When the Israelites were in the desert and had NO food, they complained to God, and He miraculously kept them alive by sending a new supply of manna each morning. And He gave very specific instructions: 

The provision was From God. It was Daily. It was ENOUGH. 
The manna would melt away with the heat of the day, so that each night it looked like there was nothing for the next day.

"Some left part of it until morning." What could be wrong with leftover manna?!
By leaving some until morning, they were putting their security in the provision of God rather than in God Himself as their Provider.  

"And it bred worms and became foul."
 What is amazing is that manna had not existed on earth before God provided it for His people, and when they reached the produce of Canaan, the manna stopped.  So, not only was the manna provided, but the worms for the "leftover" manna were also provided!
​(And evidently, these were Sabbath-keeping worms, because they didn't eat Sabbath-stored manna!)

Jesus reminds His disciples in Matthew 6:19-20 not to "store up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy..." but to store up treasures in heaven. A few verses later, He commands us:
"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?'...for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
So DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  

And each day has enough manna for that day from the Provider that lovingly sends worms to the things we've hoarded, to keep us from trusting His provision instead of Himself. 

I can't imagine what was going through Joseph's mind when he was walking down the dusty road to Egypt, bound as a slave to be sold at the market. The only thing "objective" he had to hold on to was that somehow what was happening to him at that moment was connected to two dreams God had given him that he would be the Ruler over his brothers...the brothers that were exulting in their triumph over him and the profit they had made from his sale. 
I can't imagine what the brothers were thinking as they took their sheep back to report to their father, but I am certain they did not envision that one day they would be traveling the same dusty road to Egypt, begging the vice-Pharaoh for food!  After all...they didn't believe Joseph's dreams! 

Yet by the end of Genesis, the exact fulfillment of the dreams has happened in reality! 
​All twelve men have walked that road to Egypt and their families are there with them. 

Jacob, their father, dies in Egypt.  He knows that Egypt is not his home, not his "final resting place." Because of the promise God had made to Abraham and Isaac and his descendants, Jacob makes his sons promise to bury him in Canaan. (Genesis 50:5) After the burial, the twelve sons of Jacob once again walk down the dusty road to Egypt, where their families and possessions are waiting for them.
​Time passes, and they die...in Egypt. For eleven of them, it is their final resting place. But one of them knows he will return to the land of Canaan to "claim" his inheritance.

Joseph had seen the faith Jacob had in the promises of God and in hanging on to his inheritance. Jacob was residing in Egypt at the end of his life, but he had not assimilated into Egypt.
Joseph had seen the fulfillment of the God-given dreams, worked out through the lowest valleys of distress. God's faithfulness had been proved through the darkest nights of his own life in Egypt. 
The very last verse of Genesis ends with his solid faith in God's continued faithful care...no matter what low valleys or dark nights the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren would go through. 

In Exodus 13:19, almost 400 years after Joseph tells his brothers to take him back to Canaan, the footnote is given: "Moses took the bones of Joseph with him." 
The Joseph who had waited...lifeless...helpless...now was "walking" out of Egypt! (with a little bit of assistance from Moses!) But then Moses dies before getting into the land...and there is Joseph, still in his boney, helpless, dead condition.

One of Joseph's great-grand-descendants, Joshua, comes into the land and receives his portion.
​The final footnote is attached in Joshua 24:29-32: "Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem."  

What about the eleven brothers who hadn't believed Joseph's dreams? Evidently their bones stayed in Egypt. And their unbelief was also passed down for hundreds of years to their descendants so that when it came time to go into the land, ten leaders said to the rest of the family: "God can't do this."

In Exodus 4:12 Moses has been giving his excuses to God about why the idea of sending him back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from slavery is not going to work. His main objection centers around his INABILITY to speak...to say the right words in such a way that both Pharaoh and the Israelites would listen to him.
​God's response is repeated: "I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”

God has told him in Exodus 3:18 that "the people will listen," but that Pharaoh won't let them go "except under compulsion."  Having nothing to go on but his prior failed experience (plus 40 years of thinking of the failure!), Moses requests some sort of sign that the people will believe his words, and that Pharaoh will let the people go.  Even after the signs, Moses comes back to "I've never been eloquent."

