Exodus 16:15 “When the sons 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 which the Lord has given you to eat.’”

EAT THAT?

In my travels I have been offered some strange things to eat.  I almost always partake of it, even if I don’t really want it.  I don’t want to be rude to my host.  But here are the Hebrew people in the wilderness faced with a new food source they had never seen.  They had been grumbling and complaining since they left Egypt about not enough to eat or drink.  So God gives them “what is it,” manna.

The word literally means “whatness” or “what is it.”  We would call that mystery meat when I was in college going through the cafeteria line, lol.  Not only did God provide them their “daily bread,” but He also told them when to gather it and how much to gather. He told them how to prepare it and store it for the Sabbath.  If that’s not attention to detail, I don’t know what it is.

TEACHING MOMENT

Are your children picky eaters?  Many kids are.  I truly believe too many parents give in to their child’s desires rather than concentrating on providing for their needs.  How many of your kids would have eaten manna which they had gathered off the ground each morning?  How many of your children would have said, “Mom, I am tired of this manna stuff.  That’s all we ever have to eat.”?

The next time your little Elrod or Gertrude complain about the food on the table, pull out this story.  Remind them it is NOT about what’s on the table.  It’s all about how the Lord provides for us daily.  Turning up their nose to prepared food is thumbing that same nose at God.  It’s as if they are saying, “God, you don’t know what I need.”

But how about you, Mom and Dad?  Are you doing the same?  Do you question God’s provision in your life?  Are you grumbling about where He is leading you (it may be the Promised Land) as if you have a better plan?

Let Him lead.  Let Him provide.  He ALWAYS knows what we need when we need it.