Sing to Remember (Exodus 15:1-21)
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Transcript
Foreign my name is Spencer I'm one of the pastors here we are continuing through Exodus chapter 15 verse 22 and we're going to go all the way through the end of chapter 16 today you can turn in your blue Bibles to page 34 the text will also be on the screen so uh one of the things I've realized over the last few years is that America has a new favorite pastime I'm not talking about how football clearly replaced baseball a couple decades ago as America's pastime uh America and Americans we love complaining like it it is real and it's getting worse I mean it is everywhere you go on social media.
See people rant on Facebook complain after complaint and if you're still on Twitter on Twitter and that gets like retweets and likes and you go girls and all kinds of stuff and it's not just there or in Google reviews or in Yelp reviews it's in work rooms uh break rooms and family dinner tables it's everywhere and here's what's Wild is that all of us realize that our culture is complaining and grumbling too much like we get that and no one thinks it's good right no one thinks it's a net positive.
For society when all of us are angry and complaining and grumbling all the time about things none of us like it but then we look in the mirror and then we realize how easy it is to complain like one of the things I've I've said in sermons in the past is I have chronic back pain and there's just times where it's just so easy to just complain so easy to just be frustrated and to grumble it's what we do and it's it's a it's a human problem it's a part of the Fall.
And while it may be very prevalent more now than it has been the past it is something that goes all the way back to our story in the book of Exodus today we are not alone in this we're going to see the people of God we're going to see how God provides for them and how they grumble in the midst of it so we'll see a few things happening as we walk through this story together we're going to see clearly that.
God is a provider and that he's good and his Provisions towards his people we're going to see that as he provides God is teaching his Covenant people of God what it means to be his people then we're going to see the people of God grumble and complain repeatedly and then we'll see how God responds to them so let me pray for us and we'll walk through this together Heavenly Father I pray that you would help the Scriptures come alive to us this morning that it would Pierce our hearts and that we would.
See what it means to have a God that loves us so much that provides for us that is worthy of our faith and out of that we would change and repent and be a people that grow into your likeness into your image and this would ultimately result in worship and delighting and you we ask this in Jesus name amen okay so this part of Exodus is a shift we're moving into the Wilderness part of the story the people of God are going to wander in the wilderness throughout the rest of Exodus in fact they're going to wander throughout the rest of the Old Testament law.
So the next few books in Leviticus numbers and Deuteronomy like this is what the people of God are going to be doing is wandering so we're going to pick up in verse 22 it says then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea and they went into the Wilderness of sure they went three days in the wilderness and found no water so they leave the Red Sea and they're wandering for three days in the wilderness and this Wilderness is the desert it's no small thing to not find water.
For three days that's not an inconvenience that's actually somewhat dangerous now the people would have surely had you know water packs you know lots of storage similar to I've seen some of you with your I don't think you can call this water bottles there's water gallon jugs you know with the motivational stickers to say you can do it drink a little more you go like they had some version of that but they would have been going through this water and it's a little concerning.
When you're in the desert with all these people and you don't see water it's no small thing and then in verse 23 it says when they came to Mara they could not drink the water of Mera because it was bitter therefore it was named maram so you can imagine you're traveling in the desert and then you see a water source and you're cracked lips smile and you run to that water source and you hit your knees and you scoop up some water and you bring it to your face and it's garbage it's awful it's bad water.
So bad that they named the place Mara when the Hebrew means bitter that's a disappointment and I would say it's okay it's fine to be disappointed in life it's fine to be disappointed when you're so desperate for something and you don't get it but how they respond in the midst of disappointment well that that's where things really start to go south verse 24 it says in the people grumbled against Moses saying what shall we drink they crumbled they murmured they complained what are we going to drink Moses this is not a question done from a respectful posture that's trusting Moses that's trusting.
