Jhn 6:27 – “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
Jhn 6:51 – “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
The Jews wondered around in the Wilderness of Sin for 40 years because of their complaining, sin, and testing of God. Somewhere near the beginning of this trip God had to provide food for them so they could survive the desert and get to the Promised land. He sent bread from Heaven – manna. Similarly the world at the time of Jesus’s birth was a barren desert (spiritually), man had no real path to salvation and an even slimmer chance at knowing God personally. But God provided what mankind really needed – not bread for the stomach but the bread of eternal life.
It’s important so recognize that Jesus came from God directly and the salvation He offers doesn’t come because of our goodness or worthiness. Jesus in John 6 corrected the peoples opinion in reminding them that the manna in Exodus came from God not from Moses, just as He himself the bread of life came from God. Jesus’s name means God is salvation and His title “Emmanuel” from the Old Testament means God is with us.
Jesus was sent from Heaven to satisfy the true appetite of the soul, the need for a savior. Despite this act of God, the world is still trying to satisfy their unsatisfied appetite with idols, false gods and distractions from the true God. Sadly the world has been eating the wrong bread, temporary bread that avails to nothing in the end (Pro 16:25). When you accept Christ as Lord and Savior you tear down those idols and acknowledge God for who He is. You begin to eat the True bread and not the counterfeit.
Jhn 6:35 – And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
Which bread are you eating to sustain your life?
Daniel Grove's Blog 
Grove, one detail…
The reason that they were made to wander for 40 years was so that they would all die in the wilderness and never make it to the promised land:
Num 14:21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
Num 14:22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
Num 14:23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
Num 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Psa 95:10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
Psa 95:11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Yashua and Caleb were the only ones of that generation to enter, though their children entered.
Those scriptures don’t say anything about God trying to kill them off or have them die of natural causes due to 40 years in the desert. They only say that God pledged to not let them see it because they “tempted God” and didn’t listen to His voice.
Hbr 3:9 NKJV – Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years.
Hbr 3:10 NKJV – Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’
Hbr 3:11 NKJV – So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.'”
The desert wasn’t a place for genocide, it was a place of testing, the Jews failed.
Exd 19:5 NKJV – ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
Didn’t God kill those who were over 20 out in the desert when the whole group had finally reached the Promised land? Or did the wander and die naturally after the 40 years were up and they were not permitted entrance?
>>>The desert wasn’t a place for genocide, it was a place of testing, the Jews failed.
Actually, they were doomed before the 40 years began, and the 40 years was to kill them off:
Num 14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
Heb 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
What is interesting is that “To the Hebrews” points out that there was no possibility for these doomed Hebrews to repent, because God had made an oath that there was “no way in Hell” that they were going to live and enter his rest. He argues that if you resist God *today* then God may in the same way permanently reject you, not just for the moment, but in anger, vow not to give you a second shot!:
Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Heb 3:15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
Heb 3:16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
Heb 3:17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
Heb 3:18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
Heb 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
This was not very Calvinistic of him, I dare say!
Only Numbers 14:33 seems to really prove your point but was that spoken after the 40 years of wandering or before it? Because it seems at that time they are checking out the Promised Land.
Grove, I am not merely offering a prooftext. This is the explicit and consistent accounting given in detail:
Num 14:25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Num 14:26 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Num 14:27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
Num 14:28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
Num 14:29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Num 14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Num 14:31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
Num 14:32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
Num 14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
Num 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
Num 14:35 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
How much clearer could it possibly be?!
And by the way, do you find this objectionable in some way?
I find it objectional because it doesn’t line up with what I have read or understand, now if I read or was taught wrong – than that’s a different problem. I’m currently making a chronological outline of the Exodus story using Expdus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Joshua so that I can get my facts straight.
If the sole purpose of the desert was to kill off the sinful Jews why did God provide bread, water, meat, cloud by day and fire by night for them? Seems like a strange way to kill people – by providing for them. But perhaps we are talking about two different spans of time, could you clarify? Also – just because they would die in the desert at the end or during the 40 years does not mean that that was God’s driving purpose to take them out of Egypt and in to the desert. It’s like saying that because my brakes went out and I totaled my car that I took it out for a drive that day so that I could wreck it and get it over with.
From studying Exodus and Numbers I’ve found that God said in different places that He lead the Israelites to the desert so He could bring them to the Promised Land, however, after the sin at Sinai He said He would give it to their descendants and thus only the desert born generation could enter, not the generation which came from Egypt.
>>>”…Also – just because they would die in the desert at the end or during the 40 years does not mean that that was God’s driving purpose to take them out of Egypt and in to the desert. It’s like saying that because my brakes went out and I totaled my car that I took it out for a drive that day so that I could wreck it and get it over with…”
First of all, Grove, let me say that the words “driving purpose” are awesome; They really have punch and get to the point. They are the words of a person with an appreciation for poetry, art and magic…. which is probably just a redundant saying… but anyway…
I think we were more focused on the *preservation* theme than the *release* theme. If we consider the “bringing out” then we have no concept of disobedience and punishment… so you are quite correct. But when we get to preservation, the point is clear that .. well… the ones who came out are going to be baked skeletons on the Sahara while their children will be fed, nourished, strong, ready, able… ya see the diff?
>>>…If the sole purpose of the desert was to kill off the sinful Jews why did God provide bread, water, meat, cloud by day and fire by night for them? Seems like a strange way to kill people – by providing for them…
I try not to let reasonableness influence my interpretation of the text. And I try not to guess at motivations not stated. However, here the reason is given. They had to live long enough to raise up the next generation (which many say is 40 years) so that *they* could enter.
Yahveh is one tough cookie. Even Moses was not allowed to enter because of his angry rock smiting. Everyone who was living in the heart of the land was to be killed, along with their children, and those in the surrounds were to be subjugated.
Such are the ways of Yahveh.
Thanks for the explanation. I basically agree with what you said there, I just think that initially God actually intended for the group that left Egypt to actually enter the land promised to their forefathers BUT because of their sin after leaving Egypt God changed His mind or as the story explains a few times – did not withhold punishment from those who sinned. They may have been forgiven for their sins but the punishment was still on their heads. Same went for Moses.
I think we”re on the same page, then.
Cheers.
That is a very good point, He punished them for what they did after they left Egypt. Good point in pointing out (no pun) that it’s important to know the time line. God bless you Daniel
Are you David or Daniel?!
David Garcia is David. groveonline is me, Daniel. How was your Christmas and New Years bibleshoker? Do you celebrate Christmas?
Ah, I see, thanks for the clarification.
Only once was my wife away during the holidays and my sons an I had a “bachelor Christmas” which was pretty pitiful. We put up some little fake trees and when they fell over, no one even picked them up! And the house was a mess!
But every other holiday, like this last one, my wife decorates nicely, cooks a nice meal and makes sure everyone gets nice gifts. Also, my office throws a great party every year at a fancy joint, and this year, the company gave everyone an iPad!
So, all good, thanks for asking. I hope yours went as well also.