Through the Bible – Day 26

₁Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the LORD:

₁₉The LORD covered the royal Egyptian cavalry and chariots with the sea, after the Israelites had walked safely through on dry ground. ₂₀Miriam the sister of Aaron was a prophet. So she took her tambourine and led the other women out to play their tambourines and to dance. ₂₁Then she sang to them:

₂₂After the Israelites left the Red Sea, Moses led them through the Shur Desert for three days, before finding water. ₂₃They did find water at Marah, but it was bitter, which is how that place got its name. ₂₄The people complained and said, “Moses, what are we going to drink?”

₂₅Moses asked the LORD for help, and the LORD told him to throw a piece of wood into the water. Moses did so, and the water became fit to drink.

At Marah the LORD tested his people and also gave them some laws and teachings. ₂₆Then he said, “I am the LORD your God, and I cure your diseases. If you obey me by doing right and by following my laws and teachings, I won't punish you with the diseases I sent on the Egyptians.”

₂₇Later the Israelites came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees. So they camped there.

₁On the fifteenth day of the second month after the Israelites had escaped from Egypt, they left Elim and started through the western edge of the Sinai Desert in the direction of Mount Sinai. ₂There in the desert they started complaining to Moses and Aaron, ₃“We wish the LORD had killed us in Egypt. When we lived there, we could at least sit down and eat all the bread and meat we wanted. But you have brought us out here into this desert, where we are going to starve.”

₄The LORD said to Moses, “I will send bread down from heaven like rain. Each day the people can go out and gather only enough for that day. That's how I will see if they obey me. ₅But on the sixth day of each week they must gather and cook twice as much.”

₆Moses and Aaron told the people, “This evening you will know that the LORD was the one who rescued you from Egypt. ₇And in the morning you will see his glorious power, because he has heard your complaints against him. Why should you grumble to us? Who are we?”

₈Then Moses continued, “You will know it is the LORD when he gives you meat each evening and more than enough bread each morning. He is really the one you are complaining about, not us—we are nobodies—but the LORD has heard your complaints.”

₉Moses turned to Aaron and said, “Bring the people together, because the LORD has heard their complaints.”

₁₀Aaron was speaking to them, when everyone looked out towards the desert and saw the bright glory of the LORD in a cloud. ₁₁The LORD said to Moses, ₁₂“I have heard my people complain. Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.”

₁₃That evening a lot of quails came and landed everywhere in the camp, and the next morning dew covered the ground. ₁₄After the dew had gone, the desert was covered with thin flakes that looked like frost. ₁₅The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, “What is it?”

Moses answered, “This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. ₁₆And he orders you to gather about two litres for each person in your family—that should be more than enough.”

₁₇They did as they were told. Some gathered more and some gathered less, ₁₈according to their needs, and none was left over.

₁₉Moses told them not to keep any overnight. ₂₀Some of them disobeyed, but the next morning what they kept was stinking and full of worms, and Moses was angry.

₂₁Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and in the heat of the day the rest melted. ₂₂However, on the sixth day of the week, everyone gathered enough to have four litres, instead of two. When the leaders reported this to Moses, ₂₃he told them that the LORD had said, “Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a sacred day of rest in honour of me. So gather all you want to bake or boil, and make sure you save enough for tomorrow.”

₂₄The people obeyed, and the next morning the food smelt fine and had no worms. ₂₅“You may eat the food,” Moses said. “Today is the Sabbath in honour of the LORD, and there won't be any of this food on the ground today. ₂₆You will find it there for the first six days of the week, but not on the Sabbath.”

₂₇A few of the Israelites did go out to look for some, but there was none. ₂₈Then the LORD said, “Moses, how long will you people keep disobeying my laws and teachings? ₂₉Remember that I was the one who gave you the Sabbath. That's why on the sixth day I provide enough bread for two days. Everyone is to stay at home and rest on the Sabbath.” ₃₀And so they rested on the Sabbath.

₃₁The Israelites called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and delicious as wafers made with honey. ₃₂Moses told the people that the LORD had said, “Store up two litres of this manna, because I want future generations to see the food I gave you during the time you were in the desert after I rescued you from Egypt.”

₃₃Then Moses told Aaron, “Put some manna in a jar and store it in the place of worship for future generations to see.”

₃₄Aaron followed the LORD's instructions and put the manna in front of the sacred chest for safekeeping. _35-36The Israelites ate manna for forty years, before they came to the border of Canaan that was a settled land.

₁The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tried to test him by asking for a sign from heaven. ₂He told them:

Then Jesus left.

₅The disciples had forgotten to bring any bread when they crossed the lake. ₆Jesus then warned them, “Watch out! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

₇The disciples talked this over and said to each other, “He must be saying this because we didn't bring along any bread.”

₈Jesus knew what they were thinking and said:

₁₂Finally, the disciples understood that Jesus wasn't talking about the yeast used to make bread, but about the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

₁₃When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, “What do people say about the Son of Man?”

₁₄The disciples answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist or perhaps Elijah or Jeremiah or some other prophet.”

₁₅Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

₁₆Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

₁₇Jesus told him:

₂₀Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.