The Manna Ceased

Illustration: “Mamma,” said a little girl, “ my Sunday school teacher tells me that this world is only a place in which God lets us live for a while, that we may prepare for a better world. But momma, I do not see anybody preparing. I see you preparing to go into the country, and Aunt Eliza is preparing to come here: but I do not see any one preparing to go there. Why don’t they get ready?”

Last Days

Intro. ``Are you ready? Are you prepared to live a victorious life? Are you preparing for this life? Eph. 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

In this passage God showed Israel what they had to do to be prepared to live a victorious life and I think it gives us some guidelines to do the same. Through God’s promises, God’s pronouncement and God’s provisions He gives us a way to look at life that will help prepare us for a victorious live in Christ.

I. God prepares us to live a victorious live by:

1. God promises Verses 6-8

i. Promise Land- those not making it and those making it

1. God directed the Israelites in the dessert for 40 years so that the disobedience ones would die. Because they didn’t listen to the voice of the Lord and they grumbled against the Lord 10 times. (Numbers 14:11-25) He promised because of their disobedience that their corpse shall fall in this wilderness…”Nu. 14:29. So they would never see the land of milk and honey. God promised that they would die. And they did, in preparation for the new generation. And they did.

2. God promised the children that He raised up in their place would make it to the Promised Land. In chapter 4 and 5, God even parted the Jordan so they could walk on dry land, just as He did with their forefathers in the Red Sea.. He promised they could enter the promise land and they did.

ii. Promise of circumcision- In Genesis 17:8-11 (read) the covenant between God and man had not taken place in the dessert. We don’t know why they weren’t circumcised but we do know that they had to be to enter the Promised Land. To prepare this generation, they had to be circumcised. And they did

Note; Circumcision is a foreshadow of Baptism. It was an outward sign of an inward change. A commitment to the covenant, one to the old the other to the new.

iii. Promise that they would be watched over while they healed. Can you imagine what they must have thought when Joshua said; ok I have to circumcise you now. Why couldn’t we have done that in the dessert when we had all the time in the world and the protection when now we are wide open to attack when we are down. We know when God tells us to do something HE protects us when we do it. And He did. A lot of times we need a time of healing so we will be prepared to do what God wants us to do.

iv. God gives us the promise of eternal life-When we accept Him as our personal Savior. Our Promised Land is in Christ.

II. God prepares us to live a victorious life by His pronouncement

Illustration of the Eagle--

i. VS 9 Pronouncement of reproach being rolled back-Gilgal

1. Gilgal means rolled away from or take away from

2. God took away the shame of being a slave They were not slaves.

3. God took away the idea that they wanted to go back to Egypt

4. God wants to do that with you if you are living in sin . He want to wash you clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. He wants to roll away any sin and make you clean today.

ii. Pronouncement of the Passover-They observed the Passover in the new land. It was only celebrated once in the wilderness not celebrated again till King 23:22.

Kind of foreshadow of communion-remembrance of when they were saved in Egypt You do communion in remembrance of your salvation through Jesus’ death burial and resurrection.

III. God prepares us to live a victorious life by His provision- Show the pepper corn. Illustration

Ps. 78 24,25 describes it as the corn of heaven

i. The day after they moved into living in the new land they ate unleavened cakes and parched grain(corn)-it was corn that was left when the people left in fear and ran for safety leaving what was in their barns and fields. Chapter 4:13 after they had heard what God was doing with the Israelites must have been a large amount, enough to feed. 40,000. God provided for them.