God’s Provision in the Wilderness

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Miguel Nunez
It is a privilege for me to be here for many different reasons. And the primary one is to have the ability or the opportunity to speak the Word of God to the people of God, for the glory of God. Last night, Pastor John began his, his message in the first book of the Bible, the first book of the penta took, he began with Abraham about about 500 years before the Exorcist, I will begin my message in the last book of the printer took. And I will start with Moses at the end of that of this event that we are all speaking about 40 years into the desert right before crossing the Jordan River. Moses is spoke to the people on behalf of God. And here are some of his words, and chapter eight, verses two and three. And you shall remember, all the way which the Lord your God has led you into the wilderness these 40 years, in order to humble you, putting you to the test, to know what is in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humble you, and lead you go hungry, and fed you with the manner in which you do not know. Nor do you fathers know another to make you understand that man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live and everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord. God knew that from the beginning. They didn’t. God has spoken to Abraham, as we heard last night, about it promised land for the people of God. They just didn’t know that the way from point A to point B was going through be through the wilderness with all the heat and dryness, and the challenges of those places. Now you need to know that in the Bible, the wilderness is frequently the place God chooses to do his best work on his people. The Israelites were taken there, as we heard last night, and even this morning, Moses is pinned 80 years in the wilderness. John the Baptist was raised there. Even Jesus was taken there by the Spirit of the Lord to be tempted by Satan. And it is possible that Paul went to the zero Arabian Desert. For three years, the best of the best, had been in the desert. In barren places, you learn to trust and obey God. They are God is the only recourse and resource. The wilderness, the wilderness may be painful, but it’s always always necessary. You don’t go through mainland lit meaningless experiences, when God is leading you. That just doesn’t happen. As his Spurgeon said, and one occasion, if there was a better way to take you from where you are, to the place God wants you to be divine love will have you there. And that the reality is that we get to know God better, in the middle of difficult times. The Egypt, or the world around us is just too crowded. It’s too noisy, and too full of temptations for us to see him. So we get to see God better in places like the one that these people are already walking through. And the theme of the title of my message is gospel vision for the wilderness, based on Exodus chapter 16. And I want you to go there with me so we could read it together, but I will read only from verse one to 12. Then they sit out from Ealing. And all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elam and Sinai on the 15th In date of the second moon, after their departure from the land of Egypt, but the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumble against Moses and Aaron, in the wilderness, the sons of Israel said to them, If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pot of meat, when we ate bread until we were full, really, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger. Then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, and the people should go out and and gather a day’s portion every day so that I may test them whether or not they will walk in my instruction. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gathered daily. So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, that 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 for He hears your grumblings against the lore. And what are we there you grumble against us? And Moses said, this will happen when the Lord gives you me to eat in the evening and read through to the fall in the morning. For the Lord. Here’s your grumblings, which you grumble against him. And what are we? You grumblings are not against us, but against the LORD, that Moses said to Aaron, say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, come forward before the Lord, for he has heard your grumblings. And he came about as Aaron he spoke to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appear in the cloud. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel, speak to them, say in a twilight, you will eat meat, and in the morning, you should be filled with Brad, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God. I want you to see in the text that I just read three things, the design of the wilderness, the design of the wilderness experience, the design of God’s provision, and the design of God’s revelation of Himself. You will see all three intertwine as I expose the message but let’s begin with the design of the wilderness experience. The people of God had arrived to the Wilderness of Sin only 30 days after they crossed the Red Sea. According to numbers 33 Three. This is only one of seven wildernesses mentioned as the rat alive journey from Egypt to Canaan, not one, but seven, seven different places where there was nothing. Soon after, they arrive to this first wilderness, they started to grumble. We have read about their grumblings in three other occasions before chapter 16. This time, there is a word that makes a difference. It says that the whole congregation join in the grumbling. As one author says murmuring is one of the most contagious diseases known to men. These became the pattern for the next 40 years. Unfortunately, he has continued to be the same, the same way until today, among the people of God. Now, I’m told, we are told that the word translated there at the beginning grumbling in the original means more something like an open rebellion. Listen, verse three, the sons of Israel said to them, If only we had die by the Lord’s hand in the hand in the land of the Egypt, when we sat by the parser of meat when we ate bread until we were full, for you have brought us out out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hyung During

