Golden Pillar Class Study, teacher Leslie Crain.
The story of the the children of Israel is for us to learn from their example. They were in bondage for 430 years.
I Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
At first things weren’t bad and Pharaoh gave them land. A new Pharaoh was afraid because God had increased and prospered them. He put them in bondage with hard taskmasters. God saw the affliction and heard their cry and sent Moses.
Exodus 3:7-9 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people…in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them…to bring them up out…unto a good land…flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now…the cry of…Israel is come unto me…have also seen…the Egyptians oppress them.
God began leading the children of Israel the night the death angel passed through Egypt. He led them out by a cloud and pillar of fire so they always had light. They could travel day and night. There were 600,000 men plus women and children.
Exodus 13:21-22 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them…by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night…
God brought them through the Red Sea so the people feared the Lord and believed him and Moses.
Exodus 14:30-31…Lord saved Israel…out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians…feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and…Moses.
They were singing and praising God for the great things he did, for victory, and deliverance (Exodus 15:1-21).
Exodus 15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
Exodus 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?…glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Three days after great deliverance, they were complaining – not trusting. How pleased God would have been if they had said, “Moses, how is God going to supply our need for good water? Moses, ask God to supply our need for good fresh water.” Acts of obedience bring God’s blessings. Only 9 miles after Marah, God brought the Israelites to the twelve wells of Elim. God knew the wells were there. Has God done miracles but then we complained when other things went wrong?
Exodus 15:22-27 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea…into the wilderness…they went three days…and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters…for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he…proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and…keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water…encamped there by the waters.
A month after going through the Red Sea, Israel complained to Moses. God heard their cries when they were oppressed in Egypt but the enemy distorted their view of how bad it was in Egypt. Help us never look back to sin with a positive view!
Exodus 16:1-3 And they took their journey from Elim…unto the wilderness of Sin…the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of…Egypt. And the whole congregation…murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And…said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in…Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots…did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Even though they complained, God sent quail that covered the ground of camp for over 600,000 people – a lot of quail!
Exodus 16:4-13…the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day…it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. And Moses and Aaron said…At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?…This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings…your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord. And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation…Come near before the Lord: for he hath heard your murmurings…Aaron spake unto the whole congregation …that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.
God also gave manna to the Israelites. They were supposed to collect the equivalent of 5 pounds of manna per man. That’s like 43.2 chicken eggs or 300,000 pounds of manna. On the sixth day they collected twice as much.
Exodus 16:14-18 And when the dew…was gone up…of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when…Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said…This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them…in his tents. And…Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack…every man according to his eating.
Pictures from Professor Google show coriander seed is about the size of a small pea. There was enough manna everyone.
Exodus 16:31…Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed…the taste…like wafers made with honey.
Some didn’t gather the manna like God said. They gathered what they thought was enough. Our “enough” stinks! On the sixth day they were supposed to gather twice as much and could keep it overnight without it stinking or spoiling. God made a day for the Israelites to rest from their labors. He set the example when he created the world. His work was to create and then he rested. God wanted the people to rest from their ways and work of creating. They did all their cooking the day before. If their refrigerator worked to keep cold, they wouldn’t open it. What work does God not want us to do or create – our own thoughts and ways. When things go wrong, we have to lay aside our creating or doing our own will. God wanted the Israelites to depend on him for all their needs. He wanted them to go to bed and rest with no thought that there was no food in the house, to not worry but know God would provide enough for their needs. God wants us to take no thought.
Matthew 6:31-32 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or…drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
The trick of the enemy is to get us to think our faith is not enough and we have to do something. Our faith may look small to us, but God doesn’t see things like we do. Five loaves and two fish was enough. Obedience is enough. Even though we’re tired and fished all night but caught no fish, cast the net on the other side. Roll away the stone even when you know “He stinketh.” It will be enough to God. Remember the things God has done for us, especially when the enemy wants us to get bogged down in the temporal every day things of life and to forget what a mighty God we serve!
Exodus 16:19-30 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not…but some… left of it…and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning…when the sun waxed hot, it melted. And…the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man…the rulers…told Moses. And he said…This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath…bake that which ye will bake…seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up…until the morning. And…as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm…Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath…ye shall not find it in the field…the seventh day…And it came to pass…people on the seventh day for to gather…found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?…Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth…the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested…