1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,520 The story in Exodus, chapter 16 has. 2 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:16,320 Has great meaning for me. 3 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:17,360 I wonder, did you. 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:19,520 Did you pick up that Whenever the manna. 5 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,240 Whenever came the heat of the day, the manna would just melt away. 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:24,080 Like. 7 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,640 Like it was just snow and melting like water. 8 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,080 It's important to me because I asked Pamela to marry me based on 9 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:31,760 an argument. 10 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:35,160 It's not the most romantic way. 11 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:37,200 Well, I thought it was, but turned out it wasn't. 12 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,440 I had tried three times to ask her to marry me. 13 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,880 It wasn't that she said no, it's just her diary was too full. 14 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:49,240 And so there was one Saturday we were supposed to be speaking at 15 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,320 a mission conference in Ballymena and it was cancelled because 16 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,000 of the big snow in 2010. 17 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:55,680 Do you remember the big snow of 2010? 18 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:57,720 And so we were in East Belfast at the time. 19 00:00:57,720 --> 00:00:58,640 We went out for lunch. 20 00:00:58,940 --> 00:01:00,060 We started an argument. 21 00:01:00,140 --> 00:01:02,300 Does snow lie on sand? 22 00:01:03,020 --> 00:01:04,140 I said yes. 23 00:01:04,780 --> 00:01:06,060 Pamela said no. 24 00:01:06,220 --> 00:01:09,660 And I said, aha, let's go and prove this. 25 00:01:09,660 --> 00:01:12,580 Of course, in my mind, bringing us to our favorite beach 26 00:01:12,580 --> 00:01:13,940 where we used to go for walks. 27 00:01:13,940 --> 00:01:16,700 I would get down on one knee and ask her to marry me. 28 00:01:17,660 --> 00:01:21,580 And so off we went, debating in the car whether snow would indeed 29 00:01:22,060 --> 00:01:23,180 lie on sand. 30 00:01:23,180 --> 00:01:24,140 And do you know what? 31 00:01:24,870 --> 00:01:25,350 It did? 32 00:01:25,590 --> 00:01:27,270 And so I was proved right. 33 00:01:27,350 --> 00:01:31,110 And I said, pamela, you now know that moving forward, I will 34 00:01:31,110 --> 00:01:32,150 always be right. 35 00:01:35,350 --> 00:01:37,110 Well, that soon ended. 36 00:01:38,630 --> 00:01:43,030 And so down on one knee, I got on the sand covered with snow. 37 00:01:43,590 --> 00:01:45,590 And the rest, as they say, is history. 38 00:01:45,670 --> 00:01:47,510 Almost 15 years later. 39 00:01:48,070 --> 00:01:50,910 Now, I tell you that because I wanted you to laugh, because, you 40 00:01:50,910 --> 00:01:53,390 know, sometimes it does me a bit of good, my ego, a bit of good 41 00:01:53,390 --> 00:01:54,510 that I am actually funny. 42 00:01:54,510 --> 00:01:56,050 But, you know, other times not. 43 00:01:56,050 --> 00:02:03,050 But what we see in the melting, what we see in this manna 44 00:02:03,050 --> 00:02:09,770 disappearing is something wonderful about God and truly amazing 45 00:02:09,770 --> 00:02:10,570 about his ways. 46 00:02:10,570 --> 00:02:14,970 We've seen him already go against the created order whenever 47 00:02:14,970 --> 00:02:18,570 the people crossed the Red Sea, remember what he did in creation? 48 00:02:18,570 --> 00:02:20,530 He caused the rivers to flow. 49 00:02:20,770 --> 00:02:22,970 Well, now he was holding back the waters. 50 00:02:22,970 --> 00:02:27,280 He was stopping what was natural so that his people could 51 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:28,480 walk through on dry ground. 52 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,080 And now he was doing something that wasn't expected. 53 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,920 But whenever people saw it, they thought it should have been 54 00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:40,240 there the whole time, but yet it melted away because God was again 55 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:45,360 doing something that the people had to learn was his way and 56 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:46,160 not theirs. 57 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:52,810 So let's go back to the start of this passage to verse one of chapter 58 00:02:52,810 --> 00:02:56,050 16, because we return this week to the second of the moments 59 00:02:56,050 --> 00:03:00,970 of grumbling of God's people in the Period between leaving Egypt 60 00:03:00,970 --> 00:03:03,130 and their encampment at Sinai. 61 00:03:03,610 --> 00:03:06,890 And last week we saw them grumble over a lack of drinkable 62 00:03:06,890 --> 00:03:07,289 water. 63 00:03:07,610 --> 00:03:11,330 And the Lord miraculously, truly, miraculously provided for 64 00:03:11,330 --> 00:03:15,890 them at Marah, the place of bitterness, and then abundantly at 65 00:03:15,890 --> 00:03:19,050 the place of Elim, because it wasn't just water, it was palm trees 66 00:03:19,050 --> 00:03:19,610 as well. 67 00:03:19,690 --> 00:03:22,490 And those palm trees were strong, which demonstrated a great 68 00:03:22,490 --> 00:03:26,230 result source of water below the surface. 69 00:03:27,510 --> 00:03:31,590 But as we read the word grumbling last week and this week 70 00:03:31,590 --> 00:03:35,990 and again in weeks to come, we shouldn't just think that it is about 71 00:03:36,310 --> 00:03:38,590 complaining, because we all grumble. 72 00:03:38,590 --> 00:03:41,190 We grumble about the weather, we grumble, it was too much rain. 73 00:03:41,190 --> 00:03:44,030 And I'm sure there'll be some grumbling in these days, it's too 74 00:03:44,030 --> 00:03:44,390 warm. 75 00:03:44,870 --> 00:03:45,710 We grumble. 