Then the Lord said to Moses “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”
Exodus 16:4
In Exodus, chapter 16, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert for a little over a month when they began to complain against Moses and Aaron, the leaders that God had chosen to oversee the Exodus from Egypt. They longed for the “pots of meat” they had left back in Egypt. But wait a minute, are these not the same people that had cried out to God for deliverance from Egypt? Indeed, this was the same community that had been enslaved in Egypt for 450 years, and when God saw their pain and affliction, and heard their distress, he brought them out of Egypt (Exodus 3:7).
When the Israelites grumble and complain, God responds by saying to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.” God does not give the Israelites the tongue lashing they obviously deserved. He does not castigate them for their ingratitude and lack of faith. God chooses to extend grace, incomprehensible grace to Israel. God provided what they needed; not what they deserved. He provided food sufficient for the day. Just think about that for a moment. Would you have done the same thing if someone was ungrateful toward you?
How had the whole community so quickly forgotten what God had done for them? Where was their faith? Before we judge this community too harshly, we only need to look in the mirror. When we are in our “wilderness,” how often do we grumble and complain about our own situations? How often do we forget where God has brought us from? How frequently do we overlook the benefits that God has already given us and instead focus only on what we think is lacking? If God were to treat us the way we deserved, none of us would stand.
But God extends this overwhelming grace to the righteous; to those who walk under the power of the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. He understands our frailties and inadequacies (Hebrews 4:15). Today, thank God for who he is to you. Thank God for his incomprehensible grace toward you, without which you would be lost. Thank him for delivering you out of “Egypt” and for bringing you this far. Thank him for the many benefits you enjoy as a child of God. Most significantly, thank him for giving you the “Bread of Life” his Son, Jesus Christ, who daily nourishes your soul and assures you of eternal life, your Promised Land. Thank him for the Holy Spirit who lives within you and is your final guarantee of your inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).