's instructions or not.
God wanted to see whether they will learn to depend on God or not to provide for their daily needs.
Do you know that every day, God is testing our faith on how much we trust Him?
God wants our faith to grow mature and strong especially when we have needs such as food, clothing and shelter.
He wants to know whether we will pray fervently and ask Him patiently for His provision.
He wants to know whether we will look to Him or to other means.
After all, He is our Heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us.
Many times, God answers our persistent prayers and He graciously provides.
But after He has provided our needs and we have been satisfied, He will test our faith.
He wants to see whether we will be CONTENT of what we have received.
He wants to see whether we will give thanks to Him and express our gratitude to Him for His daily provision.
Every day is a series of tests.
Every day, we must grow our faith.
Sometimes, we pass the test and we are grateful to God.
But sometimes we fail the test and we grumble and complain for more.
But life is a series of tests.
God will test you in the way you handle your money, your time, your talents, your abilities and your resources.
Once you pass the test, God will provide you with more because He enjoys the praises of His people.
Once you failed the test, that which you have little will be taken away from you because He abhors the grumblings and the complaints of His people.
I hope and pray to God that you will pass the test and give God the glory.
The same is true in our church.
God will test us in the way we use our resources faithfully for His glory.
2. THE LORD WILL ALWAYS PROVIDE JUST ENOUGH OF WHAT WE NEED
Exodus 16: (NIV) "17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed."
Look at those words: "just as much as they needed."
God provided just as much as they needed.
What does that mean?
It means first of all that God knows WHAT our needs are even before we ask God for them.
And, God knows exactly HOW MUCH we need even before we ask them.
He knows our exact capacity, the inward storage facility in our hearts to handle the resources effectively and efficiently.
And so, God provides us with just enough that we could handle.
Just enough money to handle.
Just enough food to eat.
Just enough resources for the ministry.
This, in spite of the fact that God has the vast resources available in His heavenly kingdom waiting to be distributed to those who love and trust Him.
His blessings are infinite, immeasurable, inexhaustible and unfathomable.
He could give you more but we are limited by what we could handle for the moment until we grow and learn our lessons well.
God gives us exactly what we need.
If He gives us more, we tend to be selfish and greedy.
If He gives us less, we tend to grumble, complain and moan.
He gives us just enough, what is adequate and suitable to us.
Contentment then is the key to inward joy and happiness in life.
Contentment is being satisfied with what God has given to us.
Contentment is graciously receiving God's blessings upon us with open hearts and hands.
When you are contented, you express your adoration and thanksgiving to God in worship.
When you are content, you could not be stopped in praising God, you are just motivated to do with from within.
When you are content, God will give you more because your storage capacity grows each time you raise your hands and praise God.
So, contentment does wonders to our lives.
Let us therefore learn to be content with what God has given to us.
Now that we have examined the truth about the promise, let us now consider our church mission in this world as a group of Christian believers who love Christ.
IV. OUR CHURCH MISSION:
1. WE MUST BE AN EXTENSION OF GOD'S GRACE BY PROVIDING FOOD FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED.
After we have received God's blessings and developed this godly attitude of contentment, the next thing to do is to EXTEND His grace of love and care to people who are under privileged.
The word "extend" means to widen our reach, to enlarge or expand our territories of Christian influence.
That means we do what we can with the ample resources that God has given us.
Remember the widow's mite that was given at the altar?
Christ is pleased with that mite and is grateful for the generous gift.
It can go a long way in reaching others for Christ and caring for the poor.
When we care for the poor, God's grace is being spread and broadened.
Providing food to the poor therefore is a part of our church mission.
So, how do we do that?
2. WE MUST PROVIDE THEM THE BREAD OF LIFE - Jesus Christ.
John 6:35 (NIV) "35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Our message has never changed and will never be compromised.
Christ is the bread of life.
Christ is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.
No one can come to the FATHER but through Christ.
We must always point people to Christ to satisfy man's spiritual hunger.
When we come to Christ, we will no longer go hungry and we will no longer be thirsty.
People need Christ, the living Bread.
He will forgive us from all our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
He will forgive us from our greed, selfishness and from our dissatisfaction in life.
He will forgive us from grumbling and complaining and moaning.
When a person receives Christ as Lord and Savior, he will be new creation and his outlook on life will be different.
