Let us now go on to see how God dealt with His people when they murmured and complained about the lack of food. As we consider this matter, we need to realize that we all have the tendency to understand the Bible in a natural way. According to our natural understanding, we may think that in Exodus 16 God was merely testing the children of Israel. We may believe that God purposely withheld food in order to test His people and to expose their lack of faith. Some may even refer to Hebrews 3:12 regarding an evil heart of unbelief. According to this point of view, the children of Israel did not have the faith to wait on God, to trust in Him, to rest in Him, and to praise Him. Because of an evil heart of unbelief, they complained. Therefore, God rebuked them. Then He sent the quails in the evening and the manna in the morning.
This understanding of Exodus 16 is very superficial. To understand the chapter in this way does not require the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Those who understand this portion in such a way read the Bible like an elementary school child who can read the words, but has nothing more than a natural and superficial grasp of what he reads.
If we have spiritual vision, we shall see that Exodus 16 reveals that God’s redeemed people still wanted to live a natural life. God’s intention, however, was for them to live a heavenly life. Desiring to live in the same way they did in Egypt, the people remembered how they sat by the flesh-pots enjoying the food of Egypt. But God’s desire was that they no longer eat Egyptian food. He wanted them to change their diet and to live a heavenly life. He wanted them to forget the Egyptian diet and to partake of heavenly food, a kind of food that no one had ever eaten before. God seemed to be saying to His people, “Until now, no one has eaten heavenly food. I want to make you a heavenly people, and I want you to have a heavenly life and live in a heavenly way. From now on, I shall feed you with a heavenly diet.”
In reading the Word I have learned not to place any trust in my natural understanding. As I was reading this chapter of Exodus, I was not satisfied with the natural understanding of this portion of the Word. I do not want to waste the saints’ time by speaking according to the natural concept. Therefore, I said to the Lord, “If You require me to speak from this chapter, You must give me Your light and Your vision. Show me what is in Your mind concerning this chapter.” As I prayed, looked to the Lord, and considered this chapter in His presence, the light began to shine. Under the shining of the light, I saw that the main point here is that although God’s people wanted to continue living the old Egyptian life, God’s intention was to cause them to live another kind of life. Because His aim was to change their diet, He did not send them food immediately after they came into the wilderness. In His wisdom, God purposely delayed in providing food for them. If He had changed their diet earlier, the people would not have been impressed adequately. He realized that if He waited until His people had a need and then sent the heavenly manna, they would be more deeply and lastingly impressed.
The children of Israel fed on manna in the wilderness for a period of forty years. The Bible tells us that only twice were they troubled with respect to manna. In Exodus 16 the people were disciplined by God. This discipline trained them not to desire the Egyptian diet. But, according to Numbers 11, a year later the people once again lusted for the food of Egypt. But after they had been disciplined by God more severely at Kibroth-hattaavah, they no longer had any problems with the heavenly diet provided by God. God certainly was a good Father to His people. Firstly the children of Israel were disciplined in the wilderness. Then, a year later, they were disciplined at Kibroth-hattaavah. If God had sent manna before the people had come to the wilderness, they would not have appreciated it, and they probably would not have learned anything. After the people arrived in the wilderness and realized that there was no food, they began to murmur and complain. On the evening of that day, God sent quails to satisfy their lust. Then, the next morning, the manna came. No doubt, this made a deep impression on the people.