Every time I read this section I just shake my head. The Israelites have just been freed from slavery. They’ve seen amazing wonders of God in the ten plagues. They walked through the sea on dry land. They see before them the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that declared God’s presence to with them. (Literally, if they ever wondered, “Is God with us?” all they had to do was look out their tent flap. “Is the pillar there? Yes? Then God is with us.”) All these incredible things God had done and they had witnessed them.
Yet when they got hungry they began to grumble. “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.” In effect they’re saying, “Moses, why’d you bring us out here? Egypt was nice. We had food to eat. We could sit, and eat meat and bread to our hearts content!”
I wonder if Moses wanted to shout, “Are you kidding me?!?! Don’t you remember that you were slaves? Do you remember how you were cruelly treated? After all the Lord has done, you want to go back?!?!”
It’s easy to sit here behind my desk, sipping a cup of tea, condemning the Israelites for wanting to go back to slavery. However, it’s more helpful to look and see how in our sinful nature we all do exactly what the Israelites did. Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34) God has freed us from slavery through mighty deeds – the birth of Jesus, His healing ministry, His preaching and teaching, His death, resurrection, and ascension. Yet we often return to our sin, longing for the pleasures of slavery; the fruits of our sin. In our sin we think, "Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." (Pro 9:17 ESV) But that is the way to death.
Yet look at what God did in response to Israel’s grumbling. He provided food. He gave them quail and bread – and, O, what bread he gave! It showed up every morning in the dew. They looked at it and asked, “What is it?” And Moses told them, “It is the bread from heaven.” It tasted like wafers made with honey – sweet and delicious. And it was miraculous. It was enough for each day. If the Israelites did not trust God for enough and they gathered extra, they found it spoiled the next morning. Yet before the Sabbath, they were supposed to gather extra for the next day, and it was perfect and fresh the next day! It was manna . . . which literally means, “What is it?”
And that’s like what God does for us too. He takes water, and connects it to His word, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” What is it? Yet, in Baptism he washes away our sin and creates faith in us. He takes bread and wine and speaks, “Take and eat. This is my body. Take and drink. This is my blood.” What is it? But, in the Lord’s Supper, in with and under that bread and wine God actually delivers Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins, and as we receive it we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again. He uses words spoken by people. What is it? And God uses those people to deliver His Word, and in the Word we receive Jesus.
And I sit here at my desk, shaking my head . . . but now it’s in amazement. How can God do such wonderful things for us? How can he love us so much? I don’t know, but I am so thankful that He does.
Father in Heaven, Thank you for loving me and forgiving me. When I wander back to my slavery to sin, work in my heart and draw me back to You. Let me live in, and share, your forgiveness. Amen.
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