76 00:03:45,710 --> 00:03:47,430 And we think it means complaining. 77 00:03:47,430 --> 00:03:53,120 But here the word grumbling has a much deeper root and it's best 78 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,440 understood as straight out rebellion. 79 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,920 And actually, when you go through the story of Exodus thus 80 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:03,360 far, it is one story of rebellion, rebellion initially by 81 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:08,480 Egypt and Pharaoh against God, and now rebellion by his people. 82 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:13,120 And again, we see this rebellion in verse one of chapter 83 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,820 16, that they're only a month out of Egypt. 84 00:04:16,820 --> 00:04:20,980 They've only been rescued a month and a matter of weeks just 85 00:04:20,980 --> 00:04:23,540 through miraculously crossing the Red Sea. 86 00:04:23,940 --> 00:04:24,860 And now they grumble. 87 00:04:24,860 --> 00:04:29,860 And ultimately they grumble because they quickly forget how amazing 88 00:04:29,860 --> 00:04:30,900 the work of God is. 89 00:04:30,900 --> 00:04:36,020 And whenever we grumble, we have a short memory. 90 00:04:36,500 --> 00:04:40,700 When we grumble about the rain, we forget that we do get sunshine 91 00:04:40,700 --> 00:04:41,700 and heat as well. 92 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:47,200 And when we grumble about the heat, well, then we've forgotten 93 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,240 about the colder days that we complained about. 94 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,600 See, it turns out grumbling still today, whether it's complaining 95 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,240 or whether it's rebellion is about having a short memory. 96 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,240 And so as they leave Elim, they come to the desert of sin. 97 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,080 And the first thing I want to say about this desert of sin, the 98 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,080 word sin here is not how we understand it in English. 99 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,560 It is simply a Hebrew word that is pronounced sin, but is not 100 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,640 the word for Hebrew used to describe that rebel. 101 00:05:14,740 --> 00:05:18,260 So please don't equate the two with the one that that's not how 102 00:05:18,420 --> 00:05:19,100 this works. 103 00:05:19,100 --> 00:05:22,660 It is simply known as the desert of sin, with no indication 104 00:05:22,740 --> 00:05:26,860 that the word sin is the same or even has the same meaning as what 105 00:05:26,860 --> 00:05:29,140 we know as out and out rebellion against God. 106 00:05:30,020 --> 00:05:32,660 But look at what we read in verses two to three. 107 00:05:33,300 --> 00:05:36,780 In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses 108 00:05:36,780 --> 00:05:37,460 and Aaron. 109 00:05:37,780 --> 00:05:41,500 The Israelites said to them, if only we had died by The Lord's 110 00:05:41,500 --> 00:05:42,260 hand in Egypt. 111 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:46,760 There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. 112 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,840 But you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire 113 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:51,960 assembly to death. 114 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:58,279 And here, right in front of us, we see not only their bad memories, 115 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:02,640 but their selective memories of how things really were for them 116 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:03,320 in Egypt. 117 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:08,880 They choose to remember what they had to eat rather than their 118 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,750 cry for rescue from the slavery that they were in. 119 00:06:12,750 --> 00:06:15,950 Remember, it was their cries that went out to God to rescue them. 120 00:06:16,750 --> 00:06:20,070 And now here they're wanting to go back because they're thinking 121 00:06:20,070 --> 00:06:21,150 off their stomachs. 122 00:06:22,270 --> 00:06:26,549 What they're saying is they would now rather die and have died 123 00:06:26,549 --> 00:06:31,230 with the Egyptians than to face no food in the desert of sin. 124 00:06:31,950 --> 00:06:35,270 And so they grumble against Moses and they grumble against iron, 125 00:06:35,270 --> 00:06:39,350 and they see them as the very reason for why they're not sitting 126 00:06:39,350 --> 00:06:41,660 around their pots eating meat. 127 00:06:43,820 --> 00:06:46,900 But there's something beautiful with these accounts for 128 00:06:46,900 --> 00:06:51,660 us, these grumbling accounts, because in them, we continue to see 129 00:06:51,660 --> 00:06:56,140 the gracious response of the Lord to this grumbling and rebellious 130 00:06:56,140 --> 00:06:56,460 people. 131 00:06:57,740 --> 00:06:59,340 What should God have done? 132 00:07:00,780 --> 00:07:04,420 Well, here they're comparing themselves to the Egyptians and dying 133 00:07:04,420 --> 00:07:05,180 with the Egyptians. 134 00:07:05,180 --> 00:07:06,540 Why did the Egyptians die? 135 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:09,720 Because it was God's punishment against their rebellion. 136 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:14,600 So instead of being gracious to them, God should have rained hail 137 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,080 on them in judgment, as he did in Egypt. 138 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:18,440 That's what they wanted. 