God this is grumbling what are we going to do now Moses we've got no water we've got is This Bitter mess and it's wild because they've seen God work not too long ago in some incredible ways they saw as he brought plague after plague sign after Wonder upon Pharaoh their oppressor they walked out with gold and jewels from the Egyptians they were LED through the Wilderness by cloud and by fire they came to the Red Sea and watched God part the Red Sea and they safely went to the other side as the waters crashed down on the Egyptians who were trying to take them back they saw all of this in just a few days.
In they are grumbling baffles commentators when they look at this one commentator was like if you need evidence of Grace in the Old Testament look no further than this story he he should destroy them he should crush them after everything that he's done for them they are grumbling but we're going to see how God responds verse 25 and he cried to the Lord this is Moses and the Lord showed him a log and he threw it into the water and the water became sweet that.
God responds by providing how good is God Moses takes a log and throws into the water and now the water is sweet our God is so good in how he provides and then he uses this situation to teach the people so it says there the Lord made for them a statute and a rule and there he tested them saying if you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God and do which is do that which is right in his eyes and give ear to his Commandments and keep all his statutes I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians.
For I am the Lord your healer now I don't know if you caught that God just flexed both his unbelievable steadfast love and care and his power in the same breath like a good father whose hands provide the warmest and softness of embrace of his children but also the firmness of discipline he flexes his care and his power I am your healer but if you do not trust me and you don't walk in Covenant faithfulness with me you will see the power that I put on the Egyptians upon you and that's a lesson that the people of.
God need to learn one of the themes we're going to see Trace throughout the rest of Exodus is that the people of God are learning what it means to be the Covenant people of the Lord they've been slaves for 400 years and now they're learning what it means to be his people as they are wandering so they keep wondering verse 27 then they came to Elam where there were 12 Springs of water and 70 palm trees and they encamped there by the water they wander some more and again.
God provides leads them to water into palm trees so they get a chance as we move into chapter 16 to start fresh to trust God and then in verse 1 it says they set out from Elam and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the Wilderness of sin which is just the name of the region don't read too far into that which is between Elam and Sinai on the 15th day on the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt and the whole Congregation of the people of Israel grumble grumbled against Moses and Aaron and the Wilderness and the people of Israel said to them word that we had.
Died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by the meat parts and ate the bread to the eight bread to the full for you have brought us out into the Wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger oh no uh you know the part of the movie where there's a there's a smaller guy and he's like talking a bunch of junk about a bigger guy he's talking smack and these guys are in front of them and he's just talking Sherman German chirp and also the big guy comes into view and kind of walks it behind him and he just keeps talking keeps talking that's how this feels it's.
Like oh no do you know who you're complaining against do you know what God has done for you now what you're saying is oh that we could just be back in Egypt as slaves again that we could belong to Pharaoh at least we had the meat pots and the bread to the fool this is the first time they've said something similar to uh you've brought us out here in the wilderness to kill us and Exodus 14 12 is the Red Sea there before it and they're waiting to.
See what's going to happen next they said for it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness what this shows is they don't trust God they don't trust God they don't trust him to provide they don't trust them that he's going to take care of them after everything that God has done for them they do not trust that he is good they would rather be back in Egypt as slaves at least they had meat pots and bread.
So how does God respond to this verse 4. then the Lord said to Moses behold I'm about to Reign bread from heaven for you and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day that I may test them whether they will walk in my law or not God and His steadfast love towards his people listens to that grumbling and says I will provide for you I'll provide for you I'm going to rain down from heaven in spite of your grumbling in spite of your thanklessness and your discontentment I'm going to provide.
For you I'm going to bring bread down from heaven not only that in this I'm going to teach you how good is our God that he provides and that he endures and that he teaches and his steadfast love towards his people he's going to use this as a teachable moment day by day all the way until we get to the sixth day verse 5 on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring in it will be twice as much as they gather daily.
So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel at evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt so he's going to teach his people to trust him and then when the sixth day comes which is the day before the Sabbath and it's a little unclear in the text either they're going to be commanded to gather twice as much as they need or God is going to providentially and Care caring.
