Exodus (Lesson 7) The Bread and Water of Life

CRITICISM: THE FRAMEWORK TO BECOMING YOUR BEST SELF!

Sometimes, the hardest thing to hear and accept is the truth about ourselves.  Criticism hurts! It puts us on defense. It causes us to make excuses.  It makes us turn away. And it sometimes it causes us to feel sorry for ourselves. But the truth is we can push past the sting. 

Welcome to Episode 7 of our 13-part series on the Book of Exodus.

Exodus is a powerful story about escape, freedom and deliverance. and moving to a better life.

It tells how God delivered his people and showed them how to put the past behind them and live a better future.

This is not just a story about the Israelites; it is a story of the present.

 It shows us how we can escape the forces of evil and live a better life in Jesus.

Join us on this journey of faith, trust and love. But before we began Lets Pray!

God Almighty, admitting our failures and shortcomings is difficult. But, to grow we must be willing to accept guidance. Help us learn to be humble enough to receive instructions designed to make us better.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Exodus

(Lesson 7)

The Bread and Water of Life

Part 1 Introduction

Not all criticism is bad. Constructive criticism, focused on improvement. It can be highly beneficial.

Whereas destructive criticism is harmful. We need to know the difference.

Constructive Criticism helps us grow stronger, wiser, and closer to God.

It is designed to make us better, help us live more effective, productive lives.

Here we discover why being teachable and learning to accept corrections is a life-changing experience that helps us to become better, to become stronger.

Shortly after they escape Pharoah and his army by walking through the Red Sea on dry land and arrive safely on the other side, God gave the Israelites instructions in Exodus 16:28-30,

²⁸ And the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? 

²⁹ See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 

³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 16:28–30).

Here, God was speaking to His people through Moses, pointing out that they still refused to fully obey.

His words were not just a rebuke, they were an invitation to trust, listen, and learn from Him.

God wasn’t trying to crush them; He was trying to shape them.

The Sabbath was His gift, but accepting His instruction meant they had to change their habits and follow His way, not their own.

🏜 The Story

After leaving Egypt, the Israelites were finally free from slavery. But freedom was just the beginning. Ahead lay an unknown journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land.

The road was long, the path demanding, and the lessons to be learn are many.

They would now need to learn how to depend on God not just for food and water, but for direction, for protection, and for wisdom.

The Lord wanted to grow them into a people who reflected His character.

That meant learning discipline when they wanted to do things their own way, self-control when their desires clashed with His will, sacrifice when they felt tired, unselfishness when tempted to think only of themselves, and trust when the way forward seemed unclear.

Above all, they had to learn obedience even when they didn’t fully understand the “why.”

And God gave them a visible leader, Moses.

Although, He was human and subject to making mistakes, God chose him to lead them.

Following him meant trusting God’s choice, if they expected to make it safely to the Promises land, even when they didn’t necessarily agree.

For the people to succeed, they had to stay together, to work together as one unit, assist each other and not wander off independently moving in their own direction.

It was necessary for them to cooperate because survival in the wilderness wasn’t a solo mission.

 Little did they know they were going to face many challenges ahead and they needed the help of one another because no one could possibly survive the journey solo.

But here’s the challenge… The wilderness tested them.

Over and over, they faced obstacles that demanded faith.

And every test revealed how teachable—or unteachable—they were.

The truth is, much of their spiritual growth would depend on how they responded to Moses’ leadership, especially when times got hard.

 Would they listen? Or would they push back? Would they trust God’s direction through His servant? Or would they follow their own reasoning?

There’s a famous saying: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

For Israel, that first step was a step of faith.

Every single footstep after that had to be guided by trusting in God’s word.

But tragically, as we will see, they didn’t learn those lessons easily.

They often-rejected guidance and direction feeling that they knew what was best, even though they had just come out of slavery.

And if we’re honest…we are much like them. We often feel that we don’t need direction and guidance.

Our pride says: I got this! Just like a child learning to walk, we want to do it on our own.

But being teachable is not weakness, it’s strength. Accepting constructive criticism is not about letting someone tear you down it’s about letting God build you up through wisdom, even the wisdom and discernment that he has given to other.  

When the Lord sends corrections whether through His Word, through the Holy Spirit, or even through someone He places in your life let’s not be like Pharoah, don’t harden your heart.

Listen. Learn. Adjust. 🙏

Every step toward the Promised Land, our eternal home, requires a humble, teachable heart that says, “Lord, teach me Your way.”

After Crossing the Red Sea, God performed the first miracle on their Journey to the Promised Land.

What was it and what was God trying to teach them. 

Read: Exodus 15:22-27. Then continue to Part 2: Bitter Waters

Exodus

(Lesson 7)

The Bread and Water of Life

Part 2: Bitter Waters

In every biblical story, you’ll find different characters playing different roles—some good, some bad. 📖
There are heroes, villains, moments of suspense, places that hold deep meaning, and timing, however nothing in it is ever accidental.

At the heart of any story, the part that really matters, is usually the solution and the lessons learned.

And that’s exactly how it is in the stories of the Bible.

In every episode, God is always the Problem Solver.

🕊 He’s the One who steps in to bring peace where there’s chaos.

But sometimes, His work is made complicated, not because His power is limited, but because of the people’s unbelief.

In the case of Israel, their constant murmuring and disobedience created unnecessary pain.

They suffered complications and even tragedies.

Many of their troubles weren’t sent by God, not at all, they brought them on themselves through stubborn hearts and unrepentant attitudes.

Exodus 15:22-27 is an account of Isreal’s first faith test after crossing the Red Sea.

It is associated with their need for water.

Considering how uncomfortable it could be in the harsh, hot, and dry desert, three days in the desert without water is enough to shake anyone.

What’s more, when they finally found water, it was undrinkable, bitter!

Their joy turned to complaint. “Marah” means bitter—just like their attitude at that moment. Because the water was bitter, Israel’s faith in their caring loving Lord quickly changed.

Yet God, in His compassion,  performed a miracle and turned the bitter water sweet through a simple piece of wood.

Mind you, It wasn’t the wood that change and made the bitter water sweet and drinkable, it was God.

He taught two lessons here:

1. The need for patience to wait on His timing, and partnership
2.  The need to recognize that God often works in cooperation with humans.

The sad part is, only days earlier, they stood on the other side of the Red Sea, victorious and full of gratitude.

These same people had just been singing God’s praises with passion  in Exodus 15:11 declaring

“