139 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,120 But rather than that, he will reign a day's worth of bread from 140 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:25,480 heaven for them to gather each day. 141 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:30,080 So even though this is a rebellious people, God is a God of 142 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:31,080 steadfast love. 143 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,380 He's slow to anger, and he's abounding in that love. 144 00:07:37,420 --> 00:07:41,060 And in giving them this bread, he will test them to see whether 145 00:07:41,060 --> 00:07:43,900 they will obey him as their covenant king. 146 00:07:44,380 --> 00:07:48,500 And it won't be until verses 22 to 26 that we will hear of what 147 00:07:48,500 --> 00:07:49,340 this test is. 148 00:07:49,340 --> 00:07:53,180 But verse five gives us a clue when it tells us that the sixth day 149 00:07:53,260 --> 00:07:58,260 they are to collect different amounts as from the other days of 150 00:07:58,260 --> 00:07:58,700 the week. 151 00:07:59,590 --> 00:08:01,470 Now God's word is told to the people. 152 00:08:01,470 --> 00:08:04,070 But notice how strong Moses is in his language. 153 00:08:04,310 --> 00:08:08,070 He challenges their grumbling by saying that it is the Lord who 154 00:08:08,070 --> 00:08:10,590 has heard it, not just Moses and Aaron. 155 00:08:10,590 --> 00:08:12,150 But the Lord has heard their grumbling. 156 00:08:12,390 --> 00:08:16,510 And Moses asks the question in verse seven, who are we that you 157 00:08:16,510 --> 00:08:17,750 should grumble against us? 158 00:08:18,710 --> 00:08:21,190 Moses is saying, aaron and I are nobodies. 159 00:08:22,710 --> 00:08:27,020 And although you're grumbling against us, you're ultimately grumbling 160 00:08:27,020 --> 00:08:27,740 against the Lord. 161 00:08:27,740 --> 00:08:29,940 And that's what Moses goes on to tell him. 162 00:08:29,940 --> 00:08:37,140 But in verse eight, he says, you will know that it was the Lord 163 00:08:37,140 --> 00:08:40,700 when He gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread 164 00:08:40,700 --> 00:08:43,540 you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling 165 00:08:43,540 --> 00:08:44,260 against him. 166 00:08:44,580 --> 00:08:45,380 Who are we? 167 00:08:45,940 --> 00:08:49,220 You're not grumbling against us, but against the Lord. 168 00:08:50,260 --> 00:08:53,580 So not only does he challenge their grumbling again, but he points 169 00:08:53,580 --> 00:08:56,700 them to the Lord's faithfulness in the midst of their 170 00:08:56,700 --> 00:08:57,600 ribbon rebellion. 171 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:01,680 God will remain true to his covenant promises. 172 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:06,800 He will rescue them from their calamity in the desert, so that they 173 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,440 will be his people and to prove his presence with them, as 174 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,240 Aaron now speaking to them. 175 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,920 We're told in verse 10, while Aaron was speaking to the whole community, 176 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:20,720 they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord 177 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:22,720 appearing in the cloud. 178 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:28,520 God makes his presence known to them by appearing in the cloud. 179 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,480 And if other appearances of the Lord's glory are anything to 180 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:34,840 go by, the Israelites would have seen the cloud light up with 181 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:39,239 flashes of lightning and divine fire, so that it was abundantly 182 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:43,480 clear that the King of glory was now in their Midst. 183 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:48,650 And verse 12 would indicate that Moses approaches the cloud and 184 00:09:48,650 --> 00:09:52,610 that the Lord goes on to state that he will provide meat and bread 185 00:09:53,090 --> 00:09:57,250 in such a way that the Israelites will know that he is not 186 00:09:57,250 --> 00:10:01,570 simply the Lord, but He is their Lord. 187 00:10:01,570 --> 00:10:04,970 And that's key for these people to understand that he's not 188 00:10:04,970 --> 00:10:09,410 just one deity amongst a whole plethora of the worlds around them, 189 00:10:10,210 --> 00:10:12,450 that he is their Lord. 190 00:10:12,770 --> 00:10:15,170 He is for them and not against them. 191 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:20,480 And everything that he says is for their benefit and for his glory. 192 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:24,920 And sure enough, verse 13 confirms that quail came and covered 193 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:25,360 the camp. 194 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,160 And this is the first in a few moments or of a few moments in this 195 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,200 account that echo the language of the plagues against the Egyptians. 196 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:39,240 Because the same words used here for cover and come up are the 197 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:42,320 same words used for frogs and locusts and those plagues that came 198 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:44,240 against the Egyptians and covered the land. 199 00:10:45,030 --> 00:10:48,550 And so the same words are used here for the quail, it would come 200 00:10:48,550 --> 00:10:51,750 up and cover the land, a striking reminder to the people of 201 00:10:51,750 --> 00:10:55,510 how the Lord defeated Egypt and how the children of Israel were 202 00:10:55,510 --> 00:10:59,270 not being punished now for their grumbling, but were actually 203 00:10:59,270 --> 00:11:00,310 being blessed. 204 00:11:01,270 --> 00:11:06,030 But they also receive the thin flakes with which they will make 205 00:11:06,030 --> 00:11:06,550 bread. 