For his people give them twice the amount and what's that what's foreshadowing what you're going to see more than a moment is that God is trying to teach his people what it means to be the people of God by remembering the Sabbath this goes back to Adam and Eve and Adam and Eve were created in Genesis 1 and 2 that Sabbath rest was created for the people to rest in God and they have been slaves for centuries not taking the Sabbath they belonged to Pharaoh and not to.
God and God is trying to help them see you don't belong to him anymore you belong to me and my people will pause and they will rest they needed to make the switch and realize that they belong to now when I was in Middle School all the way through Middle School I was a part of I was in public school and then in the eighth grade um well the first eighth grade I did Eighth Grade twice because middle school is awesome.
But in the first eighth grade up until then I got in a lot of trouble I spent a lot of time in in-school suspension a lot of time in after school suspension because in public school it's a slap on the wrist it's like okay fine I get to be out of class I'm listening talk this is awesome but I went to this private school out in like the sticks of Saluda and Batesburg and uh the first week I got in trouble got sent the office I was waiting.
For my slap on the wrist and my uh my principal was also my coach he said all right grab tennis shoes I'll see you after school and I went what sheena's gonna send me to a room to like read a book and then after school I ran until I almost was sick and I realized I belonged to a new people and I will not continue like this and for the rest of the eighth grade and the rest of high school I did not get in a lot of trouble the people need to unite the shift to the need to.
See what it means you don't belong to fear anymore you belong to me and you're going to remember Sabbath rest and then number seven it continues in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord for what are we that you Grumble against us and Moses said when the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the fool which pause for a moment not just bread they're getting meat praise.
God can I get to eat meat too because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you Grumble against him what are we your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord that truth needs to sink so deeply into our souls as it needed to sit and sing deeply into theirs that when we Grumble and when we complain in this life that is ultimately against God God you've not provided and the ways that I want you've not done what I saw fit and the complaints and the grumbles that we have is ultimately against and Moses makes that clear your complaint is with the.
Lord verse 9 then Moses said to Aaron say to the whole Congregation of the people of Israel come near before the Lord for he has heard your grumbling and as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole Congregation of the people of Israel they looked toward the Wilderness and behold the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud and the Lord said to Moses I've heard the grumbling of the people of Israel say to them at Twilight you shall eat meat in the morning you shall be filled with bread.
Then ye shall know that I am the Lord your God he's like I'm going to provide and you're going to know that I'm the Lord your God I'm going to teach this people who I am verse 13 in the evening Quail came up and covered the camp which if you don't know what quail are because you live in the city or you didn't hunt you didn't not Outdoors person or do you don't like birds it's a bird Quill's a bird and it covers the camp not oh they went outside and they started picking up a few Quail here and there it covers the camp they get to feast.
Because God has provided Quail at night now wake up the next morning in the morning do lay around the camp and when the Dew had gone up there was on the face of the Wilderness A Fine flake-like Thing fine as frost on the ground so they wake up after a night of feasting and they rather sleep from their eyes and they look and they see the Dew and they keep looking and when the Dew dissipates this Frosted Flake like substance like the OG Frosted Flake you guys it starts appearing and their response is.
When the people of Israel verse 15 when the people of Israel saw it they said to one another what is it for they did not know what it was I said what is this and that's what they're going to call it is what is it bread it's called Manna we're going to see in a moment Manna means what is it in the Hebrew what is this and Moses said to them it is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat this is what the.
Lord has commanded gather of it each of you each one of you as much as he can eat you shall take an Omer which we don't measure in numbers anymore but the estimates is that's anywhere from between one and two pounds each of you take an armor according to the number of persons that each of you has and your tent so I have a family of five that means we'd have anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds of manna now I don't know.
