Exodus 16:1-18
“The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “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.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”
Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”
While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.
The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
That evening quail came and covered the camp, 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. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”
The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little.And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.”
It’s not surprising that this passage pretty much starts off with the Israelites grumbling. They had been gone from Egypt for about a month and were blaming Moses and Aaron for their lack of food, to the point of ‘remembering’ (perhaps incorrectly) that their pots were full of meat and they had plenty of bread. And that it might have been better to die in Egypt?? (v. 3) But God responded with abundant generosity and provision - manna for daily bread, sustenance in the morning and quail for meat in the evenings. Not more, not less. Just what was needed. The manna was actually in excess, as any unused portions ‘melted’ in the sun (or rotted if collected to excess of what was needed). So God heard their gumblings and blessed them abundantly. It was God, not Moses, who took care of them, showing them His generous and loving nature. Hopefully they dreamed of God’s generosity (or did they, until the next thing to grumble about?). And God in His generosity was also giving them a day to stop everything and worship Him - this was before the giving of the 4th commandment to remember and keep the sabbath day holy. They didn’t even have to worry about what they would eat on the sabbath as God abundantly provided for them.
Of course, we have not progressed much on the grumbling front since the time of Moses, which perhaps speaks to our nature. Is grumbling your (my) first response to stress or loss or deprivation or harsh circumstances? Blaming others? Blaming God?
How can we practice generosity when we receive generously?