206 00:11:07,270 --> 00:11:09,830 And this is something that they have never seen before. 207 00:11:09,910 --> 00:11:11,470 So they call it manna. 208 00:11:11,470 --> 00:11:14,290 And manna basically means, what is it? 209 00:11:15,330 --> 00:11:19,090 So they're basically calling it the question that they ask. 210 00:11:19,090 --> 00:11:20,690 And that's in verse 15. 211 00:11:21,250 --> 00:11:23,770 So not only do they not know what it is, but they don't know what 212 00:11:23,770 --> 00:11:24,530 to do with it. 213 00:11:24,930 --> 00:11:29,250 So Moses explains, and as he does, he tells the people the two 214 00:11:29,330 --> 00:11:32,770 sets of instruction the Lord gives for collecting the manna. 215 00:11:33,010 --> 00:11:36,330 And it is these instructions that will test the people to make 216 00:11:36,330 --> 00:11:40,250 sure that they're trusting in the Lord and obeying him in what 217 00:11:40,250 --> 00:11:40,770 he says. 218 00:11:41,570 --> 00:11:45,010 And so the first thing Moses tells the people is to only gather 219 00:11:45,010 --> 00:11:45,970 what they need. 220 00:11:46,210 --> 00:11:49,010 And he says that each person needs about an omer. 221 00:11:49,890 --> 00:11:53,250 But he goes on to say that the people should only gather what they 222 00:11:53,250 --> 00:11:54,850 need for that day. 223 00:11:55,410 --> 00:12:00,290 The gathering of their daily bread should be enough to satisfy, 224 00:12:01,010 --> 00:12:03,330 and none of it is to be kept until the morning. 225 00:12:03,810 --> 00:12:06,730 And it seems that most of the people did this and followed the 226 00:12:06,730 --> 00:12:09,650 instructions, but some didn't, as verse 20 tells us. 227 00:12:10,220 --> 00:12:13,180 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses. 228 00:12:13,660 --> 00:12:17,820 They kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots 229 00:12:18,220 --> 00:12:19,580 and began to smell. 230 00:12:20,700 --> 00:12:23,340 So Moses was angry with them. 231 00:12:24,780 --> 00:12:29,900 Verse 20 tells us that the people didn't trust God. 232 00:12:30,860 --> 00:12:35,020 They didn't think he would bountifully provide again for them. 233 00:12:35,340 --> 00:12:38,400 So they kept some over just in case. 234 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:40,160 And it's spoiled. 235 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,680 And we might think that Moses reaction here is a bit over the top. 236 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,360 But he is exasperated with these grumbling people. 237 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:51,760 They grumble against the Lord, and when he does provide for them, 238 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:53,759 they don't take him at his word. 239 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,680 It's like what many people in the world do today. 240 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:03,450 They hear the Gospel message and they respond to it, but they 241 00:13:03,450 --> 00:13:05,770 don't think that it is enough for salvation. 242 00:13:06,730 --> 00:13:11,050 So they add to their salvation and justify their salvation by doing 243 00:13:11,130 --> 00:13:15,050 good works, thinking that their effort will make sure that 244 00:13:15,050 --> 00:13:16,250 they will be saved. 245 00:13:17,530 --> 00:13:20,010 But this is not what the Lord tells us. 246 00:13:20,890 --> 00:13:24,730 And that's what Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8:9. 247 00:13:24,970 --> 00:13:28,250 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this 248 00:13:28,250 --> 00:13:29,330 not from yourselves. 249 00:13:29,330 --> 00:13:36,220 It is the gift of God, not from by works, so that no one can 250 00:13:36,220 --> 00:13:42,300 boast the Lord is demonstrating his grace to the children 251 00:13:42,300 --> 00:13:47,140 of Israel and they don't trust in His Word and so take matters into 252 00:13:47,140 --> 00:13:47,939 their own hands. 253 00:13:47,939 --> 00:13:49,900 And we can easily do the same. 254 00:13:51,340 --> 00:13:55,500 If I was to do a test with you all on the way out through the door 255 00:13:55,500 --> 00:14:00,340 and ask you what the Gospel is, I would be 99.9% sure that all 256 00:14:00,340 --> 00:14:01,260 of you would tell me. 257 00:14:01,260 --> 00:14:02,450 And you would be correct. 258 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:07,160 You would tell me that Jesus died for our sins and he rose again 259 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:09,560 to prove his authority over death and the grave. 260 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:13,960 So that one day we too will rise to be with him in heaven. 261 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:18,040 That's what you tell me the Gospel is, and you know that. 262 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:22,040 And that is the very word of God. 263 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:24,520 The question is, do you believe it? 264 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:30,300 Because there's one thing knowing it and there's another thing 265 00:14:31,020 --> 00:14:31,900 believing it. 266 00:14:33,660 --> 00:14:36,380 And so we hear of God's salvation through the gospel. 267 00:14:36,700 --> 00:14:41,460 Perhaps we even believe in the person of Jesus, but so does the 268 00:14:41,460 --> 00:14:41,900 devil. 269 00:14:43,180 --> 00:14:47,100 But maybe we don't trust or believe in the work of Jesus. 270 00:14:48,460 --> 00:14:51,980 And so if that's our position, then we start to create our own salvation 271 00:14:52,300 --> 00:14:58,250 apart from Jesus, thinking that what we do and how we justify 272 00:14:58,250 --> 00:15:00,570 ourselves will save us. 273 00:15:01,850 --> 00:15:06,450 Well, no good effort on any of our parts, mine included, can save 274 00:15:06,450 --> 00:15:06,730 us. 275 00:15:07,450 --> 00:15:12,130 Salvation only comes through faith, and we dare not attempt any 276 00:15:12,130 --> 00:15:12,890 other way. 277 00:15:12,890 --> 00:15:15,210 And this is exactly what these people were doing. 