the you notice that suddenly, Egypt was not a place to bundage and his lay drivers were rather a place to have plenty of meat and bread. And that is what happened when, when the spirit of grumbling overcomes you overpower, shoo, you glorify the past, you come them depressing, even when God has been good to you. Their minds were so clouded by their sin, that they said to Moses, your intention is to kill all of us. Their anger of these points, predispose them against the kindness of God. And it is no different with us. Brothers and sisters, there is an anatomy and physiology of sin. There is a structure of how sin is. And there is a function of how scenes that scenes follows. Remember that they were taken from Egypt, to the wilderness to serve the Lord. But now they are saying we would rather go back to Egypt and serve Pharaoh. We would rather do that. And in the 40 years that he’s been in the wilderness, you don’t find one single expression of gratitude to the Lord, not even one. Neither do you find one single occasion when they pray or cry out to the Lord. Now they prefer to complain to Moses, and about Moses. Two things to keep in mind about our grumbling. Complaining is nothing more than the external expression of an internal ungratefulness. It complaining hard usually is not a praying heart. Those two things don’t go together. And number three, a complaining spirit always, always indicates a problem in our relationship with God, I think Phil reichen says that in his commentary on Exodus, if God robbed them now, to show them what was in their hearts 30 days were sufficient to have their hearts in full display 30 days, one month, out of 40 years. So are you seeing the design of the wilderness experiencing in God’s hand? Complaining is the normal reaction of the self Center Heart. And he’s the way people live when they forget that you don’t get to the wilderness by accident. And we heard that in the previous message already. God none Moses led them their time and again, listen to verse six, then Moses on air and said to all the Israelites, in the evening, you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. The Lord knows Moses. Now God brings you to the place where he wants you to be and you heard that also in the previous message, because that is the place where you need to be. God takes you to the place where he wants you to be, for one reason, because that is the place where you need to be to be conformed to His image. Now, how does he do it? Well, in the heat of the wilderness, that heat melts the idols of our heart, and many others, many other experiences as well. They knew from the beginning that God has taken them there to the wilderness, but they kept accusing the wrong person, Moses era. And that is the way it is. We usually complain against the circumstances, or the people we think have afflicted us. And then we complain. Well, we should never forget that everything follows the purpose of his Well, every thing. Every molecule in the universe follows the purpose of his world and the world less experienced follow, follows his design, verse eight. And Moses said, this will happen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and bread too. And bread to the Fool in the morning for the lower, here’s your grumbling, would you grumble against him? And then what are we, you grumbling are not against us, but against the Lord. You see, our church has heard many, many times that every event in history, even if it is your personal history, has two readings or interpretations all the time, including this time, when I am here, one is at the horizontal level. And the other one is at the vertical level. So at the horizontal level, they complain against Moses, and they receive that at the vertical level the complaints of the grumblings were against the Lord. So we saw that the sign of the wilderness. Now I want you to see not only that design, but also the design of God’s provision. God provided them but not randomly. He had to design verse 10, while Aaron was speaking to the entire congregation of the Israelites, they looked out into the wilderness. And so the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud, can you imagine that all of us will, would walk out there and look to the horizon, and suddenly, there is the glory of the Lord showing up. God was about to provide them with manna, but not but but before receiving the provision, he decided he will show His glory in the clouds. And that in itself was a gift. It was an undeserved blessing. In fact, it was an incredible privilege. They didn’t deserve such a glorious appearance and the clouds. Most people haven’t seen anything like it. But God wants you and need to see His glory. Every time he intervenes, that that is the sign of His provision. No other people in the Old Testament experience the presence of God so close, and so powerfully as they did. None. And yet, they were never impressed by the power, nor the generosity of the goodness of their God. Never. However, the spider on gratefulness and their grumbling, God was faithful. And God was generous to them. Listen to verse 11, and 12. And the lower is spoke to Moses, saying, I have heard the grumbling of the sons of Israel, speak to them, say in a taut light, you should eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you should know that I am the Lord your God. In the evening, the coils came up and covered the camp. And in the morning, there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew evaporated, there was a there was on the surface of the desert, something thin, like flakes, small, like frozen frost, on the ground. Even in the middle of their rebellion, the Lord was mindful of them. That is the way of a loving father to his children. In the wilderness and through God’s provision, they not only so his faithfulness, his generosity, his love, but also they saw his sovereignty. They saw that he was his sovereign Lord, there in the middle of nowhere in a barren place. He provide a manner and coils he sweeten the bitter waters of Mara. In one previous occasion, he provided manner or bread from from the clouds. He moved the quails in their direction. And they are he provided water from Iraq.

