Bread from Heaven
The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim and 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. The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.”
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites: ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’ ” And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
In the evening 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 lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer per person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.” The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it became wormy and rotten. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed, but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
~ Exodus 16:1-21 (NRSVUE)
STORYBOOK: The Candy Dish by Kobi Yamada
Can you imagine how the Israelites must have felt wandering in the wilderness for a month and a half, not knowing what would happen next? They must have been afraid, tired, and frustrated, and they must have felt like God had forgotten them. Folks, when we are not in control of our lives, and things don’t go the way we want them to, it is easy to feel frustrated, abandoned, and overwhelmed, isn’t it? As many people do, the Israelites started to complain to their leaders, Moses and Aaron. But what they had forgotten was that they were in the wilderness because God led them out of bondage and slavery to freedom. They lost sight of the gift that they had received and only saw the hardship.
Now people who live lives of gratitude usually focus on what they have, right? And though no one wants to be labeled as greedy, people who suffer from greed usually focus on what they don’t have. The truth is that two people can have the same exact things, and one of those people can experience fullness and gratitude while the other experiences emptiness, disappointment, and discouragement. And believe me, it happens to all of us all the time, whether we think we live lives of gratitude or we think we are greedy.
For the last week and a half, I have been getting up at 6 am and heading out for a two-and-a-half-mile walk at a wildlife refuge near my house. Following the path, I walk by open fields, through thickets of trees, along the ocean, and past all kinds of tall grass and wildflowers. Because it is a wildlife refuge, it is also home to a lot of four-legged and feathered friends. So, as I walk, I listen and watch for birds and animals. Each corner I turn I get more and more excited at the anticipation of what I might see.
As some of you may have seen, I’ve been posting pictures from my walks each day on Facebook to share a little glimpse of the beauty of God’s creation with the world. Now, some days have been rainy, cloudy, or foggy, but what I have found is that every day is beautiful in its own way. On Friday, when I headed out on my walk, I was excited. You see, for several days, I’ve been seeing a mama deer and her twin fawn, and I couldn’t wait to see them again. I had also caught a glimpse of the papa with his big antlers, though he tends to hide a little more. As I started down the path, I heard a noise, and I quickly looked, but all that I saw was the back of one of the fawns hopping off into the tall grass. “Oh no! I missed them,” I thought to myself. But I knew that there were other deer out there, and I was starting to learn their favorite hiding places. So, I kept going. I walked, and I walked, and I walked. There were lots of clouds in the sky, so the sun wasn’t hot. There was no fog or mist like there had been for several days, and there was a nice breeze coming from off the ocean. I saw bunnies and birds. I saw the waves crashing on the shore. I saw beautiful flowers and plants, and I even saw a hummingbird, but I didn’t see any deer.
As I started up the final hill to the parking lot, it started to rain. I looked up at the dark clouds and felt disappointed. I thought to myself, “Today was going to be a good day, but I didn’t see any deer, and now it’s raining!” I felt sad and let down as I drove home. When I got home, I pulled my pictures up on my computer to share them on Facebook, though I thought to myself, “I don’t have much to share.” As I looked at the pictures, I was amazed at the beauty of the clouds in each one of them. I had been so disappointed that I wasn’t finding deer that, I guess, I hadn’t even looked up to see the clouds.
I suddenly thought of today’s storybook and how the girl was so exhilarated about the candy dish at times and so frustrated at other times. I think that happens to all of us sometimes, doesn’t it? Day after day, our lives are shaped by how we look at and perceive the world around us. I think, sometimes, we need to be like the Israelites and trust in God to bring us through. Other times, we need to be like the girl with the candy dish and learn the magical powers of patience, perspective, and gratitude. And still, other times, when things aren’t going the way we expect them to, we need to look up at the clouds and realize the amazing and beautiful gifts of Creation that are all around us.
In today’s scripture reading, God took the story one more step. God heard the Israelites’ fears and complaints and sent them food to eat. But God wanted them to learn to trust and obey, so God sent them Manna every morning, but the people were only to take as much as they would eat that day. They were not allowed to store it away for some day because God wanted them to know that they would not go hungry and that the Manna would be there each day. They could trust in God to take care of them, and friends, my faith tells me that the same is true for us!
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead, trust in God. Be patient and look for glimpses of beauty in your life. Don’t worry about what you don’t have, but instead focus on the overflowing gifts that surround you. Remember how blessed you are to wake up each morning to see the wonder and possibility that each day brings, and then simply be grateful for the amazing gift of being alive!
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God! Amen!
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