Thanksgiving or Gluttony? Exodus 16:31-36.
Though the Israelites were becoming real bad complainers, God continued to bless them. Yet, through this blessing of food, God was teaching them the importance of a Sabbath day rest. God wanted Israel to respect the Sabbath.
Why keep the Sabbath? We are to keep the Sabbath because humankind is made in the image of God. When God created the world He worked for six day and on the seventh He rested. Taking in the majestic sight of all His work He said, “It is good.”
It is simple to conclude if God rested on the seven the day, then being made in God’s image we too should rest one day of the week.
For six days, busy yourself working, planning, ensuring that your family is taken care of; but on one day a week, a person should let it all go so they may reflect on their work, on their attitude, and their righteousness.
Taking that day off from all cares, including shopping for food, is a good way to keep yourself recharged, satisfied, and it readies you for the week to come. A day of rest brings your family together.
In a world that people suffer from hypertension, attention deficit, and low self esteem you can see the impact that taking one day off would do.
The rest for the weary is not to be neglected; for to do so is to disobey God and go against the design of our own bodies.
Rest is essential; reflection and restoring a relationship with God is essential. Our family’s spiritual health is essential; therefore, the Sabbath rest is essential.
And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” Exodus 16:31-32(NKJV)
Manna or “What is it?” was a special provision from the Lord and in order to have Manna on the seventh day a person had to gather enough for two days, on the day before the Sabbath.
Any other day, should they gather enough for two days, the manna would spoil; turning into a putrid substance drawing flies and producing worms. Yet, on the Sabbath, the Manna collected was sweet, delightful, and a miracle from the hand of God.
Israel was challenged to forever remember the Manna by keeping a portion of it and show it to future generations so they may see the miracle at the hand of God and remember the Sabbath; a day rest.
Therefore, they gathered Manna, placed in a jar, and carried the jar with them until years later when it would be placed it in the Ark of the Covenant.
The tragedy is, a many years later, the Ark of the Covenant was lost and the keeping of that tradition was lost. Israel failed to keep the Manna Jar in their possession and they can no longer show the miracle to their children.
And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.” As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah. Exodus 16:33-36(NKJV)
The reluctance of Israel to follow God became a deepening scar for Moses. He was not good at public speaking anyways and he continued to withdraw from the people, letting Aaron deliver the messages.
Still the work of the Lord would remain in their hearts and Manna would become a staple part of their diet for forty years.
Throughout history bread was considered the staple of life. Flour was made from grinding grain so that it could be mixed with water and yeast to make the essential part of the diet.
Remembering the Manna, people of spiritual reverence considered bread as being a gift from God. When they planted the seed they prayed over the fields and when harvesting they gave God the glory.
As they would grind the grains and mix the dough, glory to God would be on their lips. Then when partaking in a meal, prayers of thanksgiving would be said before the meal.
So reverenced was God’s gift of food, Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
The breaking of bread was to be a sacred occasion and not an indulgence. When a visitor was invited to a meal, it was not only to share in food, it was to share in unity. Though food can be tasty, the bond of faith was to be shared at the table.
Food was not to be wasted; it was a precious commodity and those who experience famine or drought could tell of its importance.
In our society bread is still important; however, many do without eating bread. There are other nutritional items to eat and some forgo the calories that bread gives.
Many members of society have learned to replace bread in the diet while others still eat it and enjoy a great variety to choose from. However, the spiritual significance of bread is being lost in a Westernizing world of plenty.
The garbage can of the world’s cities could wipe out hunger and if everyone in need had bread they could survive. Yet reverence for bread is being lost; just as reverence for God is being discarded.
Jesus told His disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:32-35(NKJV)
Jesus is the bread of life. The breaking of bread was to be done in remembrance of Him. He is greater than Manna and also came down from God.
He gave his life to be broken on the cross so that we might have our trespasses forgiven. Therefore, we, like Israel, are to forever remember the goodness of God for providing the essential for life.
Is one day a week to much, to take the time to rest from work and our habitual life? Is one day a week too much to spend with our family teaching them that Jesus is the bread of eternal life?
If we discard our rest, we discard so much more; however, Jesus has invited us to rest in Him. Let us take our families to the table of the Lord in reverence and on one day a week make it a day that is reverent.
