25. God Sends Food and Water

Moses and the Israelites walked for many days through the desert without water. When they did find water, it tasted so bitter they could not drink it. The people cried to Moses, asking him what to do. God told Moses to throw a tree into the pool of water. Moses obeyed and the water turned sweet. Later the people began to complain to Moses because they had nothing to eat.

"We were better off in Egypt," they cried.

God spoke again to Moses. "Tell the people that they will have meat and bread when they wake up in the morning. Then they will know how good their Lord is to them."

The next morning the people looked outside their tents. They saw hundreds of birds called quail, and white, flaky dew lay over everything. The Israelites caught the quail to eat. When they touched the dew to their lips, they found it tasted just like bread.

Moses told the people that God would send enough quail and dew, which they called manna, to feed them each day.

"On the sixth day, collect enough food for two days," said Moses. "On the Sabbath, the Lord will not send any food because it is a holy day of rest."

God had instructed Moses to take his long, wooden rod with him when he first started on the journey to free the Israelites. So far, it had helped him perform many miracles.

Moses and the people were almost to the place where he had begun so many years ago. They stopped at a place called Rephidim which was right below Mount Horeb where God had spoken to Moses from the burning bush. Once again, the people were without water. They were hot and thirsty, and they were angry with Moses.

Moses prayed to God. "What shall I do?" he asked. "They have threatened to stone me if I do not find water for them to drink."

God told Moses to take the rod and tell the leaders to follow him up to Mount Horeb. When they arrived on the mountain, God showed Moses a rock and told him to hit it with the rod. He did, and a big stream of water began to pour out of it.

Again, God had provided for the needs of the Israelites.

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