19. GOD CARES FOR HlS PEOPLE IN THE WILDERNESS
"He guided them in the wilderness like a flock"
Aim
To show how God cared for His people in the wilderness.
On the other side of the Red Sea the Israelites were still led by the cloud and journeyed into the Wilderness of Shur. In front of them now were miles and miles of long, rolling sandhills. For three days they crossed this desolate country finding no water anywhere, until at last they came to Marah.
Exodus 15:22-27; 16; 17
THE WATERS AT MARAH: Exodus 15:23-26 AND ELIM: Exodus 15:27
After a long, hot journey the great crowd of Israelites came to Marah. Here at last was water € but to their great disappointment the only water they found was bitter € not fit to use. The people complained to Moses: "What shall we drink?" - as if Moses could find suitable water for them! But as with all his problems, Moses prayed to God for help.
God told him to throw a certain tree into the water and the bitter waters would be made sweet (v. 25). God had not forsaken them. He would always provide for their needs, but they had many lessons to learn and He was testing them. If they listened carefully to His words, which Moses always passed onto them, and obeyed His commandments, He would not bring any of the diseases upon them, which came upon the Egyptians. As He had healed the bitter waters at Marah, so He would care for them as long as they trusted in Him.
From Marah they journeyed to Elim. Here was plenty of water and shade - twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees - and "they encamped by the waters" (v. 27).
GOD GIVES HIS PEOPLE FOOD IN THE WILDERNESS
Exodus 16:1-36
Once again the mighty gathering of Hebrew people moved on and camped by the Red Sea (Num. 33:10). This was many kilometres south of the place where they had crossed and no doubt they remembered that across the water lay Egypt and they could not go back. It was four weeks since the exodus (coming out) from Egypt. God had provided for all their needs, but the way had not been easy and they murmured and complained. They turned on Moses and Aaron saying, "Ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (v. 3). They were hungry and could only think of Egypt as the place where "we did eat bread to the full" (v. 3). They forgot the slavery and the cruelty of their Egyptian masters; they forgot why God had brought them out and the Promised Land ahead.
God heard their complaining and told Moses: "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you" (v. 4). Once again God would use His great power and put an end to their murmuring by a wonderful miracle.
They would have flesh to eat that night (v. 12) and in the morning they would have bread. "And it came to pass that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay round about the host" (v. 13). After the dew had been drawn up from the ground they found "manna". This was a small round flake, "and it was like coriander seed, white, the taste of it was like wafers made with honey" (v. 31). When they saw it, they said "manna?" which means, "What is this?" (v. 15). And that is what they named it. Here was the bread God had promised them. The Israelites were given special instructions as to how to gather this food: it had to be gathered only as God commanded.
They were told to gather it every day "every man according to his eating" (v. 18). If they gathered more than enough for one day it went bad overnight and "it bred worms and stank" (v. 20).
But on the sixth day they were to gather enough for two days, so that they might rest on the seventh day, which was the sabbath. It would keep for those two days.
This manna was given to Israel every day for the whole of the forty years that they were in the wilderness (v. 35). God never forgot to provide them with food.
GOD GIVES WATER FROM THE ROCK: Exodus 17:1-7
Again the children of Israel moved camp and came to Rephidim and "there was no water for the people to drink" (v. 1). Afraid they might die, they once more complained to Moses. What a difficult task this was for Moses, with all his training, to lead this great multitude of people. "Moses cried unto Yahweh, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me" (v. 4). God told Moses to take his rod and go with the leaders of Israel to a rock in Horeb, and smite the rock with his rod. As he struck the rod, water flowed out of the rock like a river! Here was plenty of water for a thirsty multitude. God had performed yet another miracle before their eyes. With such a powerful God to care for them, what did they need to worry about such daily provisions.
THE AMALEKITES ATTACK THE ISRAELITES IN REPHIDIM: Exodus 17:8-16
A new kind of danger now threatened Israel as they journeyed. Bands of Amalekites suddenly attacked them from behind, "even all that were feeble behind thee when thou wast faint and weary" (Deut.25:18). This was a cowardly thing to do. It seemed that the unprepared Israelites would be defeated.
Moses appointed a faithful young man named Joshua as commander and told him, "choose us out men and go out, fight with Amalek" (v. 9). The battle raged fiercely in the valley while Moses, Aaron and Hur watched from the hill above. "And it came to pass when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed and when he let down his hands Amalek prevailed" (v. 11). So it was that whenever Moses held high his hands in prayer the Israelites were successful. When Moses' hands grew tired and heavy, Aaron and Hur held them up while Moses sat upon a stone to rest.
There he stayed till the end of the day, when Israel at last won the battle against the powerful army of Amalek (vv. 11-14). Thus God showed His mighty power and His care for those who trust in Him. "Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance" (Psalm 33:12-16).
The battle over, the people returned to camp and there Moses built an altar. It was to remind Israel of this battle. God told Moses to write the whole story down in a book, because God was determined that Israel would remember that the Amalekites were enemies for ever. The prayers of Moses were very powerful on that day, and God will always answer the prayers of faithful men and women in time of trouble.
LESSON FOR US
God blesses those who put their trust in Him. This does not mean that God will give us all we want, but we learn from this lesson that He will give us all we need. He gave Israel food, water and protection for forty years. What more could they ask, when ahead of them was the Promised Land as well! Even their clothes and shoes did not wear out and their feet did not swell, thought they walked many, many miles. Moses later reminded them of all these things just before he died.
Most people in this world today die because they do not have enough food, clothing or shelter. God has always provided for our needs and has given us the promise of eternal life in His Kingdom as well. Let us never complain, but be thankful always and trust in God to provide.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
God did not make things easy for the children of Israel in the wilderness. This would be like spoiling them. He wanted them to prove themselves worthy of all that He had in store for them, so that they would appreciate all His goodness and love. Moses reminded them of all these things just before he died. "God led thee all these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments or not" (Deut. 8:2). God let them get hungry, so that they would really be grateful for the manna; He let them get thirsty so that they would really be grateful for the miracle of the healed waters and the water out of the rock; He let the Amalekites attack, so that they would learn that God gives the victory when we pray for help.
In all of this, the lesson was "that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Yahweh" (Deut. 8:3). The Lord Jesus Christ, when he was tempted in the wilderness for forty days, quoted these words to the one who tempted him when he was hungry. He had spent all his life learning this lesson. His mind was filled with the Word of God and that is how he overcame sin. In the same way, we must read the Word of God every day and think upon its lessons. It will make us "wise unto salvation" (2 Tim. 3:15). We will know how to choose good and refuse the evil. So our characters will grow to be like the character of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is called "the bread of life", because "he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). It is only through him, that we shall have eternal life.
QUESTIONS
Short Answers
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What was wrong with the water at Marah?
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What was Moses told he must do to make the water fit to drink?
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What food did God provide for the multitude when they grumbled near the Red Sea?
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What does the word "manna" mean?
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How were the people given water at Rephidim ?
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What evil nation attacked the Israelites at Rephidim ?
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What did Moses do while the battle raged at Rephidim?
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Who was the faithful young man appointed by Moses to lead Israel against the Amalekites?
Detailed Answers
1. Tell how God provided manna and the special instructions He gave for gathering it.
2. How did God provide food and water for the great company of Israelites in the wilderness and what do we learn from this lesson?
3. Describe how the nation of Israel gained a victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim and what we learn from this lesson.
Additional Answers
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Why did God allow His people to become very hungry and thirsty before He gave them food and water?
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Who is the true bread of life?
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Jesus, like Israel, suffered great hunger in the wilderness. How was Jesus' attitude different from that of the people of Israel?