Exodus 16:1–3, 11–20
They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 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.”
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.’”
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.16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for providing for all that we need. Not only have you sent your Son to be our Savior, but you also continue to give us blessing upon blessing in our earthly life. Help us to remember that we are entirely reliant upon your grace and mercy, knowing full well, that you provide all that we need. In Jesus, who is the Bread of Life. Amen!
Bread from Heaven
I. Physical Needs
II. Spiritual Needs
In Christ Jesus, who gives us the bread from heaven to fill our needs, dear fellow redeemed!
When was the last time you felt content and happy? Was there a day or a time in your life when you felt like you were truly satisfied and didn’t want for more? Now, if you can remember or have had such a time, the next question is—how long did it last? Did your feeling of contentment remain forever or was it interrupted? In this life, it seems like it is very hard to find lasting satisfaction. Yet, people are constantly searching for happiness and peace. People may think that if they made a little more money then they would find it, or if they ate just one more cookie, or had just one more drink. Of course, it never truly does. Yet, there is perhaps something deeper we can learn from our constant desire and search for more. C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger; well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim; well, there is such a thing as water… If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).
Our lesson for today seem familiar. Just two weeks ago, we heard about how the Israelites complained and grumbled when they had no water to drink. When our lesson describes the reaction of the Israelites, in a region which was much less fertile than Elim and a more desert climate, we are not surprised to hear of their complaint. In fact, we maybe have learned enough about Israel’s history to expect it. And maybe, if we are able to examine our own lives with half as much judgement as we do others, we would be able to see this same grumbling spirit present in our own lives.
While we see Israel grumbling, the focus of this lesson is really on our good God who gives us what we have not earned nor deserved. He graciously gives us the Bread from Heaven to fill all our needs.
As the Israelites continued their journey in the Sinai Wilderness their food supplies began to dwindle. God was using this as an opportunity to test Israel, to teach them to trust in him and to look to him for their daily bread. Yet, they didn’t do very well with this test. They complained and cried out, “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.” As slaves, meat was not common, so it seems the Israelites were remembering the best days they had in Egypt, as if they were always so good. At the same time, they were forgetting all the great wonders God had done and was doing for them since leaving Egypt.
Yet, the Lord doesn’t punish Israel for their complaining, instead he shows mercy. He has compassion. The very night they complained God made them a feast of delicious quail. They dropped down by the thousands, making it easy for the Israelites to pick up the birds by hand or get them with a stick. And in the morning, as the dew dried up on the ground, behold there was a small “fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.” In astonishment the Israelites asked, “Manna?” which means, “What is it?” Moses answered, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.” The manna could be eaten raw or ground as flour to make bread. It tasted like wafers made with honey. This manna was a miraculous gift from God and was no coincidence! The Lord provided this meal for the two million Israelites to eat for the next forty years. There is nothing God can’t do!
God provided for the Israelites throughout their journey. He does the same for us. He gives us all that we need for this body and life. When we look at our homes, possessions, vacations, and more, we see that he not only gives the necessities, but even more. He doesn’t just give us what we need, but also often what we want. Certainly, we should be forever grateful!
Naturally, the children of Israel had to go out and gather food. It didn’t just fall into their laps. God wanted to teach them and us that we are to be diligent to gather his food for ourselves and families. As Scripture says, “If anyone will not work, neither should he eat” (II Thessalonians 3:10). God gives us sound bodies and minds so that we can be industrious, working in quietness, and provide for ourselves and families.
We are also told that there were some who took more than they needed, even though the Lord told them to gather only enough for one day at a time. The supplies of those who gathered too much became infected with worms and was unfit to eat. The only time they could gather a double amount was on Friday so that they could rest on the Sabbath. Here, the Lord teaches us to be satisfied with what he provides us. He knows our needs and what is best for our well-being. We should all take St. Paul’s words to heart, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (I Timothy 6:8).
God provides for all that we need during our earthly journey. Yet, he has us work and gather our daily bread that he provides. At the same time, God tells to be content with what we have. But why is it, that God warns not to become greedy, overzealous, and consumed with having more and more and more? Why did God not tell the Israelites to go out and catch as many quail as possible and build up stores of manna? When we consider our Gospel lesson for today, why didn’t Jesus keep on multiplying bread so that he could feed the whole world or keep on healing the sick so that people wouldn’t have to suffer?
Because that is not God’s primary will for you. God has something greater and more important in mind. Your eternal salvation. Your eternal well-being. This life is nothing compared to eternity, it’s millimeters versus miles. Because of our sin, we were headed straight to hell for all eternity—the whole human race. But God intervened. He promised that through Abraham’s Seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. God preserved Israel, because the Savior would come from the tribe of Judah and the line of David. And he did! The Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary. He is true God and true man, come to win our salvation. Jesus did this by living a perfect and holy life for you from the womb to the tomb. He showed himself to be true God, performing great miracles like the feeding of the five thousand. He did what only God can do! Yet, his purpose was not just to heal every person, feed every child, and fix earthly governments. No. The hunger, sickness, and corruption we see in this world is a minor symptom of a far greater problem—sin. This is why Jesus did not let them make him an earthly bread king. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He came not to make heaven on earth, but to bring us from earth to heaven. And this was only possible by him going the way of the cross, to suffer and die for the sins of the world. This was his mission. As John the Baptizer declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
There are so many things in this world which vie for our heart’s attention and affection—things which we think will truly satisfy our wants—more time, more money, more alcohol, more sleep, or better health. As the hymn verse puts so well, “Other things may promise pleasure, but are never what they seem; they prove to be burdens that vex us and chafe us, and true lasting happiness never vouchsafe us” (ELH 182:1). All the things that this world has to offer are empty calories. So, I’d like to suggest this: if you aren’t finding what you think you “need,” maybe you have been looking in the wrong place.
Your good God has given you all that you need for your life. If you truly needed something else, God would grant it. However, there is only one thing needful, and it changes your life both now and for eternity. Our Lord Jesus offers you true peace and rest through the forgiveness of your sins. He offers you something that will never fade or pass away—eternal life in heaven. He offers you deliverance from this world of sin filled with worry and want. Unlike the things of this world, God offers this to you as a free gift—by grace alone. We don’t deserve it, but he provides it. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
Our God is not stingy! Not only does he provide for your physical needs with his daily bread gifts, but he provides for all your spiritual needs as well. He gives you his Word—the Bible, which is a “lamp to your feet and a light to your path.” He makes you a child of God in the waters of Holy Baptism, which makes you an heir of heaven. Most importantly, he provides you with forgiveness and strength. Each week we come to church burdened by our sins of the past week—we’ve complained, failed to thank God, hurt our neighbor, spoken foolishly, gotten angry, and much more. But through the words of absolution, Jesus forgives your sins and works in you to will and to do for his good pleasure.
We were meant for another world. The closest we get to heaven is at the Lord’s Table, where he serves us with the Supper of his body and blood under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of all our sins. In fact, here heaven breaks through time and space and for a moment we have heaven on earth, for the Lamb once slain himself descends upon the altar and dwells in us and we in him as a foretaste of the heavenly feast. We sing in our communion liturgy, “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify your glorious name.”
Our Lord draws back the curtains for us to get a foretaste of heaven. He gives us this encouragement as we leave the church service, so that we might continue in our journey until we reach the promised land of heaven. God gives us all that we need. Now may he just open our eyes to see it! Amen.