Usually birds Don’t fly into a crowd. But they did this time. It sovereign God knows no limits, no limitation. And he showed that for 40 years. Still, they were not impressed. In the sign of His provision, we see a great contrast between his mercy and their grumblings, their own gratefulness and the providing Hand of God between the their impatience and God’s disposition, who is slow to anger and even more, one more, the unteachable spirit of that generation versus the pedagogical heart of God with his children, always willing to teach them always willing to to have them learn so more about him even after the worst behavior. Now next time you’re about to complain, never forget them when we speak down here that he’s heard in heaven. Verse seven, for He hears your grumbling against the Lord verse, verse eight, for the lower hears you grumblings, which you grumble against him. Verse nine, for he has heard you grumblings, verse 12. I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel’s brothers and sisters, our grumblings are not ignored by God, even if we are in the wilderness. He he understands that our grumbling ultimately it’s against the providence of God. As one of the commentators says, God always takes grumbling personally, for that reason, he’s the one who, who takes you into the wilderness, to take me into the wilderness, to humble you, to test you, to see what is in your heart and mine. And to teach me and you that man does not live by bread alone, but by every thing or every word that comes from the mouth of God. They fail, time and again. Now, when Christ came, he too, was brought to the wilderness by the Spirit. The Gospel of Mark tells us that the Spirit took him there. And I understand that in your original, the word can be taken as he was pushed there, he was driven there by the Spirit to be tented tempted by Satan. Now notice what happened with Christ, Christ, humble himself in the wilderness, he did not have to be humble. His heart was exposed to he showed he started submission to the Father. And thoroughly he proved, that man does not live by bread alone, for 40 years. And when he spoke to say then basically says it is written, it is written, it is written, thank God for our mediator, they fail he didn’t. Now when the manor came down, he didn’t provide it randomly. Rather, His provision came with with the design, which was the test the design was to test this with verse four again, then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I will run bread from heaven for you, and the people should go out and gather a day’s portion every day so that I may test them whether or not they will work in my instruction, that I may test then the provision of the manor, put their hearts to the test. That that was the design. Now is simple piece of bread show their lack of trust in the goodness of God that piece is simple piece of bread, or bread, does that remind you of anything? This is eaten all over again. They are is simple fruit. Prove the tendency of the creature to disbelieve the goodness of God every time that the Creator imposes any limitation on his will If that happened in Eden, it happened here. In that wilderness surrounded by 360 degree of sand, you either trust God or you die and are very, which is what happened to 1000s of them in the 40 years. If the Bible teaches anything about human nature, says one author it is that total trust and obedience are rare, even in the most godly people love and need before they fail. There was no one goalie or than then Well, they didn’t trust God totally did not obey him in the same way, either. Question is why? Why is it that God or rather that total trust in God is so difficult? God gave us the answer. In Psalm 20, verse, Psalm 50, verse 21, here he goes, You thought that I was just like you. That’s why you don’t trust me. That’s why you don’t believe me when I speak. That’s why you think my words are not trustworthy, because you know yourself, and you project yourself into me, but you are the creature and now we’ve fallen creature. I am the holy, glorious, majestic God, Creator of heaven on earth. It is amazing. That is always the goodness, the goodness of God that brings out the evil in us. It happened in the garden, it happened in the desert, the goodness of God brought out the evil in their hearts. Therefore, I say to myself all the time. Be careful when you walk in trying times. Be careful. This time, the Lord said today’s portion every day, oh man, no more. The instructions. The instructions were clear in verse four, they were even more clear and verse 19. Listen to the text, Moses, Moses said, no one has to leave any of it until morning. But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until the morning and then you know what happened next, the manna became full of warms. Now let’s keep exploring this design of the Gods provision. This drop down to verses 26 and 27, six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, they will not be any. It’s like you got that clear? So on the Sabbath, there is no manner on the ground. Don’t go out there. Verse 27. Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it. Were they surprised they found none? The Do you notice? First, don’t keep any manner for the next day they did. Then don’t go out on the seventh day looking for bread. And once again, people did. Now this is the last reaction. Okay? This is the the amazing, loving, incredible, good God of heaven. Then the Lord said to Moses, verse 28, how long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws and to think that they were very nice years and 11 months more of this? My goodness. At this point, the patient have an infinitely infinitely loving God is drawn in thin Can you imagine that? So next time we are in the wilderness. Let’s remember that even though he’s patient is infinite. He’s not willing to exercise it endlessly. It is infinite. But he’s not willing to exercise that patient endlessly. Our lorry is so slow to anger.

But even then our behavior can provoke him to Holy Wrath. I’d said at the beginning that God doesn’t take people to the wilderness, without a specific purpose in mind. So why does he do it? Well, he does it in the first place to the display His glory, they went out. And they saw the glory of God in the clouds, even before the manor is like the man is only a reflection of what you see in the clouds. He takes you there to purify your heart and mind to realign our purposes with his to strengthen our faith. And to remind us, that this planet, this wilderness we are living in, is not home, the best is yet to come. So hold on, wait. Now, I realized as I look at the clock that the time is running quick. So before I bring the message to a close, let me make one more observation Moses and the congregation of Israel did not behaving the same way. Now they did. The people complained to Moses, and abou Moses. Now most is a couple of occasions complain, but he went to God, he can take it. He went to God. And it every time, God provided a solution for his situation, the first time, Moses, seventh demand will help you, I will put my spirit and then you can to complain to me, thank you very much. I know what to do. So here’s the answer. No wonder that the sound is established the differences between Moses and the congregation in 1037. He may know his ways to Moses, but his deeds to the people of Israel. What? Yeah, Moses knew his ways. They knew his deeds. So the people came to know the miracles. Moses came to know the one behind the miracles that explain the miracle. And the reason for the miracles was the the will of a sovereign, holy, merciful jest and faithful God who runs the universe providentially, from beginning to end, from beginning to end. So we saw the design of the wilderness, or at least as a sign of the wilderness experience, we saw the design of the provision, where a God did it and why he did it the way he did it. I want you to see now the early the design of his revelation. Every time God does something, he has one thing in mind, and Pastor Piper alluded to it last night. Verse 12, listen, I have heard the grumbling. So the sons of Israel is speak to them saying, Twilight, you should eat meat, and in the morning, you should be filled with bread. Listen now. Because this is the purpose of the revelation of God through these miracles, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God. In other words, the purpose the purpose of the wilderness, the purpose of the parting of the sea, the purpose of the manna, the quails, the water from Iraq, the appearance of glory in the cloud, was so that you shall know that I am the Lord, your God, that is the purpose. That is the design of his revelation, the question is why? He is the answer. The unbeliever is no ignores God, a slore, creator Sustainer judge of heaven on earth. So they need to know that I am God. The believer, calls him Lord, but frequently denies his lordship, by the way, he or she lives. That is why Christ said on one occasion What do you call Me, Lord, Lord, I’ve done do what I say. So this, this is a key phrase here. And again, Pastor bypoll alluded to it the first night, they will know that I am the Lord, that phrase appears multiple, multiple times in the Alltech testament, excellent six, seven, they will know that I am the Lord, you got seven, five, they will know that I am the