Read Exodus 15 & 16
Focus verses
Exodus 16: 2-5 (NKJV)
2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. 5 And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”
History
The Israelites have left Egypt and are now basically on their own. Since they had been slaves for hundreds of years, the needed to LEARN to survive without "masters" to care for them. Slaves do not make their own decisions. Slaves pretty much depend on their "masters" for their survival.
Step one in their training was to LOOK TO GOD to be FILLED! This is where MANNA comes in. IT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST FOOD! From this moment forward try to think of MANNA as FLAKES OF LOVE!! It was used by GOD to teach His children to DEPEND on HIM daily for their every need!
He needed them to learn this BEFORE they entered the Promised Land!
Connections to Us
There are so many distractions that can keep you from turning to GOD for your DAILY needs. Your Heavenly Father knows this. He truly desires for us to begin each day WITH HIM.... You should be dependent on HIM and HIM ALONE. You must ASK HIM to fill you for THIS DAY'S NEEDS. And you should ASK THIS EACH and EVERY DAY!!!!!
God knew that once in Canaan it would be more difficult to teach the Israelites. The Promised Land would be full of so many wonderful things that the LORD was preparing for them! God understood that it would be easier to teach His children while they were still in the desert where there were fewer distractions!
Think about this in your life. Do you think God sometimes leads you into a "desert" time because He needs to teach you something and He wants your full attention?
Note also that heavenly bread (manna) was freely given to anyone who would accept it? The Bread of Life, JESUS, is also freely given to ANYONE who will ACCEPT HIM! The manna was provided simply because God said that He would provide it...JESUS IS provided SIMPLY because God SAID that He would provide HIM!!!!
THIS IS LOVE!
