Dear Family,
Today is Wednesday, May 10, 2023. It is Day 32; Day 4 of Week 5 in our Count to Pentecost.
While the Israelites were on their way to Mt. Sinai, God underscored the importance of observing the Sabbath day for them. He presented them with a 40 year long activity that tested their obedience.
The Israelites lived daily with supernatural intervention. They already had the daily presence of God in the cloud and in the pillar of fire. Now, they had a divine deliverance of daily bread. And, along with the miracle of the bread from heaven, God also intervened supernaturally every 6th day to provide an additional daily portion of bread so that the Israelites could eat without the labor involved in gathering bread on the 7th day.
Exodus 16:14-30 (14) And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. (15) And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another; It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them; This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. (16) 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 which are in his tents. (17) And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. (18) And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. (19) And Moses said; Let no man leave of it till the morning. (20) Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. (21) And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. (22) And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. (23) And he said unto them; This is that which the LORD hath said; Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. (24) And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. (25) And Moses said; Eat that to day; for today is a Sabbath unto the LORD: today ye shall not find it in the field. (26) Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. (27) And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. (28) And the LORD said unto Moses; How long refuse ye to keep My Commandments and My laws? (29) See, for that the LORD hath given you the Sabbath, therefore He giveth you on 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. (30) So the people rested on the seventh day.
The way God reestablished the 7th day Sabbath left no possibility that the commanded day of rest could be any other day. He allowed the bread to decay and breed worms if Israel tried to store the bread, except on the 6th day when it would remain fresh for use on the Sabbath.
In addition, God also proved to His people that He could and would supply all of their needs. There is no end to the creative powers that God can use to bless His people.
Brethren, we belong to Him, and He has proven over and over that He has a generous open hand toward His people. May God give us the wisdom and Spirit to rejoice as we fulfill our part in His master plan.
Ben Faulkner, Pastor
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