278 00:15:16,170 --> 00:15:18,970 They were trying to save themselves by another way. 279 00:15:19,780 --> 00:15:22,540 And what they were doing in their true grumbling was rebelling 280 00:15:22,540 --> 00:15:27,620 against God and going against his word, thinking that they knew 281 00:15:27,940 --> 00:15:28,340 better. 282 00:15:29,700 --> 00:15:32,420 And ultimately, isn't that what rebellion of God is? 283 00:15:33,220 --> 00:15:36,740 We think we know better. 284 00:15:38,420 --> 00:15:42,620 This is why Moses is angry with the people, because the people 285 00:15:42,620 --> 00:15:44,900 are rejecting God through their actions. 286 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:52,200 And we perhaps continue to reject God by thinking we know better 287 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:57,280 and we can make a salvation of our own creation that is no salvation 288 00:15:57,280 --> 00:15:57,800 at all. 289 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:00,680 But you see, there's another test. 290 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,040 And this test is to do with the Sabbath. 291 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,600 Now, the root of the word Sabbath means rest. 292 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:13,240 And this is the first time we hear the word used in Scripture. 293 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,000 But we know that it'll come, what it will become in the fourth 294 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,520 commandment given by God at Sinai. 295 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,560 Let me read verses 22 and 23 again. 296 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:25,920 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much, two omers 297 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:26,480 for each person. 298 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,080 And the leaders of the community came and reported this 299 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:29,840 to Moses. 300 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:32,800 He said to them, this is what the Lord commanded. 301 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,400 Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. 302 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,440 So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. 303 00:16:39,930 --> 00:16:44,410 Save whatever is left and keep it until morning. 304 00:16:45,690 --> 00:16:50,410 Amazingly, the manna left over for the Sabbath didn't spoil, nor 305 00:16:50,410 --> 00:16:51,130 did it rot. 306 00:16:51,450 --> 00:16:54,570 And this was a true test for the people, especially when they 307 00:16:54,570 --> 00:16:58,810 saw it rot during the week, if they kept it over for the next day. 308 00:16:59,690 --> 00:17:02,570 But will they continue to believe in the Lord? 309 00:17:02,730 --> 00:17:07,150 Will they continue to believe what he tells them, that he goes 310 00:17:07,150 --> 00:17:07,470 against? 311 00:17:08,190 --> 00:17:12,710 What is the very nature of creation, where something spoils 312 00:17:12,710 --> 00:17:14,190 one day and doesn't spoil the next. 313 00:17:14,190 --> 00:17:18,590 But it is by his divine ordinance that it does this. 314 00:17:19,150 --> 00:17:20,510 So what Will the people do? 315 00:17:21,309 --> 00:17:25,470 And verse 27 tells us sadly that the people did not again trust 316 00:17:25,470 --> 00:17:26,430 the word of the Lord. 317 00:17:26,990 --> 00:17:30,990 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day 318 00:17:30,990 --> 00:17:34,500 to gather it, but they found none. 319 00:17:35,700 --> 00:17:36,980 The people don't change. 320 00:17:38,020 --> 00:17:42,260 And some go out on the Sabbath to look for manna and find none. 321 00:17:42,660 --> 00:17:44,700 Perhaps they didn't gather enough on the sixth day. 322 00:17:44,700 --> 00:17:48,300 Or maybe they wanted to test the Lord and see if it was if he 323 00:17:48,300 --> 00:17:49,380 was true to his word. 324 00:17:50,180 --> 00:17:54,020 Either way, their rebellion against his word brought a response 325 00:17:54,020 --> 00:17:56,660 from God which is recorded for us in verse 28. 326 00:17:56,980 --> 00:18:01,550 Then the Lord said to Moses, how long will you refuse to keep 327 00:18:01,550 --> 00:18:04,790 my commands and my instructions? 328 00:18:06,070 --> 00:18:07,990 This is a dire warning. 329 00:18:09,030 --> 00:18:14,550 The Israelites are treading the same rebellious ground as Pharaoh. 330 00:18:15,270 --> 00:18:19,190 The Lord's command are a test to see whether they will honor him 331 00:18:19,350 --> 00:18:21,590 as the God worthy of their obedience. 332 00:18:22,390 --> 00:18:25,750 And this is the second time some of them have failed the test, 333 00:18:25,910 --> 00:18:27,270 just like Pharaoh did. 334 00:18:28,590 --> 00:18:32,110 This is not a promising start to their freedom and to their place 335 00:18:32,110 --> 00:18:33,630 of salvation before the Lord. 336 00:18:33,630 --> 00:18:36,030 But we do see a response in verse 30. 337 00:18:36,110 --> 00:18:38,750 And the people take the Lord's words to heart. 338 00:18:39,230 --> 00:18:43,390 And we're told that they even rested on the seventh day. 339 00:18:44,990 --> 00:18:46,110 So the people are learning. 340 00:18:46,510 --> 00:18:48,590 They're beginning to understand who God is. 341 00:18:48,590 --> 00:18:51,910 But as we will soon find out in the next chapters, that is short 342 00:18:51,910 --> 00:18:52,510 lived. 343 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,480 But for now we take hope that they are a people who can learn the 344 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:58,440 word of the Lord and obey it. 345 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:03,080 Now verse 31 goes on to tell us a little bit more about manna. 346 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:05,360 The people of Israel called the bread manna. 347 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:08,839 It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made 348 00:19:08,839 --> 00:19:09,480 with honey. 