Exodus 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
6 And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:
7 And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?
8 And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.
9 And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.
10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
The nation of Israel was very mobile for forty years. This was due to a choice they made. God knew they could get to the land of Canaan in a few short weeks but the rebellious nature of the people prohibited them from getting there in that time frame. God did not want to replace the rebellious people of Canaan with another rebellious people. He needed to prepare the children of Israel to trust in Him more.
We read in verse 1 that this was now the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. They were presently in the wilderness of Sin. We are told that this wilderness was between Elim and Sinai. The name Sin was a more basic term for Sinai.
We read in verse 2 that the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. We have noted already that the common reflex in trouble is to complain. The question is who do you complain to. The children of Israel already knew that Moses was their leader and that Aaron was working with him. They did not properly recognize that Moses was appointed as their human leader, but that the LORD was actually in charge. Moses had no right to make his own decision regarding the path the nation was to follow.
We have noted before that the Bible is a patriarchal book. It teaches the importance of male leadership. It also teaches that male leadership needs to understand the importance of submission to God’s leadership. As we noted already, the LORD has good plans for His people. God is not defined by the flesh, but rather by the Word of God.
In verse 3 the congregation is ready to go back to Egypt and die there. They were in such deep despair. What was the cause of this despair? This time it was the food. Their corrupt minds took them back to the flesh pots and the bread they had in abundance. They chose to forget the abuses they faced at the hands of the Egyptians. They also wrongly assumed they were going to die with hunger in the wilderness.
In verse 4 we see that the LORD was well aware of this situation. He was there to answer Moses on this matter. Moses needed to be encouraged to take the right position as leader. The leader’s position can be a thankless position. The flesh wants comforts. The flesh also defines comforts in various ways.
Currently we live in a time when most people are extremely spoiled. I was asked a question yesterday regarding the airline strike. I told the person that I believe the days of easy travel are coming to an end. The governments are intent on keeping us home. They are using “climate change” as the vehicle through which to restrict travel. Rates are going up and uncertainties are increasing. For years they have invaded the personal property of travellers by searching people and baggage excessively. The officials have a pretty good idea of who the bad travellers are but they are going after everyone. Most people have been willing to give up their personal “space” just so they can travel.
The nation of Israel was being led by God from the land of Egypt to the land of Canaan. Along the way, the LORD was going to teach them many important truths. All of that was to help them to see the importance of trusting in Him. Life in Egypt had not been nearly as good as they now imagined it had been. Lost people will not see the blessings of serving the LORD. The devil is a liar and he is very good at exaggerating things.
The LORD knew the people needed to eat. He had a plan. He told Moses that He would rain bread from heaven for the nation. He would provide the bread, but the people would need to go and gather it. The LORD also established the limits of consumption for each person. Gluttony is not a good thing. It is not healthy and it is an evidence of greed. Again the LORD said He would prove the people with the law regarding this bread. He would let them show Him whether they would walk in His law.
God also began to teach them the significance of the six days in a week as compared to the one day of the week. He told them that on the sixth day they were to gather twice as much as the other five days. Further details would be given in the future. Again, we see the importance of trusting the LORD. He has a perfect plan and He lays out His plan in His time. Those who trust Him will be satisfied. Those who do not trust Him will demand more details than are necessary and even when they get more details, they are not content.
In verse 6 we read that Moses and Aaron relayed this information to the children of Israel. There would be no delay in fulfilling this promise. At even they would know that the LORD had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They needed constant reminders of this fact.
In the morning they would see the glory of the LORD. Those who actually see the glory of the LORD will learn contentment in His presence. The LORD would prove to the people that He heard their murmurings. They needed to understand that their murmurings were against the LORD, not just against Moses and Aaron. The people needed to stop and consider what they hoped to accomplish in murmuring against Moses and Aaron. They did not have the resources to meet the demands of the people.
The LORD directed Moses and Aaron to call the children of Israel to come near unto the LORD. He had heard their murmurings and He would be gracious to them. In verse 10 we read that as Aaron spoke to the people, the glory of the LORD appeared in the wilderness. He appeared in the cloud. We are not told what that cloud looked like, but it was readily identified as depicting the glory of the LORD.
When a true child of God sees the glory of the LORD, they are humbled. They grow in the fear of the LORD. That is a good thing. The LORD was building a relationship with the children of Israel. He did not pamper them. He met their needs and showed them the importance of giving Him the respect He deserved.
It is important for us today, to recognize the glory of the LORD. It is important for us to reverence Him. Today is the Lord’s Day. It is the day He has set aside as a special day to serve Him. The world is busy chasing after things. The world is so busy chasing after things, they seldom realize that those things cannot satisfy them.
God wants us to come to Him and find rest for our souls. We can find that rest in Him. The Lord’s day is a good day to stop the busyness and go to a good church where you can hear from the Lord. The Bible shows us how to behave ourselves in the house of God.
In our text, the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron. Moses was the man God chose to lead the nation of Israel. The LORD appointed Aaron as his assistant. No one else was appointed for leadership at this time. During the lifetime of Moses, no one would be given that place of leadership. Moses was held accountable for the office he was given. The people were shown the importance of trusting in Moses, but not of following Him blindly. God gave His commands in such a way that the people knew what was of Him and what was not.
Pastor Bartel
