Listen

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole Israelite community, ‘Come near to the Lord, because he’s heard your complaints.’” As Aaron spoke to the whole Israelite community, they turned to look toward the desert, and just then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

The Lord spoke to Moses, “I’ve heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat. And in the morning you will have your fill of bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

In the evening a flock of quail flew down and covered the camp. And in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the desert surface were thin flakes, as thin as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” They didn’t know what it was.

Moses said to them, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

Exodus 16:9-15

Think

I don’t know about you, but I’ve often wondered about manna and asked the same thing as the Israelites: What is it?

Doing a bit of research, I discovered that scholars have also asked the same question and have discovered a possible answer: out in the Sinai desert, where the Israelites wandered, insects feed on the tamarisk trees that grow there. These insects produce a sweet nectar, honeydew, that they deposit on the branches and ground where it dries into white flakes. This honeydew is still considered a delicacy in some countries. This might have been the manna described in Exodus.

Does this potential scientific explanation lessen the miraculous nature of manna? To me, no way! It’s still miraculous if the Israelites’ new food source was provided by God’s tiny, insignificant insects, creatures which could live in the inhospitable desert. Even in the desert, God provided.

Jane Claspy Nesmith

Question to Ponder:

What scientific facts make God’s world more miraculous to you?

Pray

Open my eyes, God, to the wonders and miracles around me in your beautiful world.

Help me to see, even through science, that you provide for us in many ways.

Amen.

Go

Here’s the story I’ll tell my friends when they come to worship, and punctuate it with Hallelujahs:

Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers; give glory, you sons of Jacob; adore him, you daughters of Israel.

God has never let you down.

from Psalm 22:22-24 (The Message)