As the story plays out, it becomes apparent that Moses' ability or inability at saying "the right thing"...or saying it in "the right way" had no bearing at all on persuading Pharaoh.  Why not? Because his words merely uncovered the hard stubborn rebellion that Pharaoh harbored against God. The "unresponsiveness" of Pharaoh was a fight he was in with God...not Moses. 
The message was very simple: "God says, 'Let My people go that they may worship Me."

Moses never "persuaded" Pharaoh by his words to release the Israelite slaves. When viewing the task from his imagination in the desert, he was consumed by his inability. But the thing that he saw as  essential for God's plan to work was a non-factor, because the goal was not to win Pharaoh to a reasoned understanding of God's plan, but was to showcase the glory of God in redeeming the Israelites out of their helpless slavery. 

How easy it is to think that there is "something more" than the simple Word of God that will persuade a proud and stubborn heart. To imagine that if only I had "the right words" a "more winsome personality" or "said it in just the right way" it would produce some amazing result in the heart of someone who has rejected God.

What is our response to be? Not to trust in a new method or change the message to be "more appealing" but to continue obediently speaking the simple words of God with clarity, knowing that God is working out His own purposes. Paul provided an example in II Cor. 5:20 when he said, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

​I like the feeling of Making Progress; of getting somewhere; of moving forward!   But there are those times when looking at the needs and circumstances that are on "today's plate"  stops me in my tracks, wishing there were a detour around the difficulties. Evidently, I am not alone.  

When the Israelites were coming out of Egypt after 400 years in slavery, they were definitely making progress!  God's Big Picture plan was advancing, their bags were packed, and they were Moving!  But then they came to a screeching halt at the Red Sea with mountains on either side and an Egyptian army advancing from behind.

At that moment, they just wanted to disappear out of the situation.  But what does Moses say?  
"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Ex. 14:13, 14  
​Don't panic and don't run!  Watch this--God is going to fight for you.  You are not stuck in your situation. 

The believers that heard about Jesus through Paul faced unbelievable odds of living godly in their sensually-soaked cultures with antagonistic worldviews battering them, and caustic remarks being made about them.  So what was Paul's encouragement them?  "Get out there and make a difference!"?  No--it was to STAND.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:11-13

After Epaphras had left the young believers at Colossae and joined Paul, he wrestled in prayer for his friends.  What was he asking for?  Great progress and advancements?  Actually, it was that they would "stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."  Colossians 4:12  Simply standing firm, not giving ground, was deepening and maturing the believers. 

If what you are facing is making you want to run and hide, be encouraged from Jude 24, 25:
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord,  be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

​The Israelites had made it to Mt. Sinai relatively quickly by the light of the Divine Cloud. Now, after almost ten months of daily routine, the directive came to Moses that they had stayed “long enough.”  Sinai was the memorial place to which God and the Israelites would refer in coming generations. These laws that had been given in the sheltered Wilderness were to be lived out in the new life in Canaan. And now…

They could not wistfully be remembering Egypt, nor wishing for the routine of Sinai to which they had learned to adjust. To turn was to get their mind and heart facing what God was doing ahead.

​The root meaning of this word is “to pull out tent-pegs,” i.e. to break camp.  This word is used over 100 times in the book of Numbers alone!  The reality of moving forward was that they had to “uproot” …to physically pack their things and move their tents to the next stage of the journey. In fact, Numbers 33 records a whopping FORTY-TWO times that they pulled out their tent pegs. That’s a lot of transition! The pilgrimage lifestyle of God’s people reminded them of their father Abraham who had been “a wandering Aramean.” (Deut. 26:5) It was as if to say: “Don’t get too comfortable where you are, because we are looking for a city whose builder and architect is God.” (Heb. 11:10)

​Then God reminds the Israelites exactly WHERE they are going—region by region is mentioned. This had been promised to Abraham, and they needed to be reminded that there was a permanent place ahead that was theirs by inheritance.

​Finally, God reminds the Israelites WHAT the job ahead entailed. They were to go in and possess the land. Their unique role in history demonstrated to everyone that God keeps His promises over generations. They were part of the Big Picture God was accomplishing in the world.  

