eck!  I Don’t Eat Leftovers!
Part 1

Exodus 16;19-21

And Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.”  But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bread worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them.  And they gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

I would have been one happy Hebrew to hear Moses tell me “let no man leave any of it until morning.”  For the most part, food that has been thrown in a container, dehydrated to some degree, chilled, solidified, and absorbed with some distinct “refrigerator” taste over night never much appealed to my appetite.  I can only imagine food that was left out breeding fungus and bacteria in the scorching heat—can you say, “fuzzy, hairy, rainbow bread?” and I’m not talking brand-name.

So as I was saying, there are very few foods that I like “leftover.”  Our family pays close attention to the amount of food we make—there will not be leftovers.  Even the Hebrews knew how much manna to gather for each family member.  Whoever was in charge of the family’s meal of manna for the day gathered only the amount each member would eat—¹some little and some much.  In fact, they knew their family so well that the amount they gathered was just perfect—there was no lack, nor was there any excess amount.  NO LEFTOVERS! 

If you’ve read this far, then you’re probably saying, “Okay, so don’t leave any bread for the next day.  Gotchya.  Are you telling me I shouldn’t be eating leftovers?  What does that have to do with living godly?  Is the Lord just concerned for Israel’s health?  But then, would God have to give such a command?  Wouldn’t it be obvious... no one would be eating worm infested food!  And Dustin, secondly, if there was no excess manna, no leftovers, then how was there food leftover into the next day?”  Herein we see truths implied both about the gatherers and about the eaters: 

1.                 disobedient gatherers measured more than one helping (omer) per person

2.                 disobedient eaters ate less than their regular helping (omer). 

God is not calling me today to abstain from leftover food.  Instead, in the truths above there are great spiritual lessons.  Beyond this, one more question might be nagging, “Why did Israel do that?  Why did gatherers accumulate too much?  Why were the eaters not consuming their portion?”  These questions will be answered last.

Now the eaters represent any person who is listening to the Word of God and taking it in letting Christ penetrate their heart.  Just as Israel was commanded to “gather a day’s portion” of bread “every day,” I am in need of heavenly bread from the Lord each day that I may ²grow strong.  Now there are times when a person sees food, smells food, and hears food cooking, yet he himself doesn’t partake of that same food.  I can go to the Royal Fork (a buffet style restaurant) see, smell, even hear all the food cooking, and yet the only item I may eat while I am dining with a friend is the cinnamon roll—I’m out for a coffee break.  All that food and all that nutrition available, but it goes to waste with me.  Why?  I’m not there to eat a meal; I’m there just to take in a pleasurable snack.  And so I eat less than my regular helping (omer) of food. 

In a similar manner, when was the last time you walked into some church building as if you were walking into a buffet style restaurant mid meal?  Have you come under the sound of a sermon cooking and decisively ate only the pleasurable parts of that heavenly bread?  Did you come into the church only too enjoy a good coffee shop atmosphere where the conversation was kept on the light side and the smells were always pleasurable?  To this extent, its as if Moses would be asking you, “Why haven’t you taken in the full helping available to you?  Why haven’t you digested the word that was made clear in front of you?  Why have you left part of the bread uneaten?” 

There are people today, like Israel of old, who refuse to eat their regular helping of manna from God.  In other words, I can read my bible, and listen to sermon tapes, and watch spiritual men live out the gospel in front of me, and yet I choose to let some of those truths slip past me.  I read, but I don’t digest.  I listen, but I don’t assimilate.  I watch a brother, but I don’t make it a part of my life.  And whatever part of Christlikeness that I am unwilling to flesh out in my body and take on board in my life and apply, it’s that good news that becomes foul to me.  It’s that part of the gospel that breeds worms and rottenness before me.  When the attitude exists that I am simply taking in information but not applying all of it in my life, I will have this mentality:  sitting in the pew listening to the preacher stinks; going to a midweek bible study is a waste—it stinks; helping a brother shingle his roof is a rotten choice for my day off; buying a “thinking of you” card and spending time in writing a letter just reeks.  Soon enough, the whole Christian encounter, along with Christ himself as the bread of life, is a rotten, raunchy, stinking experience.  Why?  Because when I don’t engage in the truths that I hear, they become leftovers.  And everybody knows what happens with physical food leftovers—they become foul.  Would I expect anything less of spiritual leftovers?  They will rot, breed worms, and stink!  Always eat and digest your regular helping of the message you hear and see.  Don’t leave it for someone else and some other time.  Eat it now!  Don’t be like the eaters of Israel who ate less than their helping.

Tune in next week for Part 2 --the disobedient gatherers

Minister- Dustin Bolks

1.       Exodus 16:16-18
2.       2 Peter 3:18
 

RockWater
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