Tested for our Good

Exodus 15:22-16:5, 31

Finally free from the hands of the Egyptians, saved through the waters of the Red Sea, & singing praises to God, the people of Israel now find themselves in the desert with no water and no food. Have they been saved from the frying pan only to be lost in the fire? The story of the bitter water and the bread from heaven are God's real provision of real needs to his people and they are tests. The story of salvation for us (and the Israelites) begins with justification (the freeing of the people from Egypt), but it continues on in sanctification (the testing, shaping, and forming of the wilderness journey). The lesson for us is to respond to the tests and trials of our life by placing our trust in the true Bread of Heaven who came and passed the tests and offers us himself as the Bread of Life.