The Manna Principle

Passage: Exodus 16

Note: After a couple of months of inconsistent Bible reading, I have started a new reading plan.  I’m using Youversion.com’s “Bible in 90 Days” plan.  This will be the source of any passages I discuss here for the next few months.

I remember my older sister coming home from school one day and telling us that her 5^th grade class had gotten donuts.  She went on to say that initially her teacher had thought there were enough for each student to have two donuts.  But as they were distributed, he quickly realized they would run out (I have to assume my sister lost about a year’s worth of arithmetic in that teacher's class).  He asked students who had already gotten two to return one so there would be enough for everyone.  Several students (she claimed they were all boys.  I have my doubts) quickly took a bite out of both their donuts.  They were more concerned with having more donut than they needed than they were with everyone getting enough.

Throughout the Old Testament, God communicates his great interest in everyone getting enough.  In Numbers God distributes his people’s inheritance – the Promised Land – not on the basis of merit but per capita.  In the latter prophets – Amos in particular – God condemns the injustice that runs rampant amongst his people.  He gives these examples: the selling of people for profit, the oppression of the poor, and the inequitable distribution of resources.  God promises to give his people everything they need.  And God demands that his people share their surplus so that everyone has enough.

This principle is introduced long before God’s people enter the Promised Land.  Early in their journey from Egypt, the Israelites detect a problem.  They’ve marched out into the middle of the wilderness, and have no apparent source of food or water.  They immediately accuse Moses of plotting to kill the lot of them.  God then fills Moses in on his plan.  God says,

I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.

God delivers on his promise.  And this is what happens:

The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little.  And when they measured it…, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.

They had enough.  And whatever surplus they gathered went bad.

Fast forward to the present.  God’s promise to provide applies as much to his people now as it did to the Israelites in the wilderness.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reiterates the promise:

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Don’t worry.  If you belong to God, you’ll have enough.

Of course we don’t listen.  We don’t trust that God will actually give us what we need.  So we hoard.  We collect more stuff and shore up more resources than we need to live.  And while half the human race goes without enough to eat, our stores go bad.  We throw out food.  Our clothes go out of fashion.  Our electronics go obsolete.  Our hearts grow hard and our spirits wither as we obsess about getting more and protecting what we have.  Our surplus, like day-old manna, rots around us. 

The peace and the compassion and the generosity that are inextricable from the Christian life all start with simply taking God at his word.  Trust that God will show up tomorrow like he did today.  Try living like you trust.  Give away what you don’t need.  And become part of God’s system for ensuring that everyone has enough.