Exodus 16:15
I often marvel at the love, grace, and patience of God!
Exodus 16, the story of God feeding his people in the wilderness, is familiar to most. If you would like to refresh your memory, click on this link for the NRSVUE: Exodus 16 NRSVUE
After listening to the grumbling of the people of Israel, who had been led out of bondage in Egypt to freedom in the wilderness, the LORD provided food for them. Typical, God provides for our needs when we don’t deserve it. This would be a daily miracle and would not stop until they reached the Promised Land. In the evening, quail would fly in, and Israel would have meat, and in the morning, a dew would appear on the surface of the ground, dry up, and form wafers: with it, they could form bread. Every day, they would have enough for themselves and anyone in need.
Here is what caught my attention. Quail, they would have seen before, nothing new there: they probably had lots of recipes. Oh, but the dew drying to a substance they could make into bread? That was a mystery. That was a new one. They had never seen that before; totally out of the realm of their experience.
But wait, there’s more! When they saw the dew turned to wafers, there was a collective confusion and question: “What is it?” (Perhaps you have a bottom note in your Bible on verse 15?) Folks familiar with Hebrew will tell you that when they formed the question, “What is it?” they also coined a new word: “manna.” They named this new food after the question it formed in their minds.
Jesus gives us a stunning interpretation of this text: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) If you are thinking about Holy Communion as you read this, so am I. (Read all of John 6). The manna in the wilderness lasted a day; the Manna from heaven, Jesus, feeds us now and for all eternity. Take a few moments and ponder that truth.
We are on the first Sunday of Lent, a time for spiritual reflection and focus on our relationship with God. As you have grown in Christ, you have probably noticed a constant, compassionate Presence and a continual conversation taking place in your soul. While God is always speaking and communicating with us, we often tune them out (think Trinity here); we get busy, lose focus, or find some stupid sin attractive. We are human, after all. How is your conversation with Christ going?
Perhaps, a great way to start and navigate this Lenten season is to stop and ask God: What is it?
Questions for Reflection:
- What is it, Jesus, that you want me to see, hear and do?
- What is it, Lord, that I can do to love you and love others?
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for your constant, continual, compassionate Presence in my life. Enable me to have an open, honest, and curious attitude toward You. What is it? Please show me what to do and help me to do it. Glorify yourself through me. In Jesus, Amen
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