Scripture: Joshua 5:10–12
10 While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal, they kept the Passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. 11 On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain. 12 The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year. (NRSVUE)
Observation:
The children of Israel had crossed over into the Promised Land. They were following the instructions they had received and experiencing God’s provision. For forty years God had provided for them with manna every morning. There it was, a visual and physical reminder that God loved them and would care for them. But the ways in which God provides for His people don’t always stay the same.
The moment of transition had come. They celebrated the Passover and then began eating the produce of the land. The manna ceased because God had made new provision. He had promised them forty years earlier that they would be moving into a land flowing with milk and honey. Now they would eat the crops of the land of Canaan. These were crops they hadn’t planted, but God was still making provision.
Application:
Sometimes we get used to the ways in which God cares for us. When change comes, it can be difficult.
Can you imagine the morning the Israelites woke up and there was no manna on the ground? For an entire generation of people, they had never known a day without manna.
And for some of us who follow Jesus Christ, we get used to the ways things have always been. We would like for things to stay the same because we are comfortable that way. But what if God has something new for us?
Because the manna ceased, they ate produce, unleavened cakes, and roasted grain. These were foods that many had never tasted in their whole lives. Can you imagine what that did to their taste buds? An explosion of flavors in their mouths! A beautiful bouquet of tastes! The provision was different, but God was still providing.
Some days we wake up and everything seems different. We don’t like it. It’s as if the manna has ceased. We wonder what has happened to the familiar things upon which we have depended.
But God has not ceased making provision for His people. That provision just may look different from what we have known before.
The Israelites could have spent their time looking for manna, or they could receive the food God had placed before them. The same God who had fed them in the wilderness was now feeding them in the Promised Land.
It all boils down to trusting in the Lord. God loves us and cares for us, even when the ways in which He provides begin to change.
When the manna ceases, trust God for His provision.
Prayer:
Lord, trusting in You day by day is such a necessity. I’m such a planner, and I want to work things out, but I love the reminder to slow down and wait on You. Help me to recognize Your provision, even when it comes in ways I haven’t expected. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Amen.
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