Looking at the Past Correctly - Pastor Mark McCarty #youversion notes

When the approx 2,000,000 Israelites left Egypt they did as most of us would. They started complaining at the first sign of discomfort. God listened to their complaints and instead of destroying them, he sent them food.

Following some basic math given the number of people and the amount provided we can come to the following amounts. 4,500 tons of manna would fill 10, 30 car trains of food. God provided this to the Israelites for 40 years, every day. It isn't possible to bring this much perishable food to a desert today.

The Israelites looked back at what they knew, slavery in Egypt, with longing the first time they were faced with adversity. They had to learn to trust the Lord. They had to learn that He would take care of them. God did not however put the manna in their mouths.

They had to go out and gather the manna so they could eat. They had to follow the method to gather it as the Lord commanded. Otherwise the manna spoiled or the effort was wasted.

The Word of God is like the manna provided in the past. It is available to all of us but we have to read it daily. The Word of God needs to be consumed every day just like we eat every day. But what other similarities are there?

To gather manna which formed on the ground you had to kneel. When we read the the Word of God we can only receive it with humility. We need to read the Word first thing when we start out the day just as the Israelites had to gather manna first thing before it went away. God commanded to keep some manna for future generations to see. It didn't spoil because God didn't allow it to become stagnant. The Word of God is alive and living. It is where we gain our sustenance.

Don't neglect the Word of God. Our life in Christ is nourished or malnourished depending on how we treat His Word. If you want to have the strength to make it to the Promised Land we need to be nourished and strong for the journey. How many times did Jesus say "Haven't you read?"

Created 9 months ago