Bread From Heaven
Scripture Reading — Exodus 16:1-35
“The Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”
Our boys sometimes sing a funny song called “It’s raining tacos.” It suggests that you should just open your mouth, close your eyes—no need to ask why—and enjoy “all you can eat” tacos from out of the sky. It makes us laugh to think about such an impossible situation, and yet God said something similar to Moses—that he would “rain down bread from heaven” for his people.
Imagine the confusion, joy, and relief when people saw that there was food—and yet how disorienting it must have been to receive food in a way that was completely different from anything they had experienced before.
Think about why God made manna appear in such an unfamiliar way to the Israelites. Could it be that God was inviting the people to accept something from him in a way that required them to trust and to look at reality in a whole new way?
God was clearly doing something new among them, and it was their task to receive it—so that they would not only survive but also know that it was from the Lord when they had all the bread they wanted (Exodus 16:8). Later on in the ministry of Jesus, God also provides bread so that people will know the Lord and trust that he provides everything we need for life.
Lord, we want to know you too. Help us to recognize the ways you reveal yourself to us, and help us to receive whatever you offer us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Julia Prins Vanderveen
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