Exodus 16–18

The LORD uses a series of tests to see if the sons of Israel will trust and obey Him, from lack of food and water to attacks by the Amalekites. A consistent pattern emerges: the people grumble, and the LORD not only provides for their needs but also gives instruction so they can learn what it means to trust Him.

Interestingly, both the provision of manna and water from the Rock are symbols/pictures fulfilled in Jesus. In John 6, after feeding the five thousand, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. ³³For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” ³⁴Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” ³⁵Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. ³⁶But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. ³⁷All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

In John 4, Jesus says to the woman at the well in Samaria, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” ¹¹She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? ¹²You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” ¹³Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; ¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” 

The OT pointing to and fulfilled in the NT. Only in Jesus.

The LORD tests them. And the LORD tests us. Will we trust Him? Will we learn to trust Him more? Not focusing on our circumstances, but looking to the LORD in the midst of our circumstances. That’s what treading Torah Road is all about. Learning to trust the LORD more consistently in our circumstances. It’s a process that takes time and intentionality. And we’re going to blow it. That’s ok. We just fail better next time until we get it right.

Of course, that assumes we have a relationship with the LORD. That starts with faith. Recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior and believing that Jesus is the Savior whom God promised. He lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death. He was raised to life on the third day, proving that He had conquered both sin and death, so that by believing in Him, we can be saved—not because of anything that we have done, but because of what Jesus did. The Innocent who died for the guilty so that the guilty could be declared innocent.

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This post is based on a sermon from our Exodus series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.