Exodus 16:2-4

"I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day.”(Exodus 16:4)

 When I was growing up, I would often stand in front of an open refrigerator or pantry for long periods of time. I would complain to my mom saying, “I’m hungry and there’s nothing to eat.” Mom’s response was often: “You’re not hungry, you’re bored.” She was usually right. There was indeed food in the house, and if I was really hungry I could certainly reach for something to satisfy my hunger.  

One of the dangers of greed is that it tricks us into confusing wants and needs. Look back at Jesus’ time in the wilderness in the 4th chapter of Matthew. Go ahead. I’ll wait…Notice that the confusion of wants and needs is the Devil’s modus operandi. When we confuse wants and needs, enough is never enough, and all hell breaks loose.  

In the wilderness, God provided enough for the people of Israel each day. And yet, like an adolescent boy, they cried out, “We’re dying of hunger and there’s nothing to eat!” They weren’t dying of hunger. Something else was killing them and it needed to be buried in the wilderness.