FOOD IN THE

DESERT. val

XXXYV.

fooop IN THE PESERT.

\ God sweetened the
(/f)| bitter waters of Marah,
| He spoke kindly to the

 

you will obey me, and do
what is right, then I will be with
you, and keep, and bless, and
strengthen you; and I will not send
any of those diseases and plagues
upon you, which I sent upon the
Egyptians.” Then they were com-
forted, and went on to Elim, and
there they found twelve wells of
water, and many date-palm trees;
and they pitched their tents there.
They were very glad to see these
trees. The fruit is very pleasant
and refreshing to poor tired wan-
derers in the wilderness; the trees
on which it grows can live in these
hot places, and water is always
found near the date trees.

When the Israelites went away
from Elim, they came into another
wilderness, the Desert of Sin. Then
they began to be discontented; and
they murmured again, and said,
“We shall die of hunger, for there
is no food here. When we were in
Egypt, we had plenty; but now, we
have nothing; why did you bring
us here?” How unthankful these
people were! God had delivered
them from their cruel masters, and
brought them safely through the
sea; and He had given them sweet
water to drink, and promised always
to take care of them; and yet they
would not trust Him.

Moses went again to God, and
told Him all his sorrows, and all
that the people said. Then God

answered, “I have heard their mur-
murings; go, and tell them, I will
give them flesh to-night to eat; and
in the morning I will give them
bread.” Where could they find
flesh? Must they kill all their
flocks and herds? No; God sent
them some birds called quails, which
came in great numbers, and covered
the tents; and the Israelites caught,
and killed, and eat them in the eve-
ning. And was this all God gave
them? No; in the morning, when
the dew was gone, the Israelites saw
the ground covered with a little
round thing, white like frost. It
was new to all the people, and they
came out and looked, and wondered,
and asked, “ What is it?” Nobody
knew; but Moses said, “ This is the
bread God has given you to eat.”
How wonderful this was! God
sent this sweet bread to feed His
people in the wilderness, when there
was no corn for them to eat.
The Israelites called the new food
which God sent, Manna; it was
sweet and nice, like honey. Moses
said, “ You must gather the manna
fresh every morning. God prom-
ises to send it every day; but you
must not keep it till the next morn-
ing. Every one of you must gather
an omer full; but the day before
the Sabbath, you must gather two
omers full, and keep one of them
for the Sabbath; for God will send
no manna on the Sabbath day.”
| Some of the people would not be-
lieve Moses; they determined to
(try, and keep the manna till the
| morrow, and see if it would be