Week of 1.2.2022 | Day Two
The Israelites had personally experienced God’s faithfulness as He directed them out of Egypt, fought for them as He parted the Red Sea, and then delivered them into the wilderness with the promise of a land of their own.
The Israelites tasted freedom for the first time in 400 years, but their stomachs still rumbled. Maybe the Israelites had expected to go straight to Canaan. Instead, they were in a dry wilderness without water or food. They began to think of Egypt in a warmer light. Maybe slavery hadn’t been that bad.
Isn’t that the lie that causes us to doubt God’s goodness? God saves us from slavery to sin; is following Jesus worth it? We know the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” But when life is hard and sanctification is trying, we— like the Israelites—sometimes stop trusting God. We grumble and complain.
God, the faithful keeper of promises, did not bring His people out of Egypt to let them die in the wilderness, nor does He abandon His children today. God sent His own Son, who gave up His life to free us from sin. He promises us a new home with Him forever.
Weekly Challenge
Challenge your kids to keep a list of ways they see God provide this week and worship Him for it.
Big Picture Question
What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.
Read
Exodus 16
Discuss
Why did the extra manna the people collected spoil on the first five days of the week?
Help the kids think about who the people should put their trust in. If they could collect and preserve as much manna as they wanted, whenever they wanted, the people would have been tempted to trust in their own abilities to collect and store manna, instead of trusting in God’s provision for them.
What did the Israelites do a lot of?
Grumbling about their situation.
*If you have younger kids, consider asking them to count how many times this chapter mentions the word grumbling to help them see the significance and clear depiction of the attitude of Israel. (8 times)
Why was it wrong for the people to complain?
Point out that the people’s complaints were accusations that God led them out of Egypt to kill them. They were ignoring God’s goodness and refusing to worship and honor Him. They weren’t just explaining how they felt, they were saying God was untrustworthy or cruel.
Is it sin for us to complain?
Guide the kids to think about the difference between respectfully telling God about the things that make you feel frustrated, and angrily accusing God of doing something wrong. Explain that it’s not wrong to express your feelings if you do it in ways that honor God and His commands. Complaining does not honor God or show that we trust Him.
Pray
Father, thank You for providing for our greatest need by sending Jesus to die in our place. We know that we cannot earn Your love. You give Your love freely to everyone who has faith in Jesus. Help us to live for You and worship You every day, in everything we do. Amen.