BibleProject | Finding God in the WildernessSample

Wilderness Humbling and Grumbling

Today, we’ll encounter the wilderness as a place of testing, where God intends to strengthen his people and teach them to trust him for everything they need.

Imagine the fear you would feel while eating your last plate of food, knowing you had nothing left and nowhere to find more. This is the reality the people of Israel are facing after their exodus from Egypt, and they grumble at Moses in their hunger and desperation. But God brings flocks of quail for the people to eat and makes mysterious bread, called “manna,” fall from the sky (Exod 16:4, 13).

This provision of food also comes with a test from God: The people are only to gather enough manna for one day, never keeping leftovers. This is so that the Israelites will learn to rely on God every day for their basic needs. Some ignore God’s instruction and pile up a surplus, thinking the extra savings will help them, but it doesn’t work. Every time they take more than is needed for that day, the excess becomes maggot-infested (Exod. 16:20).

The story of God providing meat and bread in the desert is framed by two more testing stories (Exod. 15:22-27, 17:1-7). In both narratives, God supplies water in the desert, reminding the people that they can trust him with their lives. With these repeated tests, God is transforming terrified people into strong people who live by faith as they experience his loyal love and come to know him as the sole source of life.

Reflection Questions:

• When you think about your need for food, would you rather have enough to last for a while or have only enough for one day at a time? How might God’s instructions for the people to collect only enough food for one day form the way the people of Israel think and live?
• Do you think God still tests his people today? If so, what do you think this looks like?