349 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:10,480 Why is this in here? 350 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:11,800 Why do we need to know this? 351 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:16,000 Because even though the people are changing heart, they're beginning 352 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,920 to listen and to obey, to follow what God says. 353 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:24,670 And trusting his word, we've got this little narrative bit put 354 00:19:24,670 --> 00:19:28,230 in so that we can just see how good God is. 355 00:19:29,270 --> 00:19:34,070 Manna was the size of a peppercorn and it was flavorful and 356 00:19:34,070 --> 00:19:34,710 sweet. 357 00:19:35,270 --> 00:19:40,550 And verse 35 confirms that it was provided for the people for their 358 00:19:40,550 --> 00:19:41,870 40 years in the wilderness. 359 00:19:41,870 --> 00:19:44,230 Until they came into the promised land. 360 00:19:45,430 --> 00:19:47,740 God didn't give them gruel. 361 00:19:48,540 --> 00:19:52,940 He didn't give them food that was hideous to eat and that they, 362 00:19:53,260 --> 00:19:55,980 they responded to in a negative way. 363 00:19:56,460 --> 00:19:59,100 God gave them good food to eat. 364 00:19:59,740 --> 00:20:03,900 And this is a stark contrast for us with the wilderness that they're 365 00:20:03,900 --> 00:20:07,300 now into, the promised land that God will sustain them towards 366 00:20:07,300 --> 00:20:08,140 for 40 years. 367 00:20:08,780 --> 00:20:11,900 Because during these years in the wilderness, the Lord will bountifully 368 00:20:11,900 --> 00:20:13,260 provide for their daily needs. 369 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,680 He will give them what they need and it will taste good. 370 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:21,200 But once in Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, he will 371 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,400 provide from its produce to feed them. 372 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:28,120 And this tells us that it was foolish for some of the people not 373 00:20:28,120 --> 00:20:32,360 to take God at His word, because he would provide abundantly 374 00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:36,840 for them all that each person needed for the day. 375 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:40,840 And so, as we come to the end of this chapter, we need to understand 376 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:47,080 that it is still foolish to go against the word of God. 377 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:51,720 Scripture is given to us in the form that we have it as the full 378 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:52,840 counsel of God. 379 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,680 Nothing is to be added to it, and nothing is to be taken away. 380 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:01,720 He has told us how to know his salvation and how to live by his 381 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:02,360 standard. 382 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:05,480 And everything is here in front of us. 383 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,320 But like the children of Israel, we have to take God at His 384 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:10,920 word and we have to trust Him. 385 00:21:11,450 --> 00:21:15,090 And like the children of Israel, we can at times be found 386 00:21:15,090 --> 00:21:17,050 to grumble against God. 387 00:21:17,930 --> 00:21:22,170 And remember, this grumbling is rebellion against him, the very 388 00:21:22,170 --> 00:21:26,650 rebellion that saw the Egyptians punished for their rejection 389 00:21:27,050 --> 00:21:28,090 of his ways. 390 00:21:29,370 --> 00:21:34,490 And rebellion against God comes because we forget or we ignore 391 00:21:34,490 --> 00:21:36,490 his actions in the past. 392 00:21:37,730 --> 00:21:41,410 We accuse God for causing the suffering in the world, or even suffering 393 00:21:41,410 --> 00:21:42,130 in our lives. 394 00:21:42,610 --> 00:21:46,210 And yet we forget that he made a perfect world and was humanity 395 00:21:46,210 --> 00:21:49,290 that brought suffering in through its sin because it didn't 396 00:21:49,290 --> 00:21:52,370 trust in the word of God, it believed the lies of the serpent. 397 00:21:53,010 --> 00:21:55,810 We ignore the common grace God gives us each day. 398 00:21:55,810 --> 00:21:59,610 And so we think that we are the ones who are the key to our survival 399 00:21:59,610 --> 00:22:01,250 through our work and our efforts. 400 00:22:02,050 --> 00:22:05,680 Yet we forget it is God who gives us the health, the ability 401 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:08,480 and the intelligence to complete the tasks each day that 402 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:09,560 we need to complete. 403 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:14,320 And when it comes to salvation, well, perhaps we think 404 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:18,000 that a short prayer that we made when we were 6 or 8 or 10 is 405 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:19,280 enough to save us for today. 406 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,240 Yet we haven't lived for Christ in all the years since. 407 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:27,080 And we expect him to simply accept us because we rely on an action 408 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:28,040 on our part. 409 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:32,900 All the while we have ignored him and have lived life just like 410 00:22:32,900 --> 00:22:34,300 the world around us. 411 00:22:35,340 --> 00:22:38,220 God is faithful to a prayer prayed in our youth. 412 00:22:39,020 --> 00:22:42,140 But that trust in Christ has to be lived out day by day, week 413 00:22:42,140 --> 00:22:46,420 by week and year by year to demonstrate a true turning away from 414 00:22:46,420 --> 00:22:50,940 sin and a true coming to new life in Him. 415 00:22:52,140 --> 00:22:53,420 Of course, we're not perfect. 