Manna From Heaven, God Provides
Complaints
God hears
God provides food
God provides rest
You know we who live in the “Bush” should easily be able to see and identify the provisions that come from God.
With pork and beef selling for $3-5 a pound, God has provided us with moose, caribou, ptarmigan, ducks, and salmon in order that we my survive and do HIS good and perfect will.
HIS provision has benefited not only our family but also many within the community and traveling through our community to do God’s work in different villages.
Complaints are easy to come by and this flesh knows them all.
We should always remember that God hears them?
Others also hear them and this may affect the testimony that we are seeking to establish within the communities in which we minister.
I did not harvest a moose during one season here. I did not know what would be provided to fill the gap that was in our freezer but God did. We received moose meat from people that we had given meat to in the past, someone who didn’t hunt but had been given more meat than their freezer could hold…Praise God.
God had also given us a double portion of salmon that year so we had a lot of salmon spaghetti, salmon tacos, and salmon patties and praised God for HIS awesome provisions.
I have also watched with amazement God providing for the Alaska Native Youth Camp and different ministries of the Alaska Baptist Convention and Chugach Baptist Association.
As anyone who walks with God by faith will tell you, we did not have the needs met years in advance, but God has always been and will always be faithful to what HE calls us to do.
If things begin to fail then we can understand that the motivation behind it may be other than God’s. God is faithful and will bring about HIS good and perfect will.
Let’s walk with the nation this week and gain direction for our walk with God from their experiences.
Complaints
Exodus 16:1-3 (KJV)
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. [2] And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: [3] And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. [2] And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron…So the nation of Israel are 45 days or so out of captivity, somewhere around the plain of el-Markha on the Eastern shore of the Red Sea and they have run out of the provision which they brought out of Egypt.
So what do they do when they run short of provision? What choices did they have? What choices do you have when you feel you are running short of something?
The nation begins to murmur or complain. We as born-again Christians probably don’t know what this means. Oh, we do, but why?
This flesh revels in its miseries and loves to let others know the bad things that or occurring about it. This may be a good reason that we are called to die to this flesh in order that we may put on Christ—Amen.
What choices did the nation have at that time, what choices do we have today when things are not going well?
They as we could have petitioned God for the providence that HE will shortly show. But they as we do often, went the way of the flesh before going the way of the bowed knee to seek HIS will and HIS way.
Notice the congregation murmurs against the shepherd God has placed before the flock. Can this be said of you, are you murmuring against a pastor, a deacon, or a leader in your fellowship that is striving to do the will of God?
Let this not be so, be ready when your flesh beckons you to do things that are contrary to the will of God. Go to the foot of the cross, confess to God through Christ your feelings, then get up and follow Jesus.
You might say “Why”?
God hears
Exodus 16:4-8 (KJV)
Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. [5] And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. [6] And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: [7] And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? [8] And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.
Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no…Then “I AM” said to Moses, yes Jehovah said to Moses…”I AM” will rain bread from heaven for you.
Do you think the nation of Israel understood the privilege and honor of having “I AM” providing for their every need? The same can be asked of you today, Do you understand the privilege and honor of having the “I AM”, our great Alpha and Omega, our beginning and our end providing for you directly today. I pray that you think about this great honor that is bestowed upon all who call upon the name of the Lord God.
That God would take care of them on a daily basis is quite a blessing, but that God would also provide a double portion on the sixth day, in order that they rest as God commanded.
for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?…One thing that new Christians or old Christians that go out to proclaim the gospel in the world will realize quickly is that there are not many who run to hear the word of God or gladly accept it on it’s first proclamation. They are often told “We don’t want any of what you are selling” or “Didn’t ask for it…don’t want it.” It is good to know that even in the beginning of the Old Testament period the people who proclaimed God’s word…even to HIS nation where murmured against. We also see the Old Testament testimony that we so often find ourselves giving today. You are not murmuring against us…but against God. The messenger is not greater than his master, when my master is Jesus Christ, God then the rejecting of the messenger is a rejecting of God. It is so much greater than you and I—Amen .
God provides food
Exodus 16:9-21 (KJV)
And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the Lord: for he hath heard your murmurings. [10] And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
[11] And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, [12] I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. [13] And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. [14] And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. [15] And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.
