Immeasurable Provision
I’ve been reading through the Bible each year for about 12 years now utilizing a daily reading program provided in a publication entitled, “Our Daily Bread.”“Our Daily Bread” is an excellent daily devotional published by the Radio Bible Class (RBC) Ministries of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
I’m uncertain how long RBC has been in operation, but the “Our Daily Bread” devotional booklet has been around since 1956. I’ve been benefitting from its almost always timely counsel, encouragement and insight since 1986. I’m very appreciative for it, fond of it, and highly recommend it.
Though I’ve been reading and studying the Bible for a considerably longer time than the 12 years I’ve been reading through it in a daily/systematic manner; I never cease to be amazed when I read a passage I’ve read many times before, and learn things, I’d not “seen” during previous readings. For me, the Bible never gets “old,” boring or mundane. That’s one of the innumerable reasons why I believe the Bible is so amazing and powerful — something awesome, exciting, refreshing and revitalizing can always be found in its pages no matter how many times it’s read.
In the 11th chapter of the Old Testament book of Numbers, an account is given regarding a manner in which God provided food for the huge population of Israel, following their rescue and departure from Egypt and its tyrannical ruler.
As the Israelite nation traveled from Egypt toward the “Promised Land” of Canaan, God supernaturally provided them sustenance continually during their journey. At one point, He provided them a completely nutrition-sufficient food known as “Manna,” which they were able to eat daily without having to do any work for it other than to pick it up off the ground. They didn’t need to catch it or kill it, clean it, plant it or harvest it — all they had to do was collect, cook and eat it; and there was always enough for everyone.
Unfortunately, they tired of eating the free, almost ready-to-eat meals provided by the One who rescued them from a life of degradation and drudgery and began to complain about their daily menu like a hospital patient. They began to groan and grumble (probably like my kids do sometimes when what’s for dinner is not to their liking). They started asking Moses (their leader) to get them some meat to eat. Moses, not possessing any Harland Sanders or Ray Kroc characteristics, brought their complaint to God.
So check out what God did: He made a wind bring an immeasurable amount of quail (a small chicken-like bird having mottled brown plumage and a short tail) from the sea. These quail simply fell down beside the right and left outskirts of the Israelite camp. Now, check out how many quail fell: There were quail waiting to be picked up and eaten that stretched about a day’s journey from two sides of the campground of this huge group of people.
Follow: There were no cars or any other type of travel conveyances in those that we’re familiar with to-date. Horses were around then, but the Israelites didn’t have any — they moved strictly via foot-traffic. If they could’ve traveled 3 miles per hour as the average person can do today, that meant there was 36 miles of quail to be eaten on each side of their camp according to their 12-hour time measurement for a day!
In addition to the distance this open-air quail market stretched, it is recorded that they (the quails) were 2 cubits high — roughly 44 inches in depth above the ground! That’s a lot of quail/vittles! (see Numbers 11:31).
Furthermore, this Bible passage goes on to say that it took the Israelites all day, all night, and the next day to pick up the quail (Numbers 11:32)! It was like they needed 36 hours to do grocery shopping!
To me, the one and only immeasurable God of immeasurable abilities, was dispensing immeasurable provision for a people that were complaining about what He’d already provided for them. In light of that, this story didn’t have a happy ending. The people got what they wanted, but were punished big-time for their complaining qualities.
The good news for you and I is that God is a provider and there’s no limit to what He can provide — He can give immeasurable provisions. Let’s just be sure we learn not to complain about what we’re given and recognize that all we are (charactersitics, intellect, personality, etc.), all we have (abilities, possessions, talents, etc.) and all we can ever have or hope to receive from God, constitutes immeasurable provision.
BE GRATEFUL!
Copyright © Paul Schneidmill 2008 All Rights Reserved