416 00:22:53,500 --> 00:22:54,300 Nobody is. 417 00:22:54,860 --> 00:22:56,180 But we grow in faith. 418 00:22:56,180 --> 00:23:01,140 And it is that growth in faith that demonstrates a genuine conversion, 419 00:23:01,700 --> 00:23:07,660 at whatever age, young or old, that may be you see, it turns out 420 00:23:07,660 --> 00:23:11,780 before we judge the people of God too quickly and before we make 421 00:23:11,860 --> 00:23:15,460 much more of ourselves, there's a little bit of a rebellious 422 00:23:15,460 --> 00:23:16,900 streak in us all. 423 00:23:17,940 --> 00:23:21,420 And sometimes the world applauds us for a rebellious streak 424 00:23:21,420 --> 00:23:24,670 whenever we stand up against the oppressor. 425 00:23:25,470 --> 00:23:27,390 But God's not the oppressor. 426 00:23:27,710 --> 00:23:33,230 God has demonstrated his love to us that as he has kept you through 427 00:23:33,230 --> 00:23:36,830 some of the hardest moments in life in the past, he will keep you 428 00:23:36,830 --> 00:23:37,870 whatever you face. 429 00:23:37,950 --> 00:23:42,190 Don't forget that he's the God who has sustained you and kept you 430 00:23:42,190 --> 00:23:43,310 and will keep you. 431 00:23:45,070 --> 00:23:47,710 He is the God who has heard your cry for help. 432 00:23:47,710 --> 00:23:48,750 Don't forget that. 433 00:23:49,150 --> 00:23:55,200 And as you cry to him for help again, he will hear, don't forget 434 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,520 who he is and who he has been to you so that you can trust him 435 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:00,920 in the days that are ahead. 436 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,680 Now, we may not interpret our actions as grumbling, but that is 437 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:07,400 what they are. 438 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:12,000 And they portray our lack of trust and obedience to the very Word 439 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:12,600 of God. 440 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:17,880 Verses 32 to 34 tell us that God wanted to remind the people of 441 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,480 their need to trust him in the wilderness by ensuring that a pot 442 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,260 of manna was before them as they moved and would be placed in 443 00:24:25,260 --> 00:24:27,860 the tabernacle when it would come and then in the temple when 444 00:24:27,860 --> 00:24:28,540 it was built. 445 00:24:28,860 --> 00:24:33,180 Not only would it be as a witness to God's faithfulness, but 446 00:24:33,180 --> 00:24:37,180 a constant challenge to the people to trust and obey. 447 00:24:39,180 --> 00:24:44,460 See, the question for us all today is, will we trust and obey 448 00:24:44,460 --> 00:24:49,180 by taking the Lord at His word as revealed to us in Christ? 449 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,760 And isn't that the beautiful thing that God did for us? 450 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:59,760 He took the meaning of word, which we know is for language and 451 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:00,560 expression. 452 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,600 And in our English, we slap a capital W on it because it becomes 453 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:05,040 a person. 454 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:07,240 And that's what John tells us. 455 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:11,120 The Word became flesh, the Word being the Lord Jesus. 456 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:16,240 And so we see the abundant grace of God continuing for us today 457 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:20,000 that we will not only take the written Word as we have it in Scripture, 458 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,540 as to trust and obey, but we will take the very Word of God, the 459 00:25:24,540 --> 00:25:26,460 living Word, in the person of Jesus. 460 00:25:27,580 --> 00:25:31,740 He forgives our sins and he sets us free from the punishment 461 00:25:31,740 --> 00:25:32,460 we deserve. 462 00:25:32,620 --> 00:25:36,460 But Christ also calls us to follow his ways. 463 00:25:37,420 --> 00:25:41,060 And this means for us, remembering his faithfulness in the 464 00:25:41,060 --> 00:25:44,780 past so that we can trust him for the present and the future. 465 00:25:46,700 --> 00:25:51,470 No matter how many the enemies are against us, no matter how heavy 466 00:25:51,470 --> 00:25:55,990 the burden of sin and regret and grief and sorrow and mourning 467 00:25:55,990 --> 00:25:59,630 and sickness are, he is the God who is with us. 468 00:25:59,630 --> 00:26:03,590 And as he was with us in the past, so he is with us in the present 469 00:26:03,910 --> 00:26:05,510 and will be in the future. 470 00:26:06,230 --> 00:26:09,630 That's why, as I've been going through the Book of Revelation, those 471 00:26:09,630 --> 00:26:12,630 words in Revelation Chapter one have stuck with me. 472 00:26:12,630 --> 00:26:17,600 The God who was and is and is to come, the God who has been with 473 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:20,640 us and will be with us, he is the One we're to look to because 474 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:24,640 he will keep us in the hardest moments of life, as well in the moments 475 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:25,160 of joy. 476 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:28,760 And he ultimately will keep us in his salvation through Christ. 477 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:32,400 And whenever we know his presence with us, it means we walk 478 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:35,800 close with him so that we can learn what it means to be people 479 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:38,120 of faith and people of hope. 480 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:45,440 To trust and obey demonstrates that we are truly Christ's and that 481 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:47,600 we are his forever. 