Psalms Of Faith And Doubt In Ancient Times
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;
24 he rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Men ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
Centuries after this Psalm was first sung, Jesus would quote Moses talking about this same moment in the desert: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4). God’s goodness fills every part of our lives. Consider the blessings God has given to you today. Is it sociable to complain about bad weather? Consider what life would be like without heat, electricity, or shelter from the bitter cold and the raging storms. We get sick or get hurt, but what a blessing to live in a culture where we can receive medical help close by.
26 He let loose the east wind from the heavens
and led forth the south wind by his power.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
flying birds like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
God fed the people with the manna, the “bread of heaven,” for forty years. All throughout the journey from Egypt to Canaan, they were given each day their daily bread as God provided for all of their needs. But just after they left Mount Sinai (Numbers 33:16-17) they complained that the manna wasn’t enough. Their sin was wanting variety at a time when they should have been content with what God gave them. In fact, if their hearts had been different, if they had asked with thanks for something more (say, meat once a week) who can say but that God would have answered their prayer with a “yes”? But they complained, and so…
29 They ate till they had more than enough,
for he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from the food they craved,
even while it was still in their mouths,
31 God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel. (NIV)
In the book of Numbers, Moses tells us that “while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague” (Numbers 11:33). Later, Moses warned the people about this again: “Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 8:11-14)
Rather than focus on our troubles, we need to focus our attention on God, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we in turn can comfort people who need it. God has placed us into the world to be his servants, and to carry on with his work. What a gracious God we have, who forgives us for what we have failed to do and for what we have done wrong, and who then gives us the work he wants us to do. This is our life of service.
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn’s father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
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