If any of you cook or bake but 20 pounds of flour has a lot of biscuits it's a lot of scones a lot of Pancakes it's a lot of non-breakfast food item bread that's a lot you can eat on that for more than a day it is enough you're going to eat to the full verse 17 the people of Israel did so they gathered some more some less but when they measured it with an Omer where we gathered much had nothing left over whoever gathered little Had No Lack each of them gathered as much as he could eat and I I love this whether they're Gathering a ton as much as they can or little.
It's all going to come out it's all going to come out the same you get a number that's going to provide for you this is God teaching them I'm your provider I'm the one who gives Daily Bread you're going to learn this whatever you gather it's going to be what you need and then in verse 19 and Moses said to them let no one leave any of it over till morning now why would he say that why would he say don't don't leave any over left over to the morning.
Because it's possible they're not going to trust the Lord the reason you would try to keep some to the next day is because you don't think the next day man is coming like the reason why when I put my kids to bed and I tuck them in I don't find a bunch of z-bars and gummy gummy stuff and all the things we put in our snack drawer and applesauce packs you know I don't find that because they know that that food downstairs is stocked they know they can go a snack drawer they know it's there not from once or their thought I need to store some food.
Because I don't know if I'm going to eat the next day they know that it'll be provided for and the people of God need to believe this you need to trust God in this word here don't leave any over to the next day they're being tested they're being taught I don't know if you've seen the FEMA today but you can kind of guess how this is going to go verse 20 but they did not listen to Moses so I'm left part of it till morning and it bred worms and stank and Moses was angry with them morning by morning they gathered it each as much as he could eat.
But when the sun grew hot it melted so they didn't trust God again they disobeyed God again and the whole Camp stank and Moses is rightfully angry because this people isn't getting it they're not trusting God what does God have to do to help you see that he's worthy of your faith and your trust and your obedience these people will not listen and they have failed again but they're going to get a chance here because day after day all the way to the sixth day the Sabbath is coming and I have a chance to obey.
Verse 22. on the sixth day they gather twice as much bread two emers each when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses he said to them this is what the Lord has commanded tomorrow is a day of solemn rest a holy Sabbath to the Lord bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil and all that is left over lay it aside to be kept to Mourning so gather you're gonna have enough for two days this time you can set it aside it's going good.
So far 24 so they laid it aside till morning as Moses commanded them and it did not stink and there were no worms in it verse 25 Moses said eat it today for today is a Sabbath to the Lord today you will not find it in the field six days You Shall Gather in it but on the seventh which is the Sabbath there will be none for things trending well they're doing so good and then verse 27 happens on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather.
But they found no and there it is they again do not trust the Lord we got to go out we got to gather because what if we don't have enough and they don't trust God that he's going to take care of them again and the Lord verse 28 said to Moses how long will you refuse to keep my Commandments and my laws see the Lord has given you the Sabbath therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days remain each of you in his place let no one go outside of his place on the seventh day.
So the people rested on the seventh day God teaches them he doesn't bring judgment upon them he's providing and he's teaching he's trying to get through to the people of God and then in verse 31 it says now the house of Israel called its name manna it was like coriander seed White and the taste of it was like Wafers made with hunting which pause for a minute it's nice that God is not against sweet bread you know even against some of our diets don't you say we shouldn't have it.
But it's not it's good it's a gift from the Lord verse 32 Moses said this is what the Lord has commanded let a number of it be kept throughout your Generations so that you may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt and Moses said to Aaron take a jar and put an ombre of manna in it and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your Generations.
So God wants them to take take some put in a jar I want you to remember how I provided for you I want you to remember how I gave you daily manna 34 and as the Lord commanded Moses so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept the people of Israel ate the man of 40 years till they came to a habitable end they ate Manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan and Omer is the tenth of Heart of an even.
Okay and that's the end of chapter 16. this story is powerful because in spite of their lack of faith and in spite of the rebellion and in spite of Israel's sin in spite of their grumbling they're grumbling against the God who saved them who redeemed them who freed them to be in his presence in spite of all of that God provides for them again and again God takes care of his people and he teaches them in spite of their Rebellion he teaches them in spite of their sin and the good news of the Gospel is that.
