Day 36: Manna From Heaven

 Today's readings: Exodus 15-16, Leviticus 11, and Psalm 71.

I. Moses, "the sons of Israel", and even the women sing a victory song, praising God for saving them and defeating their Egyptian enemy (15:1-21). After this, we get one of the first problems that causes people to complain: undrinkable, bitter water in Marah. Through Moses, God resolved this problem miraculously, telling them to "diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God" (15:22-27). Then, troubles came up again with hunger, and people murmured against Moses. God told him that He would provide and test the people. He gave the Israelites manna or bread from heaven, which tasted "like wafers made with honey," but the people still struggled with learning to follow God (16:1-34).

As the Ignatius Bible notes:

The Lord provided a daily ration to feed the children of Israel until they reached Canaan (Josh 5:12). With the supply always abundant, no one went hungry and there was no need to hoard (16:18). Manna is known in Scriptura as the "bread of heaven" and the "bread of the angels" (Ps 78:24-25; cf Wis 16:20). Recalling this provision in the desert, Jesus declares himself to be the true manna that descends from heaven in the Eucharist (Jn 6:30-59). Paul gives this sacramental interpretation as well (1 Cor 10:1-6). (p. 146)

II. In Leviticus chapter 11, kosher food, essentially, was established. That is, creatures on the land, in the sea, and even insects, that are considered to be clean (kosher) or unclean (non-kosher). The carcass of any unclean creature that is touched by someone makes them ritually unclean until evening. The details are surprisingly elaborate, with things like pork, rabbit, crab, lobster, and shrimp being what I'd probably struggle the most with! Thank the Lord for the New Covenant (e.g., Acts 10:9-16). I'll still refrain from cuy though, with only half-hearted apologies to my Ecuadorean friends!

III. Psalm 71 is a plea to God for protection and help. From the wording of the psalm, I'm curious if this was written by King David as an old man? As the Ignatius Bible notes:

The speaker is a man with "gray hairs" (71:18) who is struggling with failing health (71:20) and the taunts of those who claim that God has abandoned him (71:11). He cleaves to the Lor with firm hope (71:5, 14), trusting that just as God was his help in youth, so he will come to his rescue in old age (71:17-18). When the time is right, God will "revive" him (71:20) and "comfort" him (71:21); then he will witness to the Lord's goodness (71:15-18) and sing praise to his name (71:22-24). (p. 889)

That's it for today!