I don’t think I knew before this morning that manna was kind of a “pilot project.” I knew that the freshly freed Israelites had a bit of a whining problem. No sooner, it seems, had they walked through the Red Seas . . . no sooner had they witnessed the destruction of Pharaoh’s army . . . no sooner had they danced the night away celebrating the Lord’s mighty victory on their behalf . . . then, just three days later, they started to grumble and complain because they were getting thirsty. And God provides them “sweet water” to drink (Ex.15:22-25). Then, only a few weeks after seeing God provide the water, the food supply they had taken from Egypt is running low . . . and the people’s stomachs are making noises . . . and the people start grumbling again. “Moses! Now we’re hungry, Moses! We wish we were back in Egypt ’cause at least there we had all we wanted to eat after our 14+ hours of daily tyrannical forced labor.” And God, in His grace, and because of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, puts in a standing order into the kitchens of glory, “Quail meat at night . . . bread from heaven in the morning . . . for everyone!” And while I was aware of this gracious provision, until this morning I don’t think I realized it was kind of a “tummy test.”

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain 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.”    (Exodus 16:4 ESV)

The manna rules were pretty simple. Every morning the people would wake to find the wilderness before them covered with frosted flakes (not THE Frosted Flakes . . . but frost-like flakes . . . check out Ex. 16:14 in the ESV, NIV, NASB, or NLT). They were to gather as much as they would need for the day and they were not to save any of it for tomorrow, because tomorrow the Lord had promised to provide again. On the sixth day of the week, when they got up Friday morning, they were to gather two days worthy of manna . . . because Saturday was “a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD” (16:22) . . . on that day the “kitchen would be closed” . . . and the people were to honor their faithful Provider.

And God said it was a test . . . a way that would demonstrate if His people would believe Him. trust Him, and walk in His instruction. A test tied to the most basic of needs . . . food. A test comprised of a couple of very simple instructions . . . take all you need every day . . . don’t hoard it because I will provide for the next day . . . and honor Me on the Sabbath. There were more laws to come . . . more statutes to obey . . . this was the pilot project . . . and some failed miserably.

Some didn’t listen . . . they would pack away a part of the days manna for tomorrow, just in case heaven didn’t deliver. The result? ” . . . and it bred worms and stank” (16:20). God’s provision for the day, would be sufficient for the day . . . even if that day was tomorrow . . . and He didn’t need the future planning of His people to help Him ensure He met His quota.

But the two-day supply of manna collected on Fridays wouldn’t rot over night (16:24) there would be no need to gather on the Sabbath. God would provide for His people to obey His call to keep the day holy as unto Him. But again, there were those who failed the test . . . who went looking for the bread on the seventh day . . . “but they found none” (16:27) . . . just as God had said.

And I’m thinking about how the provision of the most basic of needs became a pilot project to gauge faith and faithfulness. And I’m thinking how these things “were written down for our instruction” (1Cor. 10:11) . . . how God sets other kinds of “tummy tests” before us to reveal to us (not to Him, for He already knows) whether or not we truly believe His grace and provision are sufficient. That it might show us the degree to which we think we need our efforts to help God fulfill His promises. Whether we believe we need to come up with our own backup plans, or need to work just a little harder, to ensure God’s provision is really enough.

O’, that by God’s grace I would believe His Word . . . trust in His promises . . . and seek to faithfully walk in His ways. That, by God’s grace, I would pass the tummy test . . . for His glory. Amen?