God still does that with us that God still does that with us you see when he gets the New Testament and you get to John 6 and you see the feeding of the five thousand which is one of the more popular Miracles that we read about in the Scriptures when you read the feeding the five thousand you see that that entire miracle is an illusion it's alluding back to Exodus 16. there's so many things where Jesus in that moment is fulfilling Exodus 16 from the bread that is Multiplied into the people get enough to the 12 baskets that represent the 12 tribes there's.
So many things that are happening in that story that point back to Exodus 16 back to the story of manna and that's made even more explicitly clear in the teaching that follows the feeding of the five thousand so we're gonna pick it up in John 6 verse 30. it says so they said to him this is people asking him then what sign do you do that we may see and believe you what work do you perform our fathers ate the Manna in the wilderness as it is written he gave them bread from Heaven to eat that's Exodus 16.
So we get to see that miraculous sign from God what are you going to do Jesus then said to them truly truly I say to you it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven but my father gives you the true bread from heaven for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world and then they hear this and their ears perk up and they said to him verse 34 sir give us this bread always we want that you got something better than the man that was given to our people I I want that bread what is that bread.
Jesus answers Jesus said to them I am the bread of life whoever comes to me shall not hunger never Believes In Me shall never thirst I am the Eternal manna I am the bread of life and if you eat of me and if you come to me for satisfaction if you come to me for fulfillment if you come to me you will never you will never be unfulfilled and you will always be satisfied so Jesus ultimately fulfills this story now I want to.
See two clear things coming out of this from Exodus 16 into John 6. and the first is this God cares for you God cares for you there are times where we don't believe that there are times where we have these these complaints that says if God really cared about me he would do fill in the blank he provided this he'd help me hear if God truly cared for me then I'd have this I'd have the meat pots back in Egypt I have the bread to the fool fill in the blank.
If God truly cared about me why doesn't he fix this and I want to say very clearly God absolutely cares for you and he cares for you more than you could ever care for yourself because what we see so clearly from the Scriptures is that our concern is mostly and sometimes exclusively about temporary things the things that we want the things that we so deeply desire oftentimes are only temporary things and God is saying I have something better for you I have something Eternal.
For you I have eternal Heavenly bread the bread of life in Christ that is for you have not forgotten you I care about you more than you could ever care for yourself so that's the first thing we need to clearly see that God loves us so much that he sent the Bread of Heaven down for us and he lived a life that we could not live and he died death in the cross that we deserve and he resurrected it to give us a new life in him.
So that we could eat of this eternal bread and take part in Christ into eternity God absolutely cares for you more than you could ever possibly know or imagine you just have to come to him in faith and here's the second thing that we need to see coming out of this story and this is especially true for Christians we need to stop grumbling we need to stop complaining we need to repent here because complaining is so native to who we are as humans and we need to stop it's not just a principle that's taught in Exodus 16.
As an explicit command when you get to the New Testament in Philippians 2 it says do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights and the world the rest of the world complains you know why because that's a Humanity problem it's what we do and what he's teaching is that you get to be uniquely different you get to shine as light in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation you get to be different you know why we get to be different.
Because we know better because as Christians we know better when John Piper is commenting on Philippians 2. he says do all things without grumbling why you have a sovereign God who is on your side who works everything together for your good that everything including the suffering including including the loss and the lacking is ultimately for your good and the Israelites could not see God's bigger plan they couldn't go a few days without water they couldn't go a few days with limited food they could not.
See God's bigger plan and they complained and they grumbled and so do we we don't see God's bigger plan and we Grumble we need to believe the Gospel we need to believe that Jesus is the bread of life and then when we do that we replace our grumbling with something better the solution to our grumbling is Godly gratitude the solution to our grumbling is Godly gratitude it is a deep founded belief that God works everything together for our good even the parts of life that are miserable even the life parts of life that are crummy even the parts of life that don't seem fair that in those moments we want to complain and we want.
