Lord’s Day, Vol. 7 No. 10

No Melons But Manna (Numbers 11:1-11 c.f. selected verses of Psalm 78)

It was in the wilderness outside Egypt that the children of Israel faced acute food shortage. God met their need by raining food from heaven. This heavenly food was called “manna” – Exodus 16:15 “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.”

What does “manna” look or taste like and how did they eat it? Numbers 11:7-9tells us “⁷And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. ⁸And the people went about, and gathered it, and round it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. ⁹And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.”

The psalmist recounted the response of the children of Israel to God’s provision of manna in Psalm 78:22-24, “22Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: 23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, 24And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. 25 Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.”

God is committed to taking care of them whatever circumstances they find themselves. The children of Israel were to exercise faith to trust God in His leading. Israel was to fulfil the plan of God as a nation that will reflect the glory of God to all the nations of the world. Israel was to be a witness to the living and true God, the Creator and Sustainer and Saviour of all mankind. Israel was to trust God and give Him honour and glory, resting in the wisdom of His provision at every stage of their life. It was a temporary measure of food supply as they pass through the wilderness to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

It is recorded in Numbers 11:4-7 the discontent in the hearts of the children of Israel bursting out in open complain – ⁴And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? ⁵We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:⁶But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

The children of Israel wanted a variety of food to satisfy their hunger. They were not content with God’s provision for them. Such discontentment is an ailment of the heart. An un-surrendered heart. For them, their god was their belly. They were serving the prosperity god, rather they were their own gods. If only God’s people may understand their very existence comes by His great mercy, we will not be such complainers.

The psalmist articulated this well in Psalm 78:17-24, “¹⁷And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness. ¹⁸And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. ¹⁹Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? ²⁰Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? ²¹Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; ²²Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: ²³Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, ²⁴And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. (Ps. 78:17-24 KJV)

They would have died in Egypt in bondage had God not delivered them. The children of Israel seemed to have clean forgotten their wondrous deliverance from slavery.  Exodus 2:23-25And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel,  and  God had respect unto them.

Numbers 11:1-6recorded God’s displeasure, “And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. ²And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.³And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them. (Num. 11:1-6 KJV)

The psalmist further explained in Psalm 78:37-40, “³⁷For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. ³⁸But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. ³⁹For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. ⁴⁰How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!” (Ps. 78:31-40 KJV)

Truly, how weak we are and how compassionate is our God. As we reflect upon the behaviour of the children of Israel in the wilderness, we are to reflect upon our lives. Has God not saved us from the misery of sin through Jesus Christ, our Saviour. How can He not be the Lord of our lives? How can we forget all his benefits? Let us not forget we are but flesh, a wind that passes away and comes not again. God has saved us to be His witness. Let us fulfil our gospel debt by being a good witness for our God in faith, patience and obedience. Let not the melons get in the way to stifle our steadfastness toward God. Amen.

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee