Daily Bread

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.     Exodus 16:4 ESV

Daily bread is one of the hardest concepts I personally face in trusting God.  It is a lesson in trust that the Lord brings to me repeatedly, probably because I have been such a poor student.  Like the children of Israel, I struggle to live in the here and now.  While I generally don’t long for Egypt, I tend to cling to the struggles and scarcity of the past.

Before God sent the first manna, He was very clear about how it would be disbursed and how the people were to gather it - a day’s portion every day.  He went on to give instructions for the Sabbath, the only allowance for gathering more than one day’s portion at a time.  The concept was simple and straightforward, and it was explained in detail before the first encounter with manna.

So, when manna came the first time, everyone got excited, gathered and ate their fill.  Of course, even though they had been specifically instructed not to do so, there were a few people who gathered extra to save for the next day.  I confess, I might have been one of those people.  Living the uncertain life on the move, remembering yesterday when food was scarce, and not knowing necessarily what change in location and circumstance tomorrow might bring, I probably would have gathered a little extra - just in case.

“Just in case” translates “unbelief.”

Trying to hold onto yesterday’s bread for today produced worms and stench.  And it gained the anxious (disobedient, faithless) a rebuke from Moses.

Daily bread was not just about feeding a physical hunger.  It was about testing the people’s faith and obedience.  The spiritual need of the children of Israel was greater than their physical need.  And so, God brought two lessons in one.  “I will provide,” and “you need to trust,” go hand in hand.

Trust is demonstrated in obedience.  

I read a story recently about children and marshmallows that illustrates the point very well.  Apparently, an experiment was being conducted in which children were given a single marshmallow, then left alone, with a promise that they would receive additional marshmallows if they waited to consume the first until after the tester returned.  This proved to be a very inexpensive experiment.  Very few of the children obeyed the simple instruction.  Whether the children failed to trust, or simply did not want to obey, the result was the same.  They ate the single marshmallow, so they did not receive the prize.

Such was the case for the children of Israel.  Failing to trust and obey cost them dearly.

God already knew that He was leading the people to a land of plenty.  He knew that the wilderness would bring many challenges, and that the Promised Land would bring even more - different, but more weighty challenges.  And so He started with something simple: trust Me for daily bread.  “Trust the provision.”

Ultimately, the Israelites did learn to trust for daily bread.  They failed in plenty of other ways, but they trusted the Lord for manna every morning.

The sad but important truth is this: God did not intend for the people to survive on manna for forty years.  He hadn’t wanted them to have to spend forty years wandering in the wilderness.  Including about a year that the children of Israel spent at Mount Sinai while God gave the Law and while the tabernacle was constructed and its furnishings made, it appears that Moses and the people arrived in the vicinity of Canaan about two years after leaving Egypt.  Spies were sent to check things out, and upon hearing their report, the people were fearful and refused to go into the Promised Land.  So instead of entering a land of plentiful fruits and grains, the Israelites wandered for thirty-eight more years, eating manna for thirty-eight years longer than should have been necessary.

When we fail to trust the Giver of the daily bread, we delay the blessings He has for us.

The good news for the children of Israel is that in spite of their unbelief, God continued to provide them with literal daily bread.  For forty years, manna appeared on the ground six days of every week.  Without fail.    Even when the people were faithless and rebellious, still the manna came.  

Daily bread can be a hard concept to master.  We want tomorrow’s bread today.  In truth, when we are ready, God will bring us into the place of abundance.  But first we must learn to trust for daily bread, praying, as Jesus Himself taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread..."

Trust. Obey. Today.

...Just a thought...