Manna: The Israelites: Punished for Loathing
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Manna, the miraculous sustenance provided by God to the Israelites during their wilderness journey, holds significant theological and historical importance. It served as a daily reminder of God's provision and faithfulness. However, the narrative of manna also includes a sobering account of the Israelites' ingratitude and the subsequent divine punishment they faced for loathing this heavenly bread.

Biblical Account

The account of manna begins shortly after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. As they journeyed through the desert, they faced the harsh reality of scarcity. In response to their complaints, God provided manna, described as "a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground" (Exodus 16:14). This miraculous food appeared each morning, except on the Sabbath, and was to be gathered according to each person's need.

Despite the initial gratitude, the Israelites' attitude towards manna shifted over time. Numbers 11:4-6 records their growing discontent: "Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, 'Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!'"

Divine Response and Punishment

The Israelites' complaints were not merely about food preferences; they reflected a deeper spiritual issue—a lack of trust and appreciation for God's provision. Their longing for the foods of Egypt symbolized a desire to return to their former life of bondage, disregarding the freedom and future God had promised.

In response to their grumbling, God provided quail in abundance, but this came with a severe consequence. Numbers 11:18-20 recounts God's words to Moses: "Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow you will eat meat, because you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, "Who will feed us meat? For we were better off in Egypt!" Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will eat it not for one or two days, nor for five or ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have cried out before Him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'"

The narrative continues with a divine plague that struck the people as they consumed the quail, resulting in the death of many. Numbers 11:33 states, "While the meat was still between their teeth and before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a severe plague."

Theological Implications

The episode of manna and the Israelites' punishment for loathing it serves as a profound lesson on the importance of gratitude and trust in God's provision. It underscores the dangers of discontentment and the spiritual peril of longing for the past rather than embracing God's promises for the future. The manna narrative invites believers to reflect on their own attitudes towards God's daily provisions and to cultivate a heart of thankfulness, recognizing that God's ways, though sometimes mysterious, are always for the ultimate good of His people.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Numbers 21:6
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Justification by an Imputed Righteousness;
... Thus we see they were polluted born, they continued in their blood till the day
that the Lord looked upon them; polluted, I say, to the loathing of their ...
/.../justification by an imputed righteousness.htm

part ii
My Life in Christ. <. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm

Resources
What was manna? | GotQuestions.org

What is the hidden manna mentioned in Revelation 2:17? | GotQuestions.org

Why did the Israelites need manna if they had flocks/herds of animals that they could eat? | GotQuestions.org

Manna: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Manna

Manna: A Golden Pot of, Laid up in the Holiest for a Memorial

Manna: An Omer of, Gathered for Each Person

Manna: Blessedness Given to Saints

Manna: Called: Angel's Food

Manna: Called: Bread from Heaven

Manna: Called: Bread of Heaven

Manna: Called: Corn of Heaven

Manna: Called: God's Manna

Manna: Called: Spiritual Meat

Manna: Ceased when Israel Entered Canaan

Manna: Christ

Manna: Fell After the Evening Dew

Manna: Figurative

Manna: Gathered Every Morning

Manna: General Scriptures Concerning

Manna: Given for Forty Years

Manna: Given in Answer to Prayer

Manna: Given: As a Sign of Moses's Divine Mission

Manna: Given: As a Test of Obedience

Manna: Given: Through Moses

Manna: Given: To Exhibit God's Glory

Manna: Given: To Humble and Prove Israel

Manna: Given: To Teach That Man Does not Live by Bread Only

Manna: Given: when Israel Murmured for Bread

Manna: He That Gathered Much or Little had Sufficient and Nothing

Manna: Kept Longer than a Day (Except on the Sabbath) Became Corrupt

Manna: Like Coriander Seed

Manna: Like Hoar Frost

Manna: Like in Colour to Bdellium

Manna: Like in Taste to Oil

Manna: Like in Taste to Wafers Made With Honey

Manna: Melted Away by the Sun

Manna: Miraculously Given to Israel for Food in the Wilderness

Manna: None Fell on the Sabbath Day

Manna: Preserved in the Ark of the Testimony

Manna: Previously Unknown

Manna: The Israelites: At First Covetous of

Manna: The Israelites: Counted Inferior to Food of Egypt

Manna: The Israelites: Ground, Made Into Cakes and Baked in Pans

Manna: The Israelites: Loathed

Manna: The Israelites: Punished for Despising

Manna: The Israelites: Punished for Loathing

Manna: Two Portions of, Gathered the Sixth Day on Account of The

Manna: White

Related Terms

Coriander (2 Occurrences)

Fathers (572 Occurrences)

Bdellium (2 Occurrences)

Pot (46 Occurrences)

Ate (138 Occurrences)

Settled (112 Occurrences)

Cease (138 Occurrences)

Inhabited (64 Occurrences)

Frost (9 Occurrences)

Forefathers (135 Occurrences)

Extremity (46 Occurrences)

Mortar (16 Occurrences)

Capernaum (16 Occurrences)

Coriander-seed (2 Occurrences)

Died (348 Occurrences)

Habitable (19 Occurrences)

Fed (62 Occurrences)

Jar (45 Occurrences)

Border (233 Occurrences)

Borders (104 Occurrences)

Sabbath (126 Occurrences)

Ceased (80 Occurrences)

Wilderness (304 Occurrences)

Desert (322 Occurrences)

Dew (35 Occurrences)

Forty (142 Occurrences)

Produce (140 Occurrences)

Yield (78 Occurrences)

Waste (668 Occurrences)

Eaten (211 Occurrences)

Stopped (134 Occurrences)

Eat (690 Occurrences)

Corn (107 Occurrences)

Eating (151 Occurrences)

Reached (152 Occurrences)

Pride (277 Occurrences)

Causing (248 Occurrences)

Morrow (113 Occurrences)

Backslide

Vase (3 Occurrences)

Knewest (11 Occurrences)

Kibroth-hattaavah (5 Occurrences)

Kibrothhattaavah (5 Occurrences)

Urn (1 Occurrence)

Overcometh (12 Occurrences)

Omer-full (2 Occurrences)

Overcoming (14 Occurrences)

Overcomes (21 Occurrences)

Omerful (2 Occurrences)

Omer (5 Occurrences)

Overlaid (50 Occurrences)

Laws (184 Occurrences)

Lined (6 Occurrences)

Gilgal (39 Occurrences)

Gold-covered (1 Occurrence)

Wasted (106 Occurrences)

Worm (22 Occurrences)

Wist (13 Occurrences)

Wafers (6 Occurrences)

Withheldest (1 Occurrence)

Withheld (32 Occurrences)

Withhold (32 Occurrences)

Instruct (34 Occurrences)

Forever (426 Occurrences)

Fresh (41 Occurrences)

Feeds (14 Occurrences)

Food (2953 Occurrences)

Four (3139 Occurrences)

Tables (41 Occurrences)

Tabernacle (333 Occurrences)

Tasted (18 Occurrences)

Tamarisk (5 Occurrences)

Rained (11 Occurrences)

Raineth (5 Occurrences)

Resin (4 Occurrences)

Excepted (2 Occurrences)

Eats (57 Occurrences)

Eateth (81 Occurrences)

Manna: The Israelites: Punished for Despising
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