Readers Guide: “The Word for Today” Tuesday, October 9, 2012 Read – Exodus 15 & 16 As we noticed at the end of the book of Genesis the story now breaks forth into song – chapter 15 is a poetic retelling of the event of passing through the sea. It is one thing to read a story about an event – it is another to sing the event. Both are useful – however the singing and telling of the story in poetic language often works better for worship. Chapter 15 may well have been the liturgical telling of the story of the passing through the seas used in worship – so chapter 15 acts something like many of the Psalms. In fact we might categorize it as a Psalm. As the song concludes, we hear of a turn of events that ought to be surprising to us – at least at first. The people have no more than left the land of bondage than they begin to complain about their circumstances. The water is bad. Are these people so ungrateful? Apparently that is part of the human story. Chapter 16 is critically important both for the Old Testament people and for Christians. The story centers on the bread of life that God provides. The story is rich with allusions to Holy Communion and to Jesus as the Bread of Life. We need to read and digest this chapter carefully. God provides – even for ungrateful people. God provides – but just enough of one day. God provides – and in the providing God teaches. God teaches dependence upon him. God commands Sabbath to be observed even though that Sabbath risks trusting God to have given enough for the day of rest. Chapter 16 begins what has sometimes been called the “Wilderness Tradition” which we will only touch on in our reading. The wilderness is a place of testing and a place of provision.