Perhaps you remember the Bible story of God’s promise to give the children of Israel the fertile land of Canaan.
When the people did not believe God and grumbled and complained, God delayed the blessing and caused their wandering trip to Canaan to last forty long years. During that time, He fed all those people in the waste and hostile wilderness without any fields of grain, vegetable gardens or imports. How could He do this? It would be an impossible problem for us, but it was no problem to God. We would never have guessed God’s method if He had not told us.
God said, “I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain [amount] every day.” The next morning, the dew lay on the ground all around their camp, and when the dew dried up, there was a small round thing on the surface of the ground. What is it? the people asked. In their language the word was “manna.” Moses explained to them, “This is the bread which the Lord [has] given you to eat.”
This was a surprise, wasn’t it? They could not be lazy, because a million people made a very large camp, and they had a long way to walk to the land beyond their tents where the manna lay on the ground. The Bible describes the manna as being like coriander seed. Coriander seed is round and about this size: O - about 1/8 inch in diameter. So it was steady work to gather a day’s supply for a hungry family. Probably everyone helped, even the children. It had to be gathered early, because once the sun was hot, it melted and was gone. Don’t keep any extra manna overnight, instructed Moses. Gather it fresh every morning.
But surely it doesn’t matter if we sleep in a little longer, some said. There was something in their hearts that said, We don’t have to obey Moses. He’s eighty years old! You may understand this rebellious feeling, because it is right there in your heart too. Why can’t I have my own way? I don’t have to do what the Bible says!
So, some of them gathered enough to eat for two days, and perhaps they thought that they were extra hard workers and could rest the next morning. But in the morning, those families looked into the pot of yesterday’s manna and. . . it smelled awful and it was crawling with worms! They had to throw it out and go hungry that day.
Didn’t they know better than to choose their own way? It never works to disobey God. It might seem to for a while, but God knows all things and His way is right. To choose your own way is not only foolish, it is sin. But in His mercy, God gave them fresh manna the next morning, and His mercy is the same for you right now. Do you know how much He loves you and how perfect His ways are?
Then Moses had another command. There will be no manna on the seventh day (Saturday, their holy Sabbath day). Gather twice as much on Friday. This could be baking day, or they could boil the manna or leave it fresh. It made no difference, because it would keep over Saturday, even if the weather were warm. The seventh day was a day of good food without hard work.
But isn’t one day as good as another? Even if you are a Christian, you may think that you can choose your own way and your own time of receiving God’s blessings. Some of the people thought that same way, and they went out with their empty pots to gather manna on Saturday, the Sabbath, and there wasn’t any! They came home hungry, and it may be that they learned their lesson faster than we do. The lesson is simply . . . let God make the choices. He knows our needs better than we do, and His timing is perfect. We can find out what His choices are by reading His Word, the Bible, and “listening” to His voice.
God does not command us to stop working on the seventh day. Not now. It was on the first day of the week (Sunday) that our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, and on that day we specially love to remember Him. He looks for a loving response in your heart, since He gave His life for you. The answer, “I don’t care,” or, “Some other day,” will leave you empty and hungry in your heart, even if you are a Christian. Listen to the Word of God, and let Him make your choices. “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler [guardian] to all them that trust in Him” (2 Samuel 22:3131As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. (2 Samuel 22:31)).
You may be wondering about the need of clothes and shoes for all those people during those forty years of walking. That’s another wonder from God’s supply. Their shoes never wore out and their clothes were always new! No wear and tear and no patching. Do you see what a God we have? Why not trust Him now and forever!
And where did a million people and their cattle find enough water to drink in desert conditions? You may find out by reading our next story.