Everyone faces problems in life. The real question is, what will we do when troubles come? Will we fall back on old habits, maybe even addictions, or will we seek to find the best God has for us in those moments?
The Israelites, when hungry, grumbled and made up completely false stories about their old life in Egypt. Even though they were mistaken, God still had something good planned for them.
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites: ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’”
And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud (Exodus 16.9-10).
The Israelites, despite their complaints, had a chance to get closer to God and witness His glory. What if we chose to approach God and see His glory solve our problems before we ever start complaining?
I think only those with a strong bond with the Lord will do this. This gives us even more reason to spend time with him, understand his voice, and follow his direction.
Encountering the Lord’s glory will change our lives. If we don’t try to connect with God, his presence, and his glory every day through the Spirit, we’re cheating ourselves.
Paul described the effect of a vital connection with the Holy Spirit like this.
And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3.18).
Experiencing God
When God steps in to fix our issues, it gives us a chance to understand Him better. Nobody likes having problems, but through these difficulties and our bond with God, we end up knowing Him better than ever before.
This was the case with the Hebrews in the wilderness.
The Lord spoke to Moses,
“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God’” (Exodus 16.11).
The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 430 years. They likely thought the Egyptian gods were stronger than Jehovah, the one true God. God had to repeatedly prove to them that He was the only real God.
We believe in a single God, revealed to us by Jesus Christ. Yet, we often need reminders that He alone is God. We may be lured into trusting politics, money, or our own abilities instead of Him.
Unknowingly, these become rivals against God Himself.
Shut Up and Show Me
A world champion powerlifter wore a t-shirt that read, “Shut Up and Show Me.” God’s actions speak volumes.
He doesn’t just talk about his plans. He silences himself and proves to people what he can do.
In the evening quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.
When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat” (Exodus 16.13-15).
The Bible often shows instances where there’s a long gap between God’s promise and its fulfillment. For example, 430 years of slavery passed before the promise given to Joseph was realized in the exodus.
We rely on God’s word and await his promise. When it happens, we get further proof that the Lord is God.
We patiently wait and have faith in God’s actions. Instead of turning to our own solutions or alternatives. Like the prophets warned God’s people against idol worship, we stay reliant on Him.
God’s Diet Plan
Gluttony and greed are two faults of a wealthy society. When God’s people were in the wilderness, he gave them manna to eat. He made sure that his people would not become gluttonous or greedy.
People who were greedy and gluttonous received only what God deemed necessary, while those content with less got more. This was all part of His excellent health plan for them.
This is what the Lord has commanded: Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer per person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.”
The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less.
But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed (Exodus 16.16-18).
Think about how our world would change if we used God’s plan for diet and possessions to deal with people’s greed. Wouldn’t that make our world much better?
We can’t apply God’s diet plan to the whole world, but we can follow it ourselves. We should consider our food intake, the amount of stuff we collect, and anything else that goes beyond what God intends.
Let’s try it out and see how it affects our waistline, inside self, and connection with the Lord.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Whispering Danny, and I discuss this passage on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel.
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