Lord, you got 14, four, they will know that I am the Lord your God, they will know 1418, they will know that I am the LORD 1612 They will know that I am the Lord your God. And then zekiel picks up the phrase 54 times he uses it. And sometimes it is referring to judgment brought upon all unbelievers. When they when these things will come upon them, then they will know that I am the Lord, not their God. But at other times, in the book of Ezekiel, God uses the phrase and announces that he has or says he has discipline, or will discipline Israel. And then they will know that I am the LORD brother, brothers and sisters, I don’t think you and I want to be test ties to learn that he is the Lord is the Lord your God, my God. And then the phrase appears again in the book of Joel twice. And he’s related to a an incredible blessings that he’s bringing to the people of Israel, He will shower those blessings at a future time when they finally obey. But I say bring this message to the very end. That phrase appears in a beautiful context. In this book of Exodus, in chapter six, from verse six to eight, let me read it to you say, therefore to the sons of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the labors of the Egyptians, and I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm with great judgments, then I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God, he doesn’t get any better than that you will be my people. And you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the neighbors of the Egyptians will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord. This is my revelation, you are my people, and I am your God. Israel never knew how special it was to be the people of God near Israel never knew how special it was to have that God to be your God. And the same God, Lord, say to you and to me today I am the one who saw their oppression in Egypt. And I see yours today. I came down to rescue the Israelites and I am the one who rescue you from your own sin. I protected them from the sun is you n in the wilderness but today, my son S O n is your protection. I fed them with bread in the wilderness. But you have been fed with the bread of life. I fought their battles, and I fought years to today. I forgive them and number of times, and you and I have lost track of times or lost track or track or how many times I have done it for you. I lost track of it. I was for them. And I am for you now and to the end of the age. I gave Ben Moses as mediator today gave you my son. They celebrated the Passover at the beginning of the of their journey. But I gave you Christ as your Passover. The Lamb of their Passover became the lamb of the cross who shed blood for you for your sins and mine. brothers and sister the Manor was not their best provision in the desert. The best provision they had was God himself.

They needed to learn that They needed to learn that man does not live by bread alone. but by every word that comes from the mouth of God, the man was only a symbol of the reality and the symbol, the realities are always bigger than the symbol the man was only a tiny minut symbol of the reality that was to come. That is why cries when he came in, and that wonderful chapter, chapter six of the Gospel of John, he says in verse 35, I am the bread of life, He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me, will never thirst. And then you drop down to verse two, verse 48, to 51, I am the bread of life, you father’s he is the connection now your father’s a the manna in the wilderness, and they die. This is the bread that comes down out of heaven, so that anyone may eat from it and not die. I am delivering bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone he eats from this bread, he will live for ever. Oh, oh, could you imagine? Moses, Jesus the Lamb, one year old, we get Christ. The clouds protected them from the sun is UN. The S O n the Son of God is our protection. Today. They drank water and do desert and he ran out and crises the leaving waters forever, who gives you eternal life and satisfy your thirst? Father, we we thank you for feeding us even when we were not hungry for you. Forgive us. When we eat the junk of the world that takes away our appetite. Lord Jesus we we we confess that you are our best provision and life. When we have you, you are enough. Forgive us when we when we forget that you shed your blood on Calvary for the sins that I still commit today. In the spirit of the living God thank you for reminding me that we don’t live by bread alone. The rather by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord, our God. It is in Christ Jesus that we pray and we preached to His glory and for our joy in him.