Exodus 16:11–21 - Flakes Like Frost
- Alan Salwei
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
God gives us what we need, when we need it.
SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Israel escaped Pharoah by crossing the Red Sea singing God’s praise, but the celebration fades quickly into grumbling. In the wilderness they find bitter water made sweet by the LORD, learn that obedience is tied to blessing, and then complain again when hunger sets in. God responds not with abandonment, but with provision—promising bread from heaven and revealing that their daily need will become a daily lesson in trusting Him.
Exodus 16:11–21 (NIV)
11 The LORD said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ ”
17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.
Q&A 125
Q. What does the fourth request of the Lord's prayer mean?
A. “Give us today our daily bread” means,
Do take care of all our physical needs
so that we come to know
that you are the only source of everything good,
and that neither our work and worry
nor your gifts
can do us any good without your blessing.
And so help us to give up our trust in creatures
and to put trust in you alone.
Summary
In Exodus Ch. 16 we encounter an incredible story of God’s provision. After the Israelites fled Egypt, they would go on to wander around the wilderness for 40 years. As God led them through the desert, He met their physical needs by providing nourishment through supernatural means.
According to the census taken in the opening chapter of Numbers, there were 603,550 men present amongst the Israelites. Accounting for women and children, some estimate the total number of Israelites needing to be fed to be over 2 million people.
God provided for all these people with quail and then with bread from the LORD that we know as manna. What we sometimes miss in this miracle is that not only did God provide this miracle food for the people this one time, but he also kept doing so. This miracle provision of manna repeated 6 days a week, with the 6th day being a double portion so the people could rest the seventh day, for years.
God provided for the Israelites in their time of need. Feeding 2 million people is no easy feat, yet our incredible God did so day after day without fail.
Dig Deeper
Through the events in the Book of Exodus, God was testing his people. With these various tests and challenges, God was teaching the people to trust Him. The events leading up to God's provision of manna in the desert is one example where some of the people failed to trust Him.
Prior to this act of miraculous provision, the Israelites had already been saved from the Egyptian chariots when God parted the Red Sea so that they could safely pass through to the other side. In the wilderness, God led the Israelites by a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night. More than most people to have ever lived, the Israelites in the wilderness saw God’s miracles with regularity.
Despite the trust that God was instilling amongst the Israelites through his repeated provision, there were still those whose doubt was seen in their actions. When the bread from the LORD was given, Moses had commanded the people not to save any for the next day. They were to trust that God would continue to provide for them.
Many amongst the Israelites ignored this command and gathered extra for the next day. But overnight it became worm-infested and stank. God had showed his willingness to provide for the Israelites, yet there was still a reluctance to trust Him to do it again.
In what ways are you like the Israelites storing up manna, knowing of God’s provision yet still holding onto doubts that this provision will continue? Despite the repeated shortcomings of the Israelites, God continued to care for them. Even if you struggle with doubts over God’s provision, know that He still cares for you.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who abundantly provides for our needs;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as you gather in God's blessings each day, you'll only take what you need according to His commands;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
