Day 16: Exodus 16 & 20

Exodus 16

Now begins a lot of walking around in the desert. Lots. Of. Walking.  The Israelites have no home and will be travelling for many years to come.  This part of Exodus seems to really have a lot to do with obedience to God.  This is important, because to make it to the end of their journey, they really need to trust God to get them through.

God gives simple instructions to the people, and they seem to have difficulty following it.  An example would be when God says to eat all the bread (manna) and not keep any of it overnight.  Of course, there were some who didn't and tried to save the leftovers.  Unfortunately for them, it became nasty with maggots and spoiled the next day.  Fortunately, however, there was more manna in the morning to collect anyway.

Random Bible factoid:  An omer refers to a measured amount.  The US dry measure equivalent is about a half gallon.

God knows what they needed then just has he knows what we need now.  "Give us this day our daily bread..." sound familiar?

What do you really need?  Have you ever had moments where you are so worried that God might not come through that the anxiety ends up spoiling the rest of your day just like the Israelite's leftover manna?

Exodus 20

The Big Ten

This moment in the Bible probably rivals (at least in frequency of reading) the story of creation or the Gospel of Jesus, and resides right here as God unveils the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel.  God gives a tangible foundation by which his people are to live.

You and I might think, "Sweet!  God is talking to the people!  How cool is that?"  Actually, according to v. 18, they (the Israelites) were completely freaked out by the rumbling of thunder and smoke across the mountain.   I wonder if this is a part of the Bible where the term "fear of God" includes both a heaping dose of reverence as well as a healthy portion of terror.  I'm pretty sure if I were standing there near that mountain on the same day, I would be pretty terrified too.   God could've just left it like that and let the people tremble with fear.  However, Moses says in v. 20, "...Do not be afraid.  God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."  Once again, God has a plan and is laying out another piece of the foundation (probably a cornerstone) in this passage.

You may not realize it, but God is laying a foundation for you, personally.  This is happening right now.  One day you might look back and be able to see God's "cornerstones" that he's engineered specifically for you.

Tomorrow's Reading: Numbers 13 & 20