Sabbath: The Bread and Water of Life
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 9th of August 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Exodus 15:22-27; Exodus 16:1-36, Genesis 3:1-6, Exodus 17:1-7, 1 Corinthians 10:4, Exodus 18:1-27, 1 Corinthians 10:11.
Memory Text:
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.’ So the people rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 16:28-30, NKJV).
After leaving Egypt, Israel was on an unknown journey to the Promised Land. The people faced a demanding and long trek, and they needed to learn a multitude of new lessons. The Lord would lead and care for them; and, yes, He desired to help them grow, but they must learn discipline, self-control, sacrifice, unselfishness, trust in the Lord, and especially obedience.
Moses was a visible leader, and the people had to follow him and his leadership if they were to triumph. It was crucial for them to stay together, to cooperate as a community, and to assist each other. There were many hindrances and challenges ahead. So much of their spiritual growth would depend on how they met those challenges and how they responded to Moses, especially when the challenges became great.
The familiar Chinese saying that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” was true in their situation, and they needed to trust the Lord’s directions with every footstep. Tragically, as we will see, they didn’t learn those lessons so easily.
But then again, who does?
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 16.
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I had a little smile to myself when I read the topic for this week's lesson. When things get tough, blame the leaders and the government!
We have had a situation on the east coast of Australia. Several wealthy individuals have constructed their lavish holiday homes on the sand dunes overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In the last 12 months or so we have had a series of storms called by the underwhelming name, "east coast lows". They are small storms only a couple of hundred kilometres across, but they whip up 10-metre waves that do what waves do best. They eat away sandhills like they have been doing for thousands of years. And, some of those houses are losing their infinity pools and horizon patios. The owners get onto the news on TV and blast the government and local authorities for not taking action. (One government official made the comment, "They should read their Bible. It distictly says don't build on sand!" But that is another story)
So, the Hebrews are setting a precedent for us. When things go wrong, blame the leadership for the situation, and if the leader is a man of God, blame his God as well.
Here is something to think about: In the Seventh-day Adventist Church how often to we hear statements like, "The church should be doing this and that"? Are we all that different to the ancient Hebrews? If you have listened to some of the chatter surrounding the most recent General Conference Session, I am sure you would have heard similar grumbling sounds. I don't mean that the leadership is above criticism, but sometimes we are more interested in criticising than in construction.
The study for the week recommends reading 2 Corinthians 10:11. I thought it very interest since we are garnering lessons for our time and age from the Old Testiment that their is Biblical documentation of the nessesity of including the Old Testiment in the complete Bible. Yes Paul's writings refrenced the Old Testiment many tumes, most well known is the faith chapter, Chapter 11 of the Bible book of Hebrews. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah.
“Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded” (Exodus 15:24, NLT).
How did the chosen people of God become chronic complainers?
Just the other day (Exodus 15:1-21), they were singing and dancing (songs of Moses and Miriam) and now only three days into the desert (Exodus 15:22) they were bitterly complaining about what to drink. How did this chosen people of God develop a strong sense of entitlement? Why did they choose complaining as their default mode of communication? Are we any different? Are there any valuable lessons to be learned?
1. These people were under bondage for so long (more than 400 years). It is likely that complaining was their only way of voicing the sentiments and hence expressing gratitude was not part of their nature. We need to be patient with the new converts if they resort to their former ways. It takes time to be fully used with new way of life. “Slave mentality” does not die overnight! (Rom. 12:2).
2. These people were more used with “lacking stuff” under slavery conditions. Therefore, they were fixated on what they missed than what they had. When water was missing they turned to their natural default mode. Let us focus on positive things than negative things (Ps. 34:3).
3. Few days ago, God had given them great victories; splitting of the Red Sea, destroying Pharaoh’s army, and given them one of the greatest deliverances in human history. Let us remember, miracles alone never create lasting faith (Deut. 8:2).
“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4: 12-13, NLT).
Much of communication is lost in print.
So we read tone of voice into the account.
We might read a demanding tone into the complaining, but perhaps they were just afraid. Who wouldn't be under the same circumstances?
