Exodus 16:13-20 - Let God be your source in life

Exodus 16:13-15 tell us that as sure as God had promised to the children of Israel, everything He said happened. “So, it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’” God had made good His promise. They were provided with quails at night. In the morning after the dew had dried up, manna, thin flakes like frost, appeared all over the desert ground where they were. Moses told them that they were bread that God had provided for them to eat.

Quails were small migratory birds that would fly over Sinai during springtime or fall each year. Flying over long distance, they would be tired and would perch on the ground. Hence, they were easily picked up. So, God had miraculously provided them with meat as He had promised. Hence, it was not a surprise that the birds should be there at that precise time. They were there at the right time and also in the right amount. It was truly God’s doing so as to provide them with the meat they longed for and so acrimoniously grumbled about. Besides, we are told in Numbers 11:31 that it was the Lord who had brought the wind and drove the quails from the sea.  

Manna was a unique bread. It appeared all over the ground after the dew of the early morning had dried up by the sun. The children of Israel must have seen this unusual bread for the first time. Hence, their first expression was “What is it?” Moses had to tell them “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” This was the heavenly bread that they ate for forty years until they settled in the promised land. God had provided this supernatural food as their staple diet for the duration of their journey. However, God gave very specific instruction on what they should do. Like the quails, God supplied the right amount and there was enough for everyone. Regardless of the amount they gathered everyone had enough, nobody was in lack. What a great thought to know that God is the source of all our needs in life. It is no wonder that King David should so aptly say that with the Lord as his shepherd, he shall never lack anything.      

Here God truly was showing His glory. What’s disturbing in this account, however, was some of the people’s unwillingness to follow instructions all the way. They were told not to keep any for the next day yet they did. What happened was that they became putrid and bred worms. This is a reminder that we need to gather fresh portion of spiritual food daily. We cannot live on yesterday’s experiences. Every victory should make us trust God more and encourage us to obey Him more exactly. Daily we must come to God and receive a fresh portion of His Word for our spiritual sustenance. The question we need to ask is will we trust God explicitly. God is looking for our absolute trust in Him. Untested faith is not worth believing, so also an untested life is not worth living. God will take us through our hardship. As we trust Him in those moments, we will soon realize that He is trustworthy in every situation of life. So, cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you!