The God Who Provides

God leads his freed people into a wilderness where they cannot provide for themselves, and there he teaches them to depend on him one day at a time and to know the provider behind the gift.

Opening

What did the sermon say God is doing in the wilderness rather than just leaving us there?

Ask this before you read, and again after.

Passages to cover

Point the group to the look-for list.

As we read, look for

How quickly the Israelites remember Egypt
What God says the daily bread is for
Where the water comes from when there is none

The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; and the children of Israel said to them, “We wish that we had died by Yahweh’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. It shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening, you shall know that Yahweh has brought you out from the land of Egypt. In the morning, you shall see Yahweh’s glory; because he hears your murmurings against Yahweh. Who are we, that you murmur against us?” Moses said, “Now Yahweh will give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you, because Yahweh hears your murmurings which you murmur against him. And who are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against Yahweh.”
Exodus 16:2–8

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. It shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”
Exodus 16:4–5

You shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He humbled you, allowed you to be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know, that he might teach you that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh’s mouth.
Deuteronomy 8:2–3

Also read Exodus 17:1–7; John 6:32–35

Give a few minutes of quiet before the first question.

Discussion

Whoever answers, ask them where they see it in the passages.

Why did the Israelites want to go back to Egypt only one month after being freed?

From the sermon One month of freedom, and Egypt already looked good.

What the sermon said
The sermon said it took only one month for Israel to romanticize the corruption and oppression they barely survived, because Egypt had convinced them they were nothing without its protection and provision. It named the same pull in us: we edit our memories because we want the certainty we associate with the past.

If the group gets sidetracked
The group may drift into politics or into comparing hardships. Bring it back to what Egypt had actually done to them and what they were missing in the wilderness.

If someone asks
Was their complaint really wrong, since they had no food? The sermon never said the hunger was not real. It said their need exposed what they had been trusting, and that their complaint was against the Lord, not against Moses.

If the group wants more
Numbers 11:4–6; Psalms 106:13–14

Watch this section · 17:44
Why did God give Israel only enough manna for one day at a time?

From the sermon Daily bread shows they were not keeping the world spinning.

What the sermon said
The sermon said God provided bread and then taught them how to gather it, day by day, with twice as much on the sixth day so they could rest. It said the point was that their provision did not depend on constant productivity and their security did not depend on controlling tomorrow.

If the group gets sidetracked
Groups often turn this into a budgeting or planning discussion. Bring it back to the instructions God gave about the manna and the Sabbath rhythm woven into them.

If someone asks
Does this mean saving and planning are wrong? The sermon did not address saving as such. It spoke about trying to control tomorrow and about the Sabbath rhythm. That question is worth bringing to the pastor.

If the group wants more
Proverbs 30:8–9; Matthew 6:25–34

Watch this section · 25:43
Why did God answer Israel's complaint with water from a rock instead of a rebuke?

From the sermon Grace came from the rock before anyone deserved it.

What the sermon said
The sermon said that while Israel's circumstances shifted from hunger to thirst, God remained faithful and gave water from a rock, and that God's grace flows from the hardest places. It said the question underneath their complaint, whether the Lord was with them, is the question that surfaces whenever circumstances get hard.

If the group gets sidetracked
Groups can get stuck on whether the people were testing God or God was testing them. Bring it back to the water from the rock and to the question Israel asked there.

If someone asks
Why does God answer complaining with provision? The sermon said God is not surprised by our neediness, that he sees and moves toward his people, and that the provision reveals his character.

If the group wants more
Numbers 20:7–11; John 4:10–14

Watch this section · 31:31

Closing

What would it look like this week for us to ask God for today's bread and leave tomorrow in his hands?

Prayer

For trust to receive what God gives today without reaching for tomorrow's supply.
For eyes to see one provision already given that has gone unnoticed.
For a hunger that only the provider himself can satisfy.

Keep going this week

Scan to open this week’s study and ask your own questions.