Their memory is already skewed by their shock, fear, and weariness. Yes, they ate bread, this may have been the main thing they did have, but their resources surely were limited. They were slaves, and life could not have been a dream come true. And if God wanted to kill them, he could have done it right there in Egypt. So, they have been rescued by God’s grace and mercy, but this was not what they had pictured as a happy conclusion.

It is like your life being saved from a flood that destroyed all you owned, now you have to start your life over, and it is not going to be easy. You have to find shelter, food, a job, and security, you may have incredible medical bills; and guess what? Everyone else is also in your situation. But they, like us, have our God watching over them despite the feeling that they have been abandoned and forgotten. God did not promise to fix all of our problems, but he did promise to be with us in them and to help us through them.

So how do you imagine God responding to all of their fears and worries; their grumblings and complaints? In Exodus 16:4 it says, ‘Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.’ He responds first with incredible grace. God is already making provisions for them. He recognises their needs. And no, God did not bring them out into the wilderness to starve them, he has great plans for them. 

What got my attention was the word ‘test’ in this verse. It sounds so negative, we often associate it with trials or punishment. When the children in school need to take those tests it may feel like punishment to them if they have not done their work or they do not comprehend the study. Testing is not meant to be a punishment, but an evaluation of where the student is at the moment, and to determine what further help they may need to make that goal for the year. The purpose is to evaluate the need and then make provision for it.

The children of Israel are being tested, to know where they are in their faith and trust, and to evaluate where they need help in order to build this faith and trust that they will need in God. Remember, this is all new to them, they have spent their life being taught what to think and what to do. They have entered into a new close and personal relationship with a God, one that used to seem very distant. They are now being taught that he is extremely near and that he will supply their needs. Oh, but it is not going to be that fairytale movie ending, it will be work and a building of trust.

This building of trust will be filled with reminders, such as the Passover celebration for them, and later we will be blessed with the communion celebration for us. As I was reminded in a dance, when the music stops we in time forget the song; when the dancing ends, we forget the rhythm that gave us joy. God in his mercy, gives us reminders-practices, stories, to fill in the spaces and keep us moving forward in the journey. God’s grace is incredible.

Local congregation:
You are welcome to attend one of our local church congregations located throughout the UK and Ireland. For details of your nearest local congregation check on our website, Grace Communion International | Grace Communion International under the ‘Churches’ tab, or ring +44 (0)1858 437099.

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church