31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. 35 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)
Exodus 16:31-36
Memorials.
Museums, special days, monuments. Wars won, significant individuals in the making of the people and key events that have shaped the identity of the people. You can see that at the national level. You can also see it on the personal level. Memorabilia; those photos of your childhood; the box in the garage with some of the things you remembered from that old home. Pieces of clothing, that piece of music that triggers that memory of that time with those people.
For the people of Israel, God’s amazing provision had to be remembered. The story was written for sure, but there was more than that. People would have a vivid picture of what was going on because of that jar of manna. Children would see it and ask, “Why is that there?” and the elders would share the story of the hunger of the people in the wilderness. How that hunger was met throughout their time through God’s provision.
Years later, the memory was fresh enough for people to remind Jesus that Moses had fed them with the bread from heaven. It went to show how clear the memory was, because Jesus had to remind them that it wasn’t Moses who provided. The memory remained, however, because the people saw it and the story could be passed on about it. It’s worth bearing in mind the part Jesus played in reminding people about who provided because He would turn out to be something far greater than manna.
Why do we need the memorial, though? Why do we need to know what it was called? We are prone to forget. What was a novelty at first can become just another run-ofthe-mill thing after a few years, let alone after generations. What was awe-inspiring at the time can easily become numbed in the passing of time. We can even slightly change the story over time so that what was the miraculous provision of God, can be attributed to the popular leader of the time.
When we remember the story and the story becomes alive for us afresh, so we can recount the key role God played in taking us through when we needed Him. When we recall the significance of the story for us today of the bread of life made available to us by faith, so we appreciate anew why Jesus means so much to us. That’s something that we do for us in our generation and it’s something we impress upon those who follow us. What helps with that process is not just the story in word, but points of contact.
Memorials.
Ask – Why did the Lord instruct Moses to keep some of the manna?
Seek – How do you pay special attention to the daily provision you’re given to make it through your wilderness experience?
Knock – In prayer, pay careful attention to what the Lord has given you physically and spiritually for today and give God thanks for your opportunity to share that story to those who follow you.
(Upper Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by charan sai from Pexels)