When the Israelites were in the Wilderness and ran out of food to eat they were quick to question God's motives in leading them into such a difficult place. God not only created their need, He was also the supply for that need.  God's intentions were to show them His power and provision. 
Exodus 16:6-7 
    “At evening you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; and in the morning      you will see the glory of the Lord,”

The very way in which the provision was given was to teach God's people daily trust.  He didn't supply for the week or for the month or for years down the road! He supplied for TODAY. Just enough.  There was no gluttony allowance.  No greedy getting ahead of the family next door.
And as if to further the point that "today's supply is for today's need," the manna melted by mid-day.  When they went to bed at night there was nothing there for the next day that was visible. Only the kind character of the God who had delivered them from Egypt. Over time, they saw the consistent pattern as day followed day and week followed week...and each day there was enough on the ground to feed each person until they were full. 

​Exodus 16:16-21
“This is what the Lord has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’ ”
The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little...he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat.
 ...They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

​In my recent reading, Exodus 12:41-42 caught my attention:
The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord throughout their generations. (Ex 12:40–42)
 
The word “to watch” that is used here is שָׁמַר (šāmar) I, keep, guard, observe, give heed and is translated differently in several versions.  It has the idea of keeping vigil and staying alert in order to protect.  What was God watching on the night of Passover?
 
He was watching over his promise to Abraham:
Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” (Genesis 15:13-16)
 
He was watching over his promise to Moses:
Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land. (Ex 3:7–8)
After being disbelieved railed against by his fellow Israelites when their burdens had gotten worse and not better, Moses had grown discouraged. Was God still accomplishing what He had said He would do, or would it all end in another failed attempt to free his fellow Israelites? No, God knew His exact timing and strategy, even though His people suffered “just a little bit longer.” It would not be in vain.
 
He was watching over the execution of His righteous judgments on the gods of Egypt:
For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. 
(Ex 12:12). 
 
He was watching over the exaltation of His great Name:
and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” (Ex 10:2)
 
He was watching over the Redemption of His people:
‘The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Ex 12:12–13)  
 
God Commanded His People to Be Watching
Because God was WATCHING, keeping vigil, that night, He commanded that His people commemorate the Passover in order to keep vigil, in order to watch, as well.
What were His people supposed to be watching when they celebrated the Passover each year?
 
They were to be watchful of God’s faithfulness to His covenant, no matter how dark the circumstances of their place in history seemed. The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread were to be celebrated together.
You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance. (Ex 12:17)
 
They were to be watchful and rid themselves of any defiling thing in their lives.
For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. (Ex 12:19) 
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Co 5:6–8)
 
They were to be watchful to tell their children of God’s judgment and salvation.
And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ ” (Ex 12:26–27)
 
They were to be waiting to go when God came to get them.
In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. (Ex 12:10–11)
There was no Israelite who was sleeping the night that judgment fell on Egypt and that they were delivered. If they had waited to prepare, it would have been too late. The Passover was to remind them each year to “be ready!!”
 
 
Another Passover
Fast-forward through centuries of time and we come to another Passover Eve.  Again, God is WATCHING.  He is watching over His covenant promise not only to Abraham, but to every promise spoken through His prophets.  He is again executing judgment against sin and exalting His great Name.  He is redeeming His people from a bondage much greater than being slaves in Egypt. 
But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,(Is 53:10)
As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. (Is 53:11)
 
Jesus told His disciples to be watching.
Jesus Himself went into an agonizing vigil of prayer, even sweating drops of blood that the will of His Father might be accomplished. His disciples should have known without being told what the purpose of Passover was from the very beginning, but the ritual had lost its potency through lack of practice.  Their tiredness, distress, and probably the cups of wine they had just had in the Upper Room, combined to lay them on the ground and they were caught off guard at the moment they most needed to be alert.
Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?
“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:38–41)
 
Jesus tells us to be watching.
Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.
Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. (Lk 12:35–38)
 
 
Today, April 19, 2019, is the start of Passover.
May we remember what God did on the first Passover in Egypt.
May we rejoice at what God did on the Fulfilled Passover.
May we recognize the judgment and salvation He is bringing upon the whole world.
May we be ready…watching, keeping vigil…for Jesus’ return.