“We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted.  But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” (Numbers 11:5-6 NLT)

In their time of testing, God's people remembered the good food they ate in Egypt but forgot the price they paid for it—slavery and ill-treatment.  Memory is often selective in remembering the good but forgetting the bad.

I once worked for Youth With a Mission in Kona, Hawaii.  In a time of financial testing, food services devised a low-cost meal we called the manna menu.  It consisted of lentil stew and pumpernickel bread.  We ate this meal for lunch and supper for about a month.  It tasted very well for the first few days, but eating any food repetitively deadens the palette.  Also, it had specific gastrointestinal side effects.  I don't think I need to explain these side effects further.

Some of our leaders felt that God had pulled our purse strings because we were showing a great deal of selfishness at the time of our meals. Some at the front of the line were taking too much food, and others were not getting enough at the end of the line. God had used finances to get our attention.

God has a purpose for everything he does.  Manna was plain, ordinary, and repetitive.   They were learning that "People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4 NLT).  God was teaching them to live on what they needed not wanted.

Is what you had or did prior to your salvation tempting you?  You are recalling the good and forgetting the bad—the drudgery of sin.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]