Bread from Heaven

Morning for desert. Di dew lift, and something small, white and flaky cover di ground, like frost. One small girl pick some and turn to her mama. Wetin be dis?

E don reach one month since Israel waka comot from Egypt. Dem don see di sea open for their front. Dem don sing and dance for di other side. But now dem dey di wilderness of Sin, one dry land between Elim and Mount Sinai, and di food wey dem carry dey finish. So di whole community begin complain against Moses and Aaron. If to say we for die for Egypt. At least for there we dey sit near pot of meat and chop all di bread wey we want. Una don bring us come here make hunger kill us.

God hear every word. And instead of to vex, e answer with promise. I go rain bread from heaven for una, e tell Moses. Every day di people go go out and gather enough for dat day. For di sixth day dem go gather double. Moses pass di message. Una complain no be really against us. Na against di Lord. And dis evening una go know say na di Lord bring una comot from Egypt. As dem dey talk, di people look toward di desert, and for there, inside di cloud, di glory of di Lord appear.

Dat evening, quail come. Plenty plenty of dem, dem land all over di camp, so many that everybody fit catch for supper. And for morning, dew lie round di camp. When e lift, see am there. Thin flakes, white like coriander seed, on top di face of di desert. Di people dey look am. For Hebrew, Wetin be dis? sound like man hu. And na wetin dem call am be dat. Manna. Moses explain. Dis na di bread wey di Lord don give una to chop. Gather as much as each person need. Some gather plenty. Some gather small. But when dem measure am, di one wey gather plenty no get extra, and di one wey gather small no lack. Everybody get exactly enough. E taste like wafer wey dem make with honey.

One more rule dey. No keep any of am till morning. As e be, some people keep am, just in case. And by morning wetin dem keep don full with worms and e dey smell. Moses vex with dem. Every day di manna dey fresh, and every day, when di sun hot, anything wey remain for ground go melt finish. You no fit store trust. You must gather am fresh every morning.

For di sixth day, di people gather double, and dis time wetin remain no spoil at all. Moses tell dem why. Tomorrow na day of rest, holy Sabbath to di Lord. Bake wetin una want bake today. Still, for di seventh day, some people go out with their baskets. Dem no find anything at all. How long una go refuse to keep my commands? God ask. So di people rest. And God tell Moses make e fill one jar with one day measure of manna and keep am, so that generations wey dem never born go see di bread wey feed their families for wilderness. For forty years, until dem reach di edge of di promised land, di manna no stop to come.

See something wey good make you notice. God never give di Ten Commandments yet. Israel never even reach Mount Sinai. But na for dis chapter di Sabbath rest first show as rule for di whole people. Di text talk say God give am to dem, and di manna teach am. Six days of gathering, double portion for di sixth day, and nothing at all for di seventh. Israel learn how to rest before dem learn di law.

Bread from Heaven. You go find am for Exodus chapter sixteen. Many centuries after, Jesus go teach im followers to pray, give us dis day our daily bread. No be dis year bread. Na today own. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How e go be if you trust God for just today?