Bahan Alkitab: Exodus 16 / Keluaran 16
Tanggal: 18/10/2020
Ringkasan:
The Israelites were traveling in the desert. They were walking from Egypt to the land God had promised to give his people. They had been traveling for many weeks and had eaten all the food they had brought from Egypt.
God’s people were hungry and they started to complain. “We have nothing to eat, Moses.” they grumbled, “Why did you bring us out to this hot, dry desert? We will starve to death here. We should have stayed in Egypt ,at least we had all the food we wanted there!”
Moses listened to their complaints. He knew that they were complaining because they had stopped trusting God to take care of them always.
They should remember that :
– God Will Never Leave Me (GWNLM)
– God wants us to follow, obey God,and trust HIM.
If the Israelites remember these in their hearts, they will not choose their tummies over GOD.
God’s will and God’s plan were for them to be free from slavery and follow God, but on their journey they kept disobeying.
Let’s continue to the story. God also heard the people complain. God said to Moses,”I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them at twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 16:11-12)
That evening, our wonderful, powerful God gave the Israelites meat to eat. God sent a flock of quail. The birds flew right down to the Israelite camp. People caught the birds and cooked them for supper. The Israelite enjoyed eating the food God sent. Everyone had plenty to eat. God had kept his promise to provide for his people.
The next morning when the people woke up, they saw thin white flakes on the ground “Manna?” they asked in their language. “What is it?”
“It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.” (they called it MANNA) Moses answered. And he told them to gather enough Manna for that day only. “God will send more tomorrow.” He told them.
God wanted his people to trust him to provide day by day – to trust his provision. But some people disobeyed. They took more than they needed and set it aside for later. The next morning they found what was left overnight was rotten and full of worms !
Each day God gave his people all the food that they needed. And on the day before the Sabbath, Moses gave the people a message from God. Moses told the people to gather enough Manna for two days.
“Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord.” Moses said,” that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days.”
The Lord himself would keep the manna fresh so that on the Sabbath his people could spend time worshiping God and resting, but some people disobeyed God’s instructions. This time they did not gather enough bread. When they went out on the Sabbath to gather food, there wasn’t a single flake of manna to be found. Once again, God had kept his word, and he wanted his people to listen, trust him and obey.
God knew what was best for the Israelites. He knew they needed food. He knew they needed to rest and to worship him. God wanted his people to learn to trust him to give them all that they needed. God knows what we need as well. We need food to make our bodies strong. And we need to praise God and rest on his special day, the Lord’s Day.
Let’s continue to live a life that trusts God’s words, follows God’s will and God’s plan because we know that God will never leave us.
Ayat Hafalan:
Exodus 14:13B
Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.