Scripture: Exodus 16:2-3
The whole Israelite community complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert. The Israelites said to them, “Oh, how we wish that the LORD had just put us to death while we were still in the land of Egypt. There we could sit by the pots cooking meat and eat our fill of bread. Instead, you’ve brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death.”
Thought for the Day: Have you ever been around a bunch of whiners? Moses and Aaron would give a strong affirmative to that question. The desert became a training ground for those interested in competitive whining, and it sure appears as if some of the Israelites were top in their field. Uncertainty about the present and future can leave us remembering the past with very skewed recollections. The best of the past is remembered while the worst is forgotten, yet simply remembering the best doesn’t change the reality of Egypt. Had the Israelites returned to that world they would not have found time to sit by the pots cooking meat and eating their fill of bread. They were slaves, and remembering the past fondly does not change the facts. Of course, the Israelites did not starve in the desert for God took care of them, but the way God took care of them was strange and unorthodox. The Lord provided manna from heaven, but manna is basically a word in Hebrew that means: What is it? It was an unexpected gift – a bread-like substance – that initially created confusion. When God is at work to liberate those who are enslaved (physically, emotionally, spiritually), God works within the framework of circumstance, freewill, history and the laws of nature. God’s strange and unorthodox path to freedom is often because of the challenges God faces in a world of human beings, yet as strange as manna was to the people, it was a sign of God’s faithfulness and commitment to the people’s freedom. Let us never allow for the uncertainty of the present or future to cloud our view of the past. The manna that has you asking, “What is it?” might just be that which will sustain you on your journey to freedom.
Prayer: I may not initially see your gifts as gifts, O Lord, but I pray that your Spirit will help me to eventually embrace them. Amen.
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