And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they did not know what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.-
– Exodus 16: 14, 15

      Joshua was sitting off by himself, staring at the wonder in his hands. Manna. He touched it, tasted it again in total amazement. Even though it had been his only source of food for years now, he still could not lose his sense of awe at being fed directly from Heaven by God. The miracle of his daily provision stirred him to praise and adoration and constant thanksgiving.
     Fed by Heaven; how wondrous! and yet most of the people were complaining. They had grown tired of eating the same thing day in and day out. Their talk was filled with memories of the diet they had left behind with their old lives in Egypt. Fish, leeks, onions – food aplenty! -and here, just this plain, simple manna.
     Joshua continued to stare at the white miracle he was holding, that to him was so sweet and satisfying. The people were being fed with miracle food and they wanted onions? He couldn’t understand.
     Then a cry went up from the camp as it began to rain quail. The people raced to gather up this new bounty that God had provided in response to their complaining. But in their haste to consume their lust for flesh to eat, they neglected to take the time to drain the blood as God required. And in their lust, many of them were struck dead with the flesh still between their teeth.
     Joshua had never left his spot in the distance. His supply of manna was sufficient. Content with his treasure from heaven, he raised his eyes and thanked the One who satisfied him with His blessed simplicity.

Copyright 2008 by H.D. Shively

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