2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:1-3 (ESV)
I. Grace In Our Weakness
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” Exodus 16:4-5 (ESV)
II. Growth In Our Faith
- God is always on time – never early, never late.
- God seldom provides or works in the way we imagined.
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” Exodus 16:9-12 (ESV)
Jesus promises:
- Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
- Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
- Whoever believes in (Me) (will) have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.
III. Guarding Our Faith
- Through Word Pictures. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Exodus 16:31b (ESV)
- Through Memorials (Reminders). Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” Exodus 16:32 (ESV)
- Through God’s Word. 1 “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers…. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:1-3 (ESV)
Big Idea: Trusting in God as our Comfort, Security, and Known will be God’s manna for us in our next wilderness.