Manna From Heaven & Quailmaggeddon - BE CONTENT

A thorough recap from Wednesday night.

Intro to “Manna From Heaven”

Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt – Joseph rises to power with dream interpretations of famine to where only Pharaoh is above him. Famine leads to many Israelites coming to Egypt for food. Beginning of Exodus (chapter 1 & 2) shares that the Israelite nation grew large while in Egypt. New king/pharaoh comes along = scared of having too many Israelites who might rise up and fight them. Orders all male Israelite children born to be thrown into the Nile. Pharaoh also finds way to start oppressing the Israelites with “heavy burdens” until they were all slaves of Egypt.

 One woman kept her newborn son temporarily and then placed him in a floating basket in the Nile. Basket floated to Pharaoh’s daughter, who had pity and eventually took Moses as her son. (Ex 2:7-10)

Moses grows up – even with privilege of growing up in Pharaoh’s house – he is upset over his countrymen suffering. God comes to Moses in form of burning bush and says that he has heard the cry of his people (The Israelites) and tells Moses that Moses will go to Pharaoh and that Moses will lead his people out of Egypt!
 
Series of interactions with Pharaoh and 10 plagues (Exodus 4-12 – death of Pharaoh and all of Egypt’s 1^st born sons in the Passover) eventually convince Pharaoh to let Israelites go home. Pharaoh changes his mind after they had left & chases them to Red Sea. There Moses has his infamous “Red Sea crossing” moment – where sea then collapses and drowns pharaoh’s army.

We pick up the story about 45 days after marching out of Egypt towards home.

READ Exodus 16:1-7
1. What is the general attitude of the Israelites? (Complaining that they were better off as slaves with access to food–quickly had forgotten how God had miraculously saved them)
 
2. God provides bread (later referred to as manna in verse 31). What were the instructions for the manna? (Gather just 1 days worth at a time unless it’s the day before the Sabbath, then grab an extra days worth).
 
-Why were those the instructions? Another test like Abraham had. To see if they would obey God.

 FYI - Manna means “what is it” - It was in thin flakes (v. 14), white like coriander seed (an herb), looked like resin (Num. 11:7, perhaps meaning it was light-colored and/or sticky), and it tasted like honey wafers. It also had the taste of “something made with olive oil”(Num. 11:8).

3. Why does God provide just enough? Why not leftovers? As a DAILY reminder that God saved them and that he is the provider. Often we want God to provide in such a large quantity that we don’t have to depend on him again for a while. But, God doesn’t want us to come to him once in a while when we need something. He wants us to trust him as our provider daily. The goal is not what God provides, but to stay hungry to God the provider. Daily dependence keeps that spiritual hunger.

 (Israelites would’ve started focusing more on the extra collection of manna and what the provision was instead of relying on God the provider).

Moving on…bread isn’t enough.
Numbers 11:4-6 – people complain that they want meat to eat.
READ Numbers 11:31-34

 1. So the Israelites complained even more and God provided quail to eat (a whole lot of quail). Why did God kill some of them? (took more than their daily need -disobeyed. Greedy & selfish)

Chose what was provided over the provider.

2. Did God provide both bread and meat for the Israelites? (Yes)
Did the Israelites keep their end of God’s instructions? (nope)

 God provides for a reason and with purpose. The Israelites missed that. They just wanted to survive and get through the journey instead of use that time to draw closer to God.

Eventually – even with God’s provision – they continue to disobey God’s commands (much to Moses’ frustration) and God makes them wander in desert for 40 years as punishment (Numbers 14) and states that none who saw his miracles in Egypt will live to see their homeland in Canaan (Israel).

 3. What would have happened if Israelites had obeyed God and Moses?
(Made it home whole lot quicker than 40 years, less death (plague after the quail), wouldn’t have lost battles/men in war)….Stayed closer to God!

 The issue the Israelites had was being content with what God gave them.

4, What are things that we often aren’t content with? Something that we want to be better in our life or we want more of? (family, grades, looks, athletic ability, $, possessions, etc)
 
5. Are you content with what God has given you?
Or do you keep focusing more on what we want God to give us as opposed to focusing more on God?

6. What’s the balance between working hard and doing all you can to acquire things and being content with what you have? (Relying on God through the process, being generous, obeying when God tells you what to do with your excess time, $, resources, etc.

Maybe God doesn’t provide as much as you think you want/need because he knows it will ultimately make you more independent, selfish, and unfocused on relying on God.

When God provides more than we need it gives us excess. When we have excess we need God less.

 7. Are you naturally a content person? Scale 1-10
-Negatives of being content? (Not always, but maybe don’t work hard enough to do more for others – complacent and lack of focus)
-Positives of being content? (aren’t selfish or object/status oriented – PEACE with what you have and that you’re following God’s directions. Freedom to focus more on connecting with God.
 
Take Home for Today: How content are you with what you have?
Do you crave more manna/meat or crave more of God?

When God gives you Manna From Heaven & Quail, don’t hoard it. Be content with what God provides & draw close to him.