#DailyDevotion The LORD Provides Us Daily Bread For Today

Exodus 16:9-16 ⁹“Tell the whole congregation of Israel,” Moses said to Aaron: “Come before the LORD, for He has heard you grumble.” ¹⁰But then, as Aaron talked to the whole congregation of Israel, they turned toward the desert and saw the LORD’s glory appearing in the cloud. ¹¹ “I have heard Israel grumble,” the LORD said to Moses. ¹²“Tell them: ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will get all the bread you want, and then you will know I am the LORD your God.’”. ¹³In the evening quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew was lying around the camp. ¹⁴When the dew lifted, the desert ground was covered with something small and flaky as fine as hoarfrost on the ground. ¹⁵When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” because they didn’t know what it was. Moses told them, “This is the food the LORD gives you to eat. ¹⁶And this is what the LORD orders you to do: Everyone should gather as much of it as he can eat — take one and one-half quarts for each as you count the persons each of you has in his tent.”

People often have this idea of the God of the Old Testament as a mean, cruel, wrathful God. Well, there are instances where God’s wrath is revealed against mankind because, well, mankind is sinful and rebels against their Maker and their Redeemer. It’s not like they are innocent. It’s not like we are innocent.

However, you will be surprised at times by the grace, mercy, kindness, long-suffering, patience, and loving-kindness of the LORD in the Old Testament if you pay attention. Here is one example. So, for context, the LORD had poured out his wrath upon Egypt for the way they were treating his people, the Israelites. He had delivered them from their hands, brought them through the Red Seas on dry land and then drowned the Egyptian army that was sent after them to bring them back. Now, the Israelites are grumbling against the LORD because they were hungry. While grumbling against Moses and Aaron, they were attacking the LORD and his goodness in their grumbling.

So does the LORD strike them down dead in the wilderness for grumbling? No. In his great mercy and kindness he is answering the prayer they should have been praying in the midst of their grumbling. The LORD provides them with quail in the evening and manna (what’s this [English translation of the Hebrew word]) in the morning. He would provide for them enough to eat and have their fill every day.

Now our LORD Jesus Christ, the same LORD as here in Exodus, is merciful and kind to us as well. While we certainly do not deserve any good from him, he mercifully provides us everything to support this body and life. He teaches us to pray, “give us this day our daily bread,” and through this prayer he works all things in creation to do just that. Seriously, besides the ability to work to earn money to buy bread, just think about all that is necessary, from sowing seed to ending up on our grocery shelf that loaf of bread. How many people he is kind to in order to bring that about. As we pray this prayer, it is according to his will and we have his guarantee he hears us and and answers us in the affirmative. Thanks be to God for all his kindness, mercy, and providential care.



Heavenly Father, grant that we may look to you for all good things and trust you will provide us all we need to support this body and life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.