Today’s Devotion
Topic: From Elim to Sin (Part 3)
Text: Exodus 16: 21-29
21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”
24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”
27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” Amen
We discovered yesterday that Israel was to collect an omer of manna each, just about enough for each person for a day. There was not to be any surplus kept overnight. However, the stubborn ones did keep some overnight and discovered the food had developed a bad smell and was full of maggots.
In today’s passage, we see that the 6th day was an exception to the instruction of not keeping the food overnight. It was so because the 7th day was Sabbath and God strictly required all Israel to rest and not work on that day. A double portion of the manna was to be collected for each individual of a household, one to be used on the 6th day and the other on the 7th. The most amazing thing is that the extra portion kept on the 6th day for use on the 7th day, miraculously didn’t have a foul smell nor bred maggots.
No one was to go out on the 7th day in search of manna. Yet their stubborn hearts wouldn’t let them adhere. Some went out on the 7th day to collect manna and realised there was none. God was not happy about this. Blatant stubborness and gross disobedience to the simplest instructions, yet very loud and impatient when they needed something (or anything actually) from God.
One would have thought the awe of the miracle that was providing manna for them was going to be strong enough to make them honor the Miracle Giver. But no, they did whatever they pleased till they met a challenge, then they blamed God for not doing enough for them.
We are mostly no different from these people Moses was leading, are we? We accuse God of being insensitive to our situation whenever things go tough. We always complain and compare with our past life and see whatever God is doing with us currently as a mistake we should never have signed for.
Yet we don’t honor God. We don’t care about His word so we can live by it. We find ourselves doing exactly what His word instructs against. But how have we hoped that we can disobey and disregard the Lord’s commands but HE MUST BY ALL MEANS MEET OUR EXPECTATIONS OR WE WILL GO BACK TO THE WORLD OF SIN HE DELIVERED US FROM? What kind of unaccaptable perception is that?
Beloved decide today to honor God through obedience and you will see the full manifestation of His word in your life. Jesus once said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7). Although the mercies of God make His provision available for all mankind, those who would enjoy the covenanted supernatural flow of blessing from the God of all posibilities are those who can wholeheartedly obey.
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