Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Bread of Life*

*March 7, 1999              Exodus 16*

 

*Introduction:*

 

          The big idea of Ex. 13-15 about the crossing of the Red Sea was that  God wants us to grow in our faith relationship to him so we will understand that we are his people and that he is our God who is worthy of glory.

Actually, that is the big idea of the whole 40 years in the desert.

He delivered the Israelites from destruction by the Egyptians in the crossing of the Red Sea.

Then he delivered them from their grumbling about the bitter waters of Marah.

There he made a decree and a law for them that tested their obedience.

He said that if they followed his commands he would not bring upon them any of the diseases he brought upon the Egyptians.

God announced himself as the “Lord who heals you” as he brought them to the 12 springs and 70 palm trees of Elim.

It is interesting to note that God’s healing power comes first through our obedience.

God prevents many diseases that we would otherwise get if we did not obey him.

The first step whether in medicine or godliness is preventive.

We must mind our bodies and our God.

He has power over us body and soul.

1.

God has the Israelites right where he wants them in order to make them into a mighty nation.

There will be little interference.

It is one-on-one with God in the desert.

God knows they have a lot to learn.

The lessons come quickly.

The big idea takes a little twist here as God wants them to learn dependence upon him for their daily needs.

He not only wants them to know he is Jehovah-rophe, the Lord who heals, but that he is Jehovah-jireh as well, the Lord who provides.

This will take a long time for them to learn because it doesn’t take long for the grumbling to begin again.

I think it is quite appropriate here that they have come into the Desert of Sin.

The word, sin, is short for Sinai which is where they are headed.

But is this just a coincidence?

2-3.

The grumbling begins.

The people seem to have learned nothing from their grumbling before God’s deliverance through the Red Sea (14:11-12), or from their grumbling about water after coming through the Red Sea (15:24).

This is the 3rd complaint, this time about what they shall eat.

Sadly, it won’t be the last complaint.

We usually think our grumbling is justified or we wouldn’t do it.

Do we complain about what we shall eat?

We must remember that our garbage disposal eats better than probably 30% of the world’s population.

It is as if the Israelites hold a culture of death over Moses head.

They tempt death now as they did before they crossed the Red Sea.

The desert is truly a test to them of God’s provision.

Learning to trust God instead of ourselves is like a death to us.

We must die to trusting ourselves as we learn to trust God and be his people.

Peter Pertocci said, “No man knows what he is living for until he knows what he’ll die for.”

If the Israelites were willing to die for a piece of bread, then that is all they were living for.

Of course, Jesus told Satan that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Mt.

4:4).

(We went to the MBI Men’s Conference yesterday.

They served us a box lunch.

Did we go for the Word of God, which was rich, or for bread?)

This is what God wants them, and us, to learn here.

God says he will provide.

That is what we must live by.

God provided a lamb for Abraham and Isaac.

He provided Jesus Christ the Lamb for us.

We must trust his provision in all things.

Ultimately this generation of Israelites did get their wish to die in the desert because they refused to trust God.

Every form of complaining is an affront to God about his provision.

They romanticized the past by talking about pots of meat.

When is the last time you romanticized the past?

(Sometimes I romanticize the mansion we left in Iowa to come to Chicago [describe].

But I forget that all the work it took held me in bondage.

I figured, if I spend this much time working on this house, just think what I could give in service to the kingdom of God if I left it.)

The Israelites forgot that they were slaves and probably didn’t get much meat.

They minimized the discomforts of being slaves.

They wanted the pain of what they knew as slaves more than the pain of being free on their own to trust and serve God.

So if it is pain either way, slave or free, what is the difference?

It is that in freedom there is hope of deliverance.

But you have to want it enough to trust God for it.

The complaining nature of humanity against God’s providence is enough for him to drive any of us into the desert for 40 years to test us.

It is so human to complain because it is so sinful to complain.

When we are hard pressed, we must not complain but ask God what to do, or what he wants us to understand.

When we feel like complaining we must confess sin instead, and praise God for his goodness to us.

When we come under the conviction of sin and know we don’t deserve anything, we complain a lot less.

But it is easier to complain.

Nothing is easier than faultfinding: no talent, no self-denial, no brains, and no character are required to set up in the grumbling business.

Illustrations: 1-4

 

          Notice the essence of their complaints.

Their problem was with God (16:8) but they took it out on Moses, God’s servant leader.

How often have we seen that in life?

Illustrations:  5-6

 

God’s servants are not above falling either.

Notice in Num.

11:10-15 about Moses complaint to God about the complaining people.

One rotten apple at the bottom can spoil the whole barrel, even the ones on top.

And of course the rot can also work its way down.

4.

Now God is gracious.

He lays out his plan for a perfect provision.

But it is interesting to note that this is a test for them.

God is going to give them everything they need and then see what they complain about next.

We must see our sinfulness for what it is, a slap in the face of God.

The manna would proof-test the peoples’ obedience.

God’s provision is always a test of our sinfulness that hungers for more, probably at someone else’s expense.

We must rejoice in God’s providence.

Certainly there are inequities in life, but he leaves that to us to redistribute.

Illustration:  7

 

          Notice that God also tested the people at the bitter waters of Marah (15:4) as he did here.

He also tests them after the delivery of the Ten Commandments (20:20).

God tests our fear of him to confirm our faith so we will not sin.

We are tested for our own good.

16:4 is the first of many daily quizzes.

Ultimately, God wants to move us up the ladder of success from the factory job in the desert, where we punch the clock and the assembly line keeps moving, to the privilege of being self-employed, where we do what is appropriate upon our own recognizance.

He wants us to become reliable in our ability to rely upon him.

He wants to build a testimony in us which is a monument of remembrance to successfully completing our time of testing.

16:34 tells us that God had them put some of the manna in a jar as a testimony of remembrance concerning his test of provision for the people.

It is OK for God to test us.