The Manna in the Wilderness
The children of Israel left the Red Sea and began their journey through the wilderness, a pilgrimage which would last forty long years. Soon, the supplies of food they had brought from Egypt ran out, and they grew hungry. They began to murmur in discontent.
God heard their murmuring, and said to Moses, "I am going to rain down bread from heaven for you." And he told him to gather the Israelites and instruct them to go out every morning and gather just enough bread for one day, and no more. On the eve of each Sabbath, the day of rest, they should collect a double portion, which they could keep for the following day.
Early the next morning, ther was a fine layer of dew aroun dthe camp. When it lifted, a thin substance lay on the ground—flaky, white and delicate. It tasted of honey. The Israelites looked at it and asked, "What is it?"
"It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat," Moses answered.
So they went out and gathered their daily bread. Some of them collected more than they needed and kept it overnight, but the next day, it was foul and full of worms. This angered Moses, who reminded them not to hoard the bread, but to trust in the daily supply.
On the eve of the Sabbath, they gathered double portions, and on this day, the bread kept overnight was fresh and good to eat the next day. Some, foolishly, went out to gather on the Sabbath, but they found nothing. Again, Moses was angry, and reproved those who were disobedient.
They called this bread "manna," and for forty years in the wilderness, it was their daily food.
Calderhead, C. (2004). One Hundred Miracles. Singapore: Welcome Books. p. 24.
