Exodus 16 “Living for Today”

Exodus 16 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Jireh – Elevation Worship & Maverick City – YouTube
• Be Still Lyric Video – Hillsong Worship
• Goodness of God – Bethel Music & Jenn Johnson

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• Elementary – Exodus 16-17 – January 16, 2022 – God Provided Manna – Lesson for Kids
• This is the Day | True North VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• God Is Good | Cross Culture Norway VBS Music Video | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Your Power Will Pull Us Through | Rocky Railway VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

After some time, the Israelites leave Elim and arrive at the Wilderness of Sin (verse 1). This happened about two and a half months after they left Egypt. When the food they had brought from Elim runs out, their hunger and thirst deepen. People once again begin to grumble against Moses and Aaron (verse 2). They complain that they were better off when they were in Egypt sitting by the meat pots (verse 3).

Moses brings this matter before God, and God tells Moses that from now on, the people will eat the food that He provides each day (verse 4). This will be both a blessing and a test of their faith. Without trusting in God faithfully, they would not be able to gather just enough food for each day. On the sixth day, they are to gather enough to eat on the following day, the Sabbath (verse 5).

Moses instructs Aaron to gather the people together (verse 9). At that moment, “the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud” (verse 10), and the Lord once again speaks to Moses, saying that He has heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Therefore, He will provide meat in the evening and bread in the morning. Through this, they will know that “I, the Lord, am your God” (verse 12).

That evening, quail came and covered the camp, and the next morning, a layer of frost-like flakes settled on the ground (verses 13–14). The people, confused and unsure of what it was, were told by Moses that it was the food God had given them. He instructed them to gather only one omer per person per household (verses 15–16). When the people went out to gather, whether they collected much or little, each household ended up with exactly the right amount, according to the number of people (verses 17–18).

Moses instructs the people not to leave any of the food until the next day (verse 19). However, some, fearing that no food might be available the next day, kept the leftovers. By the next morning, the food had spoiled and was inedible (verse 20). After this incident, everyone began to gather only enough food for each day (verse 21).

Moses then tells them that the seventh day is a Sabbath, so they must gather twice as much food on the sixth day (verses 22–23). This indicates that the Israelites were already observing the Sabbath. The food gathered on the sixth day did not spoil, even when kept until the next day (verses 24–26). However, some among them did not trust Moses’ words and went out to gather food on the seventh day—but found nothing (verse 27). God became angry over this and gave Moses a firm command concerning Sabbath observance (verses 26–30).

The Israelites referred to the food as “manna.” On the first day they saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” (verse 15), and that question became its name. It was “white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey” (verse 31).

Moses commanded that one omer of manna be kept in a jar to be used as a testimony of God’s grace for future generations (verse 32). He also instructed Aaron to place an omer of manna in a jar “to be kept before the Lord for the generations to come” (verse 33). Aaron followed this instruction, and after the tabernacle was built, he placed the jar of manna in front of the tablets of the covenant (verse 34). The Israelites ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan (verse 35). One omer is one-tenth of an ephah (verse 36), which is about two liters.

Meditation:

Human beings are creatures who live one day at a time. Yesterday has already passed and tomorrow has not yet come. The only time given to each of us is today. Day by day, we live—some for fifty years, others for a hundred.

The success or failure of life depends on how we live today. A blessed life is one that gratefully receives each day and lives it with care and sincerity. Only to those who live this way does the future become a promised land. Expecting a bright future while carelessly living today is a foolish delusion.

Through the manna, the Israelites were meant to learn this way of life: to entrust tomorrow’s worries and concerns to God and live faithfully today. We must believe that tomorrow belongs entirely to God. Trying to secure tomorrow by our own means is an act of unbelief. The safety measures we prepare with our own hands will ultimately rot away. The most secure safeguard for tomorrow is to dwell in God. When we remain in Him, we do not live according to our greed but with contentment. We are not trapped by anxiety about the future but live in gratitude for what is given today.

This is not just a lesson for the Israelites of long ago. It is the principle of life that the Lord teaches us through His words: “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

Prayer:

Lord, when we look closely, we too are living a “day-to-day” life. The only time secured for us is today. But in You, our one day exists within Your eternity. Help us to live each day with care, keeping our eyes on Your eternal promises. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God provides what we need each day, not all at once, but daily, so that we learn to trust Him one day at a time. When we live faithfully in the present, we experience His presence and peace.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • What kind of food did God give the Israelites in the desert every day? Why do you think God did that?
  • How do you feel when you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow? What helps you feel safe?
  • What is something you are thankful for today? Can you say thank you to God for it?
    
• For Youth
  
  • Why do you think God told the Israelites only to collect enough manna for one day at a time (except before the Sabbath)?
  • What are some things you worry about when thinking about your future? How might trusting God today help with those worries?
  • Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). What might that look like in your daily school or family life?