Broadcast
Manna - Part 3
Exodus 16:13-15
03/13/2024
13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp,
and in the morning dew lay around the camp.
14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the
face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing,
fine as frost on the ground.
15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one
another, ``What is it?'' For they did not know
what it was. And Moses said to them, ``It is the
bread that the LORD has given you to eat.'' (ESV)
The children of Israel were about to witness a miracle.
They had complained to Moses and Aaron about the lack of food and
bread, even as they longed to return to the luxuries they
remembered in Egypt. No matter that they were slaves, no matter
that they were embarking on a journey of promise, they were
unhappy.
What did God do to provide?
In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and
in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the
dew had gone up, there was on the face of the
wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on
the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they
said to one another, ``What is it?'' For they did not
know what it was. And Moses said to them, ``It is the
bread that the LORD has given you to eat.''
We may not recognize God's rich gifts. The children of
Israel called the fine, flake-like thing ``manna,'' literally
``what is it?'' For four decades they ate ``what is it?'' in the
wilderness. Maybe they did not recognize the substance, but it
was God's gift to sustain them.
Do we always recognize God's rich blessings? How often do
we say, ``what is it?'' and look past that which He gives. When
our eyes are blinded by the expectations of this world, do we
look past the cross of Jesus asking, ``How is that a blessing to
me?'' Yet God comes to us in unexpected and miraculous ways,
ways that make us ask, ``What is it?'' It is His love in action.
May our Lord help us to see His grace, love, and mercy so
that we may receive His rich blessings with thanksgiving. Amen.