[16] This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. [17] And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. [18] And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. [19] And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. [20] Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. [21] And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God…As great as it would be to eat, I know that the food would have been so much better if it had been brought about to prayer. God started by telling the nation that HE heard their complaints against HIM.
Well no you say, the people were complaining about Moses and Aaron. No, Moses and Aaron where the appointed shepherds of God, thereby they were God’s shepherd to the nation. Just as the pastor and leaders in your church and fellowship are those appointed leaders of God at this time.
As the leaders of God’s people, I pray that you are in continuous prayer for God’s leadership, guidance, and our understanding of HIS good and perfect will in all things.
At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. [13] And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host… Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. [17] And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. [18] And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. [19] And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning…God would
provide bread and meat to the nation.
God could have provided this in many manners, but to foster a dependence on HIMSELF God provided it in a manner that daily reinforced HIS care for this new nation.
This is the care and love that God has for you and I today. HE seeks for us to want to be dependent on HIM, and within that dependence we will grow in the fruits of the spirit that only HE can bring into our lives.
Of course, people will choose to try to follow God in their own manner instead of in the manner HE directs. Just as the nation is told to eat all the bread, some decided to lay some aside for the morning…yet it went to worms. Each gathered enough for each person each day. Notice the amount was just a little over 2 quarts per person per day.
With the amount we as a nation eat today, we could probably glean something from this. As in most things we are so very blessed as a nation that this shows through in all facets of our lives…including our eating habits.
We also see that they were required to be up and about early to eat. When the sun waxed hot it melted, thereby necessitating that they labor before the sun rose to high. Are we up and about God’s work early in the mornings…I pray we are.
God provides rest
Exodus 16:22-36 (KJV)
And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. [23] And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. [24] And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. [25] And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. [26] Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
[27] And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. [28] And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? [29] See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. [30] So the people rested on the seventh day. [31] And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
[32] And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. [33] And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations. [34] As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. [35] And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. [36] Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. [23] And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. [24] And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. [25] And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. [26] Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none…All work and no rest…no that is not what God calls anyone to.
We see so many people striving after things and not striving after God. They work two are three jobs.
Each individual needs to examine why they are working that second or third job?
Most have to admit upon careful consideration that it is for themselves and their on prosperity they strive. It is one thing to strive after Christ and quiet another to strive above all else for yourself and your personal satisfaction.
God calls us to be of like mind to HIM. In that way, I will seek to do HIS will above all else. In this I will find my completion. Yet I must find a day of rest, even God rested on the seventh day and HE expects us to do likewise.
On this sixth day of each week for 40 years the nation put up two days worth of manna or “What is it”. “Man hu” or what is the Hebrew root word for manna. Praise God for providing the “what” that fed the nation through 40 years of wandering.
Are you seeking the food of life that can preserve you today?
Do you seek rest and completion in your strivings today?
Are you wearied from your labor and asking “Why am I about this or that?”
Are you able to detect and follow the will and commandments of God in your life?
The beginning of all answers is God. God is a righteous God. God tells us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
If you say “Not me”, God says “you lie and do not the truth.”
You see for God to provide for you, you have to call upon HIM and follow HIS ways.
No one is able to do this apart from HIM.
How do I get HIM in my life you ask?
That process God has directed also. God says you must first admit to HIM that you are a sinner. God says, “All have sinned and fallen short of HIS glory and deserve death.”
We are all apart from the grace of God deserving of death and an eternity in Hell.
But God made a provision for all “In that while we were yet sinners, God sent HIS only
begotten son to die for us so that all who call upon HIS name, the name of Jesus Christ, could have salvation and eternal life through the grace of God.
How do you do this?
Simply pray the following prayer: Dearest Father in Heaven, I humbly come before you today. I admit that I am a sinner and I know that I deserve death, yet I ask you Jesus Christ to come into my heart and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I renounce my past practices and commit my life to YOU. Lord may I daily strive to be more like YOU. I ask these things in your precious name, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
If you prayed this prayer let us know, or someone in your church or church leadership know so that we can help you in your new life, just as we sought and seek daily the things of Christ.
If you have any prayer needs are concerns please let us know. You can tell us, e-mail us, are phone us with your request and testimonies.
ranger1401@hotmail.com
(907) 842-3352
