Manna on the Curb - April 30
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 20, 21:1-7(8-14); PM Psalm 110:1-5(6-7), 116, 117
Exod. 17:1-16; 1 Pet. 4:7-19; John 16:16-33
Today’s Reflection
Over the past few days in the Daily Office lectionary, we have been reading through Exodus 16 and 17, in which the people of Israel are wandering in the desert and they feeling pretty fed up and grouchy about it. The recently popular word ‘hangry’—a portmanteau blending hungry with angry—comes to mind: “irritable or angry because of hunger” (Merriam-Webster). Here’s how God responded:
And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” (Exodus 16: 10-12)
So, in the evening, God sent down quail enough to cover the ground of their camp (which seems now an extravagant provision for them in their wilderness time). But the people were still hangry, and so God sent them a strange, flaky substance, which the author of Exodus describes as similar to coriander seed, covering the ground when they woke up in the morning, and told them to gather all they would need not just for that day, but enough for their families for the days to come. This is the manna that God sent from heaven to provide for his people so they would not hunger.
In today’s reading from Exodus 17, the people of Israel are continuing to journey across the wilderness, and now they are feeling very thirsty. Again, they complain to Moses and Aaron:
So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ (Exodus 17: 4-7).
Yesterday at dusk, with not much time to spare before dark, I finally made it out for a run to end the day. As I was running and listening to music, I had many things running through my mind, including a number of things I’m worried about and hadn’t yet taken care of for my upcoming move a few miles up the road. It’s not a cross-country move, but things still need to be packed and I hadn’t even begun to gather or buy moving boxes and such. I had been looking online and dreading having to pay good money for boxes that will be used for a day or two and then folded up and stored in the garage until the next move—and kicking myself for getting rid of all the boxes from two years ago. (These are the very deep theological thoughts constantly running through this priest’s mind lately!)
As light was fading and I was starting to hurry to beat the darkness and get back home, I noticed a couple trash cans next to the end of the driveway and a large pile of perfectly folded up moving boxes—hundreds of dollars’ worth of pristine, heavy-duty cardboard just waiting for someone to take away, assemble and secure with some packing tape, and fill up with stuff. My response, in that moment, was to say to myself: “This is my manna from heaven!” Now, it was all too much for me to attempt to carry home, so I sped up my run, got home and into my car, and quickly drove the few blocks back to make sure I claimed my cardboard manna while I could.
At moment after moment in this wilderness time of journeying toward finding a new home here in Birmingham, God has provided in extravagant ways, beyond what I could have ever asked or imagined. And last night, when I saw the stack of moving boxes just waiting there on the ground, like the quail and manna on the ground and the water from the rock, I was reminded yet again of how much God loves us, cares for us, and provides for us—all the way down to the level of moving boxes. Thanks be to God!
Becky+
Questions for Reflection
Recall a time when you felt hungry or thirsty or otherwise lacking something you needed to survive, whether for your physical, emotional, spiritual, or social well-being. What did you learn about yourself in that time of want? What did you learn about your relationships with others? What did you learn about your relationship with God?
Daily Challenge
Did you know that you can still eat manna today? Read more in this article from the New York Times.
You can learn more about the history of manna in Holy Scripture here.