The End of Something Is The Beginning of Something

Joshua 5:11-12
(11) The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. (12) The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

For forty years Israelites traveled from Egypt to Canaan. For forty years they depended on Manna the food that dropped from heaven every morning. For forty years God never failed in His provision of Manna, water, and whatever else they needed. In fact, while in the wilderness traveling for forty years, their shoes and clothes never wore out or got torn.

Deuteronomy 29:5-6
(5) Yet the LORD says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. (6) You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.”

Nehemiah 9:21
For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

When God takes care of you, it is amazing that even your clothes and shoes however cheap they are will sustain you longer. When God sustains you, even your small salary can go the whole month. When God sustains you, no medical bills will eat into your non-existent savings. When God sustains you, your car will consume fuel differently in a manner to take you further on less. When God sustains you, you talk longer on phone with less money. When God sustains you, you need eyes of faith to notice the miracles happening around you quietly but in real ways. Imagine the same clothes and shoes looking new, attractive, cute, and lovely for forty years! May God sustain me.

God provided heavily in the wilderness because they had no resources to produce food and resources for other purposes such as clothes and shoes. God knows when we can and when we can’t. God does not provide manna for lazy people who refuse to work and resort to begging in prayer and begging fellow human beings. When they could not work to facilitate their own comfort, God provided that comfort.

Our text today in the book of Joshua tells us that when the Israelites got to the Promised Land and were now able to produce their own food, Manna ceased dropping from heaven. Manna started when they had no way to produce their own food and manna stopped when they were able to produce their own food.

God will provide when we are unable and God will stop providing when we should be able to produce what we need. There are prayers that will never be answered because God has already answered by giving you all we need for production. If you have prayed and nothing is happening, look around and find out if there is something you can do about the situation.

The moment they had the fertile land and seeds and food from Canaan, God stopped the manner without any announcement. The will of God is that we work hard and provide for what we need. The will of God is that we do not depend on free manna whether it is from Him or anyone else. The free things we beg for are contrary to God’s will. If God could stop giving free food to Israelites who had good land, we too should cease the habit of going for free things.

We also learn that the end of manna was the beginning of a variety of healthy foods in Canaan. When God brings an end to something, He sees to it that it is the beginning of something else. If your free daily manna suddenly ends, do not despair, God will make that end to be the beginning of something else.

What is it that is ending today? money? Job? Relationship? May God make this end to be the beginning of something better. May God sustain us in this life. May God save us from begging and from going for free things. May God help us to be industrious and highly productive, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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