Day 24

By
Manna and Quail from Heaven

Scripture

January 24—Exodus 16-18: Journey to Mount Sinai

Observation

Only three days after their dramatic deliverance at the Red Sea, the people begin to complain—a dreary habit that will characterize their entire wilderness journey. The water supply dwindles, the grumbling increases as the people forget that God is the Source of their supply. God miraculously provides manna, quail, and water in abundance to teach the nation a lesson in faith. Then an overworked Moses learns a valuable lesson in administration from his father-in-law as he selects capable men to assist him in governing the people.

Application

Have you ever had a morning like this? You bound out of bed, confident that today will be a great day. But there’s no soap in the shower, and you’ve run out of clean clothes. On the way to breakfast you trip over a misplaced chair. The toast burns, you drop egg on your shoe, and the newspaper doesn’t arrive. A traffic jam makes you late for an appointment, and you lose your important “things to do” list. Before your day has even begun, you feel like crawling back in bed and starting! The Israelites had their share bad days, too. They quickly discovered that desert travel can be difficult, even dangerous. The glory of the Red Sea crossing faded from their memories as soon as their stomachs began to rumble from hunger. They actually accused Moses of leading them into the wilderness to kill them (17:3)! Have you lost sight of God’s purpose for bringing along bad days as well as good ones? Make a list of all the difficult situations found in today’s reading and ask yourself this question. “What was God trying to teach his people through adversity that they never would have learned through prosperity? And what is he trying to teach me?”

Prayer

Lord help us not to be ungraceful for the life you have provided for us like the Israelites in the wilderness. You promised them the Promised Land and us heaven. Teach us not to complain about our life here in our wilderness and keep our eyes watching for your return to take us. Let us be your watchmen on the wall—come and come quickly. In Jesus name, amen!

Jethro (Moses father-in-law) and Moses (watercolor circa 1900 by James Tissot)









© Odessa Mathis about my Father's business! 2019

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