Day 35 – Exodus 16-18

Talking Points

• It is worth noting — physical needs often turn our attention quickly.
• Over and over, we see a cycle of witnessing great works of God and then quickly grumbling and complaining against Him. It becomes clear: grumbling is a lack of trust.
• It is interesting how quickly they forget how bad the hard days of captivity had been. At least we had pots of meat and bread. (And don’t forget work without end, mistreatment, abuse, and hopelessness.)
• God provides wonderfully! He literally “rains” down bread from heaven. The Hebrew word “manna” actually means “what?” or “what is it?”. Can you imagine? The ground is covered with bread!
• An Omer was a Hebrew dry measure of grain, equivalent to ten cups.
• In His provision of the bread, God still requires trust and obedience. Trust — that God would continue to supply their needs. Obedience — in operating exactly as God commanded. We start to see an inseparable connection — He provides, we obey.
• The manna ultimately points toward Christ, the “Bread of Life.” Jesus is God’s sufficient provision for us!
• The Sabbath is instituted to set the Israelites apart and to serve as a reminder of God’s great deliverance from slavery. It later becomes one of the Ten Commandments.
• Moses is in a tough place! When the people are angry toward God, they displace it on Moses. He’s caught in the middle, bearing their wrath.

Thoughts

A common question is, “Do we observe the Sabbath today?” If we observe it, what day is it? (In the Old Testament, it would have been our Friday evening – Saturday evening.) I hear many variations of answers. Some consider Sunday to be their Sabbath and reserve it for attending a worship service at a church. Others say it should have a family focus. Others follow it strictly, tying several restrictions to it. So, what is the truth?

Here is a quick and, hopefully, straight-forward answer. The Sabbath day, like many Old Testament observances (Passover, etc.) existed to train God’s people to look to God for certain aspects of God’s salvation. The sacrificial system taught them to understand the cost of sin. The Passover observance showed them the need for the Lamb, whose blood would spare them. Profoundly, the Sabbath was the same.

The Sabbath was instituted to teach God’s people to rest in Him. Instead of scurrying about as normal or trusting in their own efforts, they would trust God for peace, for protection, and most of all, for provision. They would stop, literally cease, and rest in God.

Today, Jesus has finished the sacrificial system. He is the final Passover Lamb. He is our Sabbath rest. In Him, we can cease from our striving. We can trust God has sufficiently given peace, protection, and provision in Christ. Most of all, in Jesus, God provides our salvation. How awesome! We rest in Jesus!