Bread in the Desert

When Reuel sends for Moses he says for him to be sent for “in order that he might eat bread.” Reuel, the “friend of God” and “priest of Midian,” calls for Moses to feed him. As we have already pointed out, the life of Moses is a preview of the story of Israel. Moses passed through the “sea” and was delivered from his enemies just like Israel will later do the same. Moses has gone into the wilderness and found water and now bread. Israel, we know, will later go into the wilderness and be fed miraculously by springs of water and manna, bread that comes down from heaven. And Paul says, “now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted” (1 Cor. 10:6). Paul says that they all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink and they drank of that spiritual Rock, and the Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. But this is the point: while Israel looked forward to Christ and only had Moses as their down payment. We have Christ as our down payment. He has gone on before us, assuring us that we will come at last to the Promised Land. In fact, in Christ, we have already arrived. This is why Paul says with confidence, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” So come eat and drink of this spiritual food and drink. Come drink Christ in faith, trusting and believing that he has gone on before you, and he has already been tempted and he is the faithful one who constantly makes ways of escape for you, who constantly supports you so that you are able to bear up under temptation.