Rise Up Like the Israelites

Exodus 16:16
This is what the LORD has commanded:
Everyone is to gather as much as they need.

The Israelites had been liberated from the clutches of Pharoah. After centuries of slavery, the sweet taste of freedom was realized as the Red Sea swallowed their captors. A dramatic and beautiful thing had taken place in the lives of the Israelites. But as we have learned, it was much easier to take the Israelites out of Egypt than to remove Egypt out of the Israelites.

Freedom Isn’t Always Comfortable

Although the Israelites were enslaved, yoked to customs and practices that contradicted their belief. And, although they lived to serve the Egyptians, there was a familiarity and consistency that became almost comfortable. Although their life was difficult, they understood it. The hardship became normal to them and shaped who they had become. But God wanted to rescue them. He wanted to save them even when they didn’t know they needed saving.

God Provides—But We Must Participate

“If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death….” We read this and chuckle. Oh, the drama. The theatrical performance being played out had to have been Oscar worthy. And yet, we too are the same.

But God listened. He heard their cry. But more than that, He understood that these weak men and women were products of generations of bondage. Now, it was time for them to pursue the very freedom He provided.

…”And in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. Moses said to them, it is bread, the Lord has given you to eat. Everyone is to gather as much as they need.” The true bread of life in Jesus Christ was being foreshadowed through manna thousands of years before it became flesh.

Rise Up and Step Into God’s Provision and Blessing

Every morning there was an abundance. As the sun began to rise, they’d roll out of their tents to a desert covered with providence. The ground was filled with blessed provision. There was enough for everyone to have their fill. But there was one catch. One requirement of them. They had to get up and go get it. They had to rise-up and gather what the Lord so freely provided. They had to step into God’s provision and blessing. They simply had to do their part.

No matter where we are in our journey, the requirement remains the same. We must rise-up and pursue our spiritual sustenance. It has been freely given for us to take, but we must position ourselves to get it. And that often means, getting uncomfortable. Getting up. Bowing down. Turning off what is constantly on. Purging your mind and heart so you can hear His voice clearly. Take what is needed. Take your portion that he has freely given.