Our old sinful nature will sometimes whisper that life was easier before Christ, like Israel longing for Egypt in the wilderness (Numbers 11:4–6). True freedom can feel frightening because it means absolute dependence on God, which the flesh resists. But going back to Egypt back to sin leads only to death (Romans 6:23). That’s why Christian liberty is not a license to indulge the flesh, but a call to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). The lesson is clear: the world’s pleasures are temporary traps, but pressing forward with God even through the wilderness leads to life, joy, and true freedom.
We benefit from hindsight and can see the struggle associated with changing the living soul, to enable it to ‘hear God’. Israel’s experience - from the call for Abraham to go and sojourn in Egypt until leaving it to go through the 'wilderness' to reach the Promised Land -, all represents every true believer’s faith-journey.
We are encouraged to keep moving forward by faith one day at a time. The most difficult part is behind us, we have left Egypt and have come to live in the Land of Promise for the purpose to reflect the Goodness of our God.
The journey is no longer about us - to keep alive our ‘self’ -; now it is all about meeting and living in the LORD’S Glory as the living soul is being transformed one day at a time.
It starts to hear the voice of God and responds, allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work by changing the desires of the heart – its perception of self and life; which changes the thoughts coming to mind - influencing the aspirations to guide our actions; which ultimately places us into the arms of a loving heavenly Father whom we are now able to explicitly trust that He loves us. Now we know that He is our Sustenance.
Reflection on Today’s Lesson
After reading today’s lesson, I realized that the migrating Israelites were not so different from many people today who follow Jesus without deep reflection. Often, the desires of the flesh overpower the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Why? This is due to our tendency to manipulate situations and opt for the path of least resistance.
When challenges arise, instead of asking, “What lesson am I meant to learn?” or “What baggage must I release?”, we react by blaming—shouting at leaders, criticizing others, and deflecting responsibility. Many people avoid looking inward. We focus on external circumstances, and it’s always easier to shift blame than to confront our hearts.
When God sorts the wheat from the tares, it doesn't seem that the 2 categories will be reduced neatly to: wheat = soft-hearted and tares = hard-hearted. Could it be that this rescued, new nation of Israel is as hard-hearted as Pharaoh? As resistant to being led by God's Spirit of humility? As defensive to letting God grow the seeds of trust and obedience He was planting within them as Pharaoh had been? It's easy to say "We Christians know God and you non-Christians don't" but perhaps it isn't quite that black-and-white.
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” So I can ask myself, "Am I letting God lead and grow me without murmur and obstruction?" How can I be sure that I don’t have a hardened heart toward God and His work of transforming me into His character? Am I really hearing deeply what He has to say to me when I read His Word - do I melt when faced with the kindness of God (Rom. 2:4-5) - or am I just letting His Word bounce off my ears while I'm satisfied with the same worn-out thoughts over and over? Are there areas that God cares about - like the suffering of people - where I am becoming numb, unfeeling, unmoved, unresponsive (Mark 3:4-5)?
God offers us the miracle of a soft heart in Ezekiel 36:26-27. Yes! I want to receive this miracle, but I need help. Heb. 3:13 says we can help each other to receive this miracle, we can point out to each other if and when we start getting a bit crusty in any area of our hearts. We can counter the lies of sin with truth. We remind each other that God is all we need. God and His ways are fully satisfying for all areas of life. We can say, "Hold on, God worked for us in the past, He is working for us again now!"
And to go back to my original thought about the wheat and the tares....Jesus makes it clear that the sorting happens at the harvest (Matt. 13:30), at the end of time. So right now, we all are growing up together, all at different strengths in our faith walks, but I'm deducing that by the time Jesus returns to take us home, the wheat WILL all have soft hearts .... we will be mature Christ-followers by then....able to say whole-heartedly with Job, "though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15).
Esther, thank you for this reminder :
I believe that this mutual counseling and trusting is God's plan for His people. But it requires humility and vulnerability that few of us possess. Perhaps we can begin by finding one other believer who will be honest with us and hold each other accountable?
Inge, accountability is so lacking in society, but especially so in Christianity. It does indeed take humility to open oneself up to accountability, but it can be a valuable process that keeps us from getting too "high and mighty," or from going astray.
Contrary to popular belief, I am my brother's (or sister's) keeper. Much heartache could be prevented by a person having a caring accountability partner that is looking out for their best interests. We all have blind spots that we are unaware of.
Israel may have become spoiled as a special people who have witnessed many wonders. Could this phenomenon happen to "spiritual Israelites" today?