482 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:52,160 Let's remind ourselves of what Jesus said in John 6. 483 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:55,440 Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. 484 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:58,920 He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in 485 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:00,200 me will never be thirsty. 486 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:04,800 But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. 487 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:07,840 All that the Father gives me will come to Me. 488 00:27:08,170 --> 00:27:12,810 And whoever comes to Me, I will never drive away. 489 00:27:16,170 --> 00:27:20,250 Scripture speaks from Genesis to Revelation in this one verse, 490 00:27:21,130 --> 00:27:26,010 because it pulls this bread of life, this bread that truly was life 491 00:27:26,010 --> 00:27:27,930 for the people of Israel. 492 00:27:28,090 --> 00:27:31,130 They grumbled about the lack of it, and they grumbled about the 493 00:27:31,130 --> 00:27:31,730 lack of water. 494 00:27:31,730 --> 00:27:33,530 And yet what does Jesus say? 495 00:27:34,070 --> 00:27:36,150 In me you find completeness. 496 00:27:36,710 --> 00:27:41,990 In me you will find a risen Savior who on that day will return 497 00:27:42,390 --> 00:27:44,630 and bring his own home. 498 00:27:45,670 --> 00:27:47,270 This is who Jesus is. 499 00:27:48,230 --> 00:27:54,350 And it is not too late to turn to him, whoever we are, to trust 500 00:27:54,350 --> 00:27:54,790 in him. 501 00:27:54,790 --> 00:27:58,070 That indeed we will know forgiveness of sins, but that we 502 00:27:58,070 --> 00:27:59,830 will trust in him for this very moment. 503 00:28:01,180 --> 00:28:05,980 That he is greater than the sum of all of our fears, the sum 504 00:28:05,980 --> 00:28:09,980 of all of our sins, the sum of all of our regrets. 505 00:28:11,020 --> 00:28:13,420 He is more and greater. 506 00:28:14,300 --> 00:28:20,020 And it is to Jesus that we are to turn to, because he truly is the 507 00:28:20,020 --> 00:28:25,700 bread of life, in whom we will never grow hungry and in whom we 508 00:28:25,700 --> 00:28:28,470 will never thirst, for he is the living water. 509 00:28:29,590 --> 00:28:31,670 And what do these beautiful words tell us? 510 00:28:32,070 --> 00:28:39,030 That whoever comes to him, he will never, ever drive away. 511 00:28:43,910 --> 00:28:51,630 Sometimes we feel in life it's more important to be right than it 512 00:28:51,630 --> 00:28:53,850 is to do what is right. 513 00:28:55,690 --> 00:28:59,570 I may have only one one argument in my relationship with 514 00:28:59,570 --> 00:29:04,170 Pamela that snow indeed does lie on sand. 515 00:29:05,290 --> 00:29:09,129 But whether that argument was won or lost is nothing. 516 00:29:10,650 --> 00:29:16,130 Because how I need to be right day and daily, by the way, is to 517 00:29:16,130 --> 00:29:20,450 turn to Christ and no one else, regardless if my arguments 518 00:29:20,450 --> 00:29:25,870 are wrong or not, it must only be Christ to whom I am right, because 519 00:29:25,870 --> 00:29:27,670 then I will know salvation. 520 00:29:27,750 --> 00:29:32,830 So I said to you, O weary soul, because I have a great sense 521 00:29:32,830 --> 00:29:36,110 in these recent months that indeed our souls are weary and heavy 522 00:29:36,110 --> 00:29:36,710 and tired. 523 00:29:37,430 --> 00:29:41,310 It is Jesus who's the one who invites us to trust him and obey 524 00:29:41,310 --> 00:29:41,590 him. 525 00:29:41,830 --> 00:29:45,670 Because in him we find life, living water, the bread of life. 526 00:29:46,790 --> 00:29:51,470 We don't grumble against him, rather we run to him because he is 527 00:29:51,470 --> 00:29:52,830 the One who is truly right. 528 00:29:53,470 --> 00:29:57,550 And in him we will be truly found and never lost. 529 00:29:58,910 --> 00:30:04,830 So come to the Savior, because whoever comes to him, he will never 530 00:30:05,550 --> 00:30:06,429 drive away. 531 00:30:07,390 --> 00:30:08,190 Let's pray. 532 00:30:09,950 --> 00:30:13,470 Our Father God, as we reflect on this Word and respond to it. 533 00:30:14,030 --> 00:30:18,410 It's a passage that we've known about food, and we all look 534 00:30:18,410 --> 00:30:19,450 forward to our food. 535 00:30:20,010 --> 00:30:23,410 We enjoy whatever we eat and whatever comes our way because it 536 00:30:23,410 --> 00:30:26,050 sustains us and keeps us, and it's part of your goodness to us. 537 00:30:26,050 --> 00:30:29,570 But Father, Christ points us to an even greater sense of what 538 00:30:29,570 --> 00:30:31,930 we need, and it is Himself. 539 00:30:33,210 --> 00:30:34,850 And this is a message for us all. 540 00:30:34,850 --> 00:30:37,610 Because we all need Christ more today than we did yesterday. 541 00:30:38,010 --> 00:30:40,410 We will need him more tomorrow than we do today. 542 00:30:41,450 --> 00:30:44,570 So may we not be like the children of Israel who rebel and 543 00:30:44,570 --> 00:30:49,400 grumble against his goodness towards us, choosing to ignore his 544 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:54,720 word that we know, but rather may we believe it to be true, so 545 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:58,680 that indeed we will have eternal rest and eternal peace and 546 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:00,440 eternal hope in him alone. 547 00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:04,760 So Father, speak to us and may we wrestle with this. 548 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:09,640 May we not leave this place thinking we're okay, but come before 549 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:14,570 you knowing that we have no hope but in a Savior who is Christ 550 00:31:14,570 --> 00:31:15,130 the Lord. 551 00:31:16,490 --> 00:31:20,810 So may we respond well to this, Your Word in Jesus name, amen.