Exodus Chapter 16
I would wonder if that wilderness was named Sin because this is where Israel sinned against the Lord but it looks like the name was already in place by the time they arrived. It probably means something else in the original Hebrew language but it is interesting to see it named something that in English means wrong doing or rebellion against God caused by unbelief. By this time with the great number of people among them, the food that they had gotten in Egypt would have gotten down almost to nothing.
Instead of politely informing Moses
that the food supply was dwindling, they rose up in rebellion with
an attitude of, "If God had really have sent us out here, we
wouldn't be in this state." The biggest hindrance to the miracle working power of God is unbelief. One of the biggest miracles of all is the salvation of just one soul. If we stop believing God still has the power to change lives, we will not see lives change and souls saved.
The wilderness wanderings was a time of testing. Before they could enter they promised land they had to prove that they would trust in God and be willing to obey His commandments.
They had to gather twice as much because on the seventh day was the day of rest and refreshing for the body, soul and spirit. We all need a day to set aside and worship the Lord. If God had not have required this, servants and slaves would never get any relief. Humans are selfish and would not want to stop gaining in business and would work those in subjection under them with vigor as they saw in Egypt. God did not want Israel to be like the Egyptians who were so materialistic and greedy that they made slaves out of the Israelites without mercy. I know of a business owned by Christians that refuse to open on Sunday and Wednesday because they are traditional church days. That business is huge now and excels I believe because they honored God. I do not believe in the modern day prosperity doctrine that is taught today but I have seen God honor and give to those that put their trust in Him in that way.
See how easily they forgot the miracle of the Red Sea parting. This is why the teaching of the word is necessary to sustain us when the miracles cease in certain seasons. We need God's word continually.
God really hates murmuring and complaining. I was in a long line at the Post office the one time. Instead of meeting new people and striking up a conversion, one man complained continually about the long line when there was nothing anyone could do about it except to tell some of us to go home. What could have been a time of conversation was ruined by one complainer.
It is true that when one murmurs against a godly leader who truly represents the Lord, it is the same as murmuring against God. This type of thing has destroyed many churches. There has to be a godly way to handle disagreements then to grumble and complain.
They were fed by a miracle from God and this continued until they came into the land of Canaan where they could grow their own food and till the land.
God was trying to teach them just to listen, obey and trust in Him and they would be okay. This is hard for us to do because we think that our ways are better than the Lord's ways. Many times we are over anxious and quick to take matters into our own hands. Remember the story of Sarah and Hagar. Sometimes we try to help God. Sarah didn't wait on God to give her the child she was promised. In the delay, she figured out in our own thinking, that perhaps God wanted her to have a child through Hagar. That turned out being sad and harmful later on. Sarah had her own child and the two children didn't mix. They had to separate. The descendants of Isaac and Ishmael are still fighting today. Sometimes we have unbelief and think God has abandoned us and we have to do something ourselves. It doesn't help when people quote scriptures that do not exist like, "God helps those that help themselves." That is not in the bible and is not true. God helps those that trust in Him and depend upon Him for all things. The flesh profits nothing. Look at the mess the world is in. It is in that mess because we forgot to consult God in things and we are going about trying to solve disease, famine, war, and peace on our own without seeking the face of God. Of course its hard to seek someone we don't believe in. The more we try the more we will fail. As long as we keep ignoring God, someone is going to come along that will seemingly be able to solve the problem of peace but this will be a deceiver we call the antichrist. He will be allowed to come and deceive for only one reason, "Mankind has refused to obey God so God will allow them to be deceived by an impostor."
Jesus was speaking to unbelieving people in that day who followed Jesus around, not to learn from Him but to find fault with His teaching and catch Him at His word.
It did not stink on this day because God had told them to gather twice as much only on this one day.
This hard headed people are no different than the hard heads we have today.
As God supplied their need, He supplies the need of all those that trust in Him. An omer is almost 2 quarts in US measurements.
This doesn't promise us the riches of this life as some teach today but promises us that we will have what is sufficient for us to live until the day we enter into the His kingdom at the return of Jesus Christ. Until then we are to be content with what we have. If God cannot trust us to be happy and content now, how can He trust us with the true riches that He gives. The true riches cannot even be compared to what we think is riches. God has got something better for us that what we think we desire and need. The riches of His presence is greater than any thing the world can offer us. We can have that now without waiting by receiving Jesus Christ in our lives and being baptized in the Holy Spirit. We need to seek the true riches and not settle for the riches of this world that are gone the moment our earthly life ends.
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