To Grumble ultimately against our God for what he has not done I know I feel this y'all you might think but you don't understand my pain is chronic my hurt is unending how could God love me allow me to suffer like this we get to as Christians replace that with a posture of gratitude that says thank you Jesus that my hope is in a resurrection that is in the future a future bodily Resurrection where I will have no more pain and no more hurt and I will be and your presence forever and all this pain will be a distant memory.
But until then praise God that I have the teaching that comes from Paul that Jesus power will be made perfect in my weakness and I will praise you and thank you all the more you might think I just want to be married I just want to have a family I've wanted this I've wanted this I've wanted this if God really loved me why hasn't he given me this we need to believe the Gospel and we could replace that with gratitude that says thank you.
Jesus how I don't know why I don't have a family in this life but I thank you that I have an eternal family that I've been purchased into now and I can experience that in part now with this Church family and in my community group but that even pales in comparison to the Eternal family of God that awaits me when I will be in your presence with my brothers and sisters with you as my father thank you Jesus that I'm a part of a better family you might think I've got just others have it easier their lives are easier they have more means they have better physical health they have better mental health they have.
All of this God why can't I just have fill in the blank and we get to from a place of faith say thank you Jesus that you bless others man I don't know why you haven't blessed me I don't know why I'm suffering I don't know why I'm enduring loss but I'm going to learn what it means for you to be my daily bread because you are enough we need gratitude for the Glorious work of Christ that is the remedy to our grumbling I don't know why.
God has ordained that some of you suffer in the ways that you do I don't know why your life is not easier than others and I will pretend to be speaking on behalf of God directly to answer why you are suffering perhaps from the Scriptures you may have some reasons maybe he is teaching you daily Faith like he taught the Israelites maybe he's breaking you of Love of this world and believing the things in this world are going to satisfy when only.
Jesus can perhaps you are suffering in the wilderness in ways that are ultimately for your good that you may not have the answers for in this life I don't know but I do know the solution is the same Church family let's not be like the Israelites who God saved and redeemed and freed and brought into his presence and then went on to Grumble and Grumble and Grumble and Grumble we get to be the people of God who are saved and redeemed and freed and are brought into his presence and from that beautiful Gospel we say thank you.
Jesus that you're enough you will be my daily bread and that is enough Matt's going to come up and we're going to take the Lord's Supper which is a reminder that Jesus is enough that we get to come to the table as Jesus did 2000 years ago and we took bread and he broke and he said this is my body that was broken for you it's for it's the Bread of Heaven he's the Eternal manna he's whom we need it's my body that was broken.
For you he took the cup of the New Covenant he said this is my blood that was shed for you that is often as a as you eat and drink this you Proclaim my death until I return and as the people between his death and his return we sit in the middle and as Christians we get to believe the Gospel we get to believe that Jesus is enough and no doubt I've got repenting to do after complaining of my life.
Because you're human so do you and we get to come to the table and say thank you Jesus that you died for grumblers like me Lord help me have gratitude and thankfulness in faith faith to trust that you're enough and if you're not a Christian please don't take part in this I don't want you to take part in this we want you to take part in the Eternal manner who is Christ we want you to believe in him I want you to.
See that he's better there's nothing in this world that will satisfy you there's nothing in this world that is going to fill the God-shaped hole in your soul the only one who can is Christ and we plead with you believe right now place your faith and trust when you are ready come to the table and remember the Bread of Heaven that we get to take part in Christ and we pray heavenly father I pray that you would help us see you with.
So beautiful so much more compelling than anything else in this world God I pray that you would help us be a people that believe the Gospel that you are the bread of life that you are enough and out of that belief that we would be a people that show unbelievable gratitude knowing that we don't know how and why and all the things that are happening in our life the way they are happening but we know that you're enough and we will praise you and I pray.
If there's anyone here that has never eaten up your Eternal bread that is never trusted in you I pray right now that they would we ask this in Jesus name amen.