MANNA FROM HEAVEN
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M.,
Ph.D.
That evening quail came and covered
the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew
around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like
frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the
Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is
it?” For they did not know what it was.. The people
of Israel called the bread manna.. Moses said, “This
is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of
manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can
see the bread I agave you to eat in the desert when I
bought you out of Egypt’... The Israelites ate manna
forty years, until they came to a land that was settled;
they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.
Exodus 16:13-35
The story of the quail and the manna is well known. After
Moses led Israel out of Egypt, they spent a number of years
in the Sinai desert. This is not to be confused with the
Sahara desert. Those of you who have seen the classic film
“Lawrence of Arabia” may have concluded that
Sinai is a vast expanse of sand, prone to sand storms.
After all, when Peter O’Toole crossed it from Akaba
to the Suez Canal, he made a perilous journey through the
sand on a camel and survived a fierce sand storm. This is
pure Hollywood. Although Sinai is a desert because of lack
of rain, it is not at all like the Sahara with its vast
expanses of sand. Rather, it is made up mostly of granite
mountains with valleys referred to as “wadis.”
There are a number of springs throughout the desert,
creating oases of palm trees throughout the region.
According to the Book of Exodus, Israel spent many years at
one of them, Kadesh-barnea. There is enough water and
vegetation in the Sinai to support life. Over the years,
bedouins have occupied the Sinai. The St. Catherine’s
Monastery has existed at Jebel Musa (by tradition, the
Biblical Mount Sinai) since the fourth century. The problem
in the Sinai desert is not the occurrence of sand storms,
but the problem of navigation along the wadis when many of
the hills, ridges and mountains look the same. One also
needs to have warm clothes for the cold nights. Although it
may be hot during the day, the temperature drops sharply
after sunset.
According to Exodus 16, the Israelites were not
particularly pleased with Moses after arriving in the
desert. After all, they had left bondage in Egypt to find a
better life. What they found in the desert was not it. Some
wanted to go back to their old life. God’s call and
direction was more challenging than they had anticipated.
Worst of all, they were malnourished. This certainly shows
the fallacy of the contemporary North American
“theology of success.” If only you have enough
faith, God wants you to be rich and lead the good life. In
the case of Israel, obedience to God led them into the
desert. This is sometimes the way it is with God. He does
not promise that things will always be pleasant. He does
not guarantee that we will never face hardships. On the
contrary, the prophets were usually persecuted. Following
God can sometimes make us unpopular and can sometimes
require a path of discipleship that involves taking up our
cross. What the story in Exodus 16 tells us is that God
will never leave us or forsake us in our hour of trial. He
will provide for our needs. When Israel asked for food, God
supplied it. Meat came in the form of quails. Bread was
supplied through manna. There has been some speculation
about what this was. One theory is that it came from the
Tamarisk tree that produces a white eatable substance. When
it was encountered, they asked “what is it?”
The Hebrew term for this question is “manna.”
They had to collect manna each day. God gave sufficient
provisions for the day, but they could not keep any until
the next day. In the desert, one must rely on God each day.
Faith and discipleship must be continually renewed. We
cannot live off past faith or deeds. We cannot bank-role
grace. We must turn to God each day and ask for his
blessing in our lives and strength to meet the challenges
of the day. Thanks be to God.