Because his needs had been fully satisfied spiritually there is no need for him to grumble and complain.
In fact, all his grumblings will be replaced with thanksgiving and gratitude to the Lord.
And so, this is the best message ever.
Many people don't know this message of salvation.
We are ambassadors of God's grace to people.
We represent Christ to the world.
Have you received Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Have you committed your life to Christ and partaken of the living Bread from heaven?
If you do, then you and I have a mission to do in our society.
Let us join forces together so that we can extend Christ's love to all.
We must share this wonderful message to others who have not yet heard of God's provision in Christ.
3. WE MUST PROVIDE THEM WITH FOOD TO EAT.
Matthew 25:35 (NIV) "35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,"
This text tells us that whatever we do to the least of God's people, we do this to Christ.
And so, when we provide food for them to eat, we do this to Christ Himself.
When we provide them with something to drink, we do this to Christ Himself.
And because we love Jesus Christ, we love the people that we provide with food to eat.
The more we feed them, the more we serve Christ directly.
That is exciting.
And so, let us do more feeding the poor because the poor will always be there.
This then is part of our Church Mission - not only to share God's Word to them but to provide them with food to eat.
Incidentally, our church has been doing that for many years now.
If you are just new in our church and you will go down the basement of this church down the Moulton Hall and further passing the kitchen, you will see that large freezer that has been built as storage facility for perishable food.
Every week, food coming from different pantries around Los Angeles supply us with enough food to distribute to the local community.
And so, once a week (Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m.), we provide FREE breakfast to the poor.
Twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursday at 12:00 noon), we provide FREE lunch to the poor.
And every Fridays starting at 2:00 p.m., there is FREE Food Distribution to those who want to get food.
You could choose the food you want to get, canned goods, fresh vegetables, meat, milk, etc.
Our church is involved in feeding for the hungry here in Los Angeles.
Hundreds of people are being served weekly consisting from different background, race and color of skin.
Some of our own members have been helping this food ministry.
This is our part of our compassionate ministry to the community.
This is part of fulfilling the Great Commission.
Some of you may want to volunteer to help this food pantry ministry.
4. WE MUST LET OUR LIGHT SHINE IN THE DARKNESS.
Isaiah 58:10 (NIV) "10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."
This verse tells us that our light, though little it may be must keep on shining in the midst of great darkness that prevail around us.
Whenever we spend time in helping the poor by giving them food to eat and satisfying the needs of the oppressed, then that light is shining brightly and brilliantly.
In fact, Isaiah compared that light like a noonday sun.
He did not compare this to a light from the moon, but he compared this to the light of a noon day when the full brightness from the sun is seen by all.
That is indeed a bright light.
Every time we help people especially the poor and the oppressed and the underprivileged, we shine brightly in this world.
Every time we do this, we give out the light of Christ.
Every time you give for our Mission's Fund, you are helping us fuel that light.
People all over will be inspired and will come to Christ because of our mission to the poor.
And so, let us do this together, as much as we can with whatever resources that God has given to us.
And we must keep on helping them while we can wherever the Lord will bring us globally.
This is part of our Mission's commitment.
Let us share the gospel of salvation.
Let us feed the poor.
Let us shine brightly for all to see.
CONCLUSION:
OUR MISSION TO THE WORLD IN PROVIDING FOOD FOR THOSE WHO ARE HUNGRY WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
Exodus 16: (NIV) "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 wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”
It says that the manner God provided bread for the Israelites will be remembered for generations to come.
And so, a portion of a manna has been preserved in a special museum for all to see and be reminded of God's provision upon them.
Everything we do for God will be remembered by the people that we have ministered to.
They will remember the food that we gave them when they were hungry and the love that we shown to them when they had lost hope.
Everything we do for God will be remembered by God Himself and we will be rewarded accordingly when we come into His heavenly Kingdom.
But most of all, everything we do for God will be a lasting legacy for future generation of Christians who will be serving in this church after we have gone.
They will look back and discover the history of this church.
They will see how we cared for the poor.
We want our church to have a godly legacy to leave for future generations here and beyond.
And therefore, we must be faithful to our call and mission.
Again, we will be asking you to make a commitment to be part of this mission.
Receive Christ in your life - the living Bread from God.
Commit your life to be part of our working force.
Give your tithes faithfully and then, give also to our mission's fund.
Let us provide them with food to eat for generations to come.
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