“The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan. (They used a measure called an omer, which held two quarts.)” (CSB – Read the chapter)

It is amazing how fast things change. I was talking with a friend the other day about that. As he was buying a drink from a vending machine using only his smart watch, he observed that if you had told him six years ago he would be able to do something like that, he would have laughed at you. And he’s a pretty young guy. We develop incredible and new things and get rid of old ones at a breathtaking pace. The thought of something happening consistently for a long time is increasingly becoming an odd one to us. Yet the God we serve is patient in His faithfulness. As we wrap up Exodus 16 today, let’s talk about how we see that here, and why it matters so much for us today.

We live in a society in which change is assumed. Very few things are thought of or understood to be permanent. Companies gladly boast about their newness and youth. We want things to be fresh all the time. I did the funeral of a godly man in our church a few weeks ago. Before he passed, he had been married to his wife for more than 60 years. Not many people accomplish such a thing anymore. They don’t get close to it. Most go into marriage today assuming that it will end long before “death do us part,” and in spite of the fact that they will almost certainly include that phrase in their vows. We like the idea of permanence, but aren’t quite so enamored with the reality of it.

When God came and began providing manna for the people of Israel, it was intended to be a fairly short-term arrangement. He was going to do that until they reached the Promised Land. Of course, He didn’t tell them that in the moment, at least as far as we have recorded for us. Two years later, when the people reached the edge of the land of Canaan, He was still providing manna for them to eat each morning.

Have you ever gotten stuck in a rut of eating the same thing all the time? Personally, that’s not such a big deal to me. I eat about the same breakfast and lunch every single weekday, and have been for years. When it comes to dinner, though, I like a little more variety. After all, there are so many good things to eat. Why get stuck on just one of them when I don’t have to? The Israelites ate manna every day. For all their meals. For two years. That’s a lot of manna. It’s honestly no wonder they eventually complained about it and asked for other food. I doubt we would have lasted nearly as long as they did.

But then the people refused to enter the Promised Land. When the report of the spies came back negative and scary, they balked and started to head back to Egypt. It was a pretty ugly moment in their history. Here’s something we really don’t think about, though: When they refused to receive what God wanted to give them, and God promised punishment on that whole generation for their stubborn faithlessness, do you know what didn’t stop appearing each and every morning? Manna. For forty more years.

The people brazenly rejected what God wanted to give them, which amounted to a rejection of Him as their God. They paid for it, but instead of writing them off, sending them into the desert, and bidding them good luck on their own, God stuck with them. In spite of their monumental unfaithfulness, He kept faithfully providing for them each and every day. He was angry with their sinful rebellion, but He was patient in His faithfulness toward them. Manna became something they could count on as surely as the next sunrise (except for Saturday mornings). His patient faithfulness sustained them all the way through the just punishment He gave them.

We don’t have anything like manna today. And God’s provision of manna was for Israel, not us. But God’s character of patient faithfulness hasn’t changed. When we get tired of pursuing the path of Christ and run off into the weeds of sin in some form or fashion, while He will hold us accountable for our rebellion, this does not mean He is going to somehow completely cut us off. He will continue to make sure the sun rises every morning. He will continue to make sure the rain falls and the wind blows. He will provide us food to eat and places to sleep and clothes to wear. He will meet our needs. He always does. This may not be in the way we would prefer, but His faithfulness will not waver even a little bit.

We are on the cusp of a season in which we can celebrate God’s patient faithfulness in a special way. The apostle Paul told us that when we were still living in open rebellion against God, miserably content in our sinful ignorance, God sent Jesus to die for us. That sending took the form of His being born of a virgin and growing up as human as you or me. He could have cut us off or simply left us to our own devices, but He was faithful. And patient. And consistent. He still is. Because of that, you can rely on Him. Completely. He won’t ever let you down. When everything around you changes, and begins to give way, He will still be right there, inviting you to join Him on the path that leads to life. Look for ways you can make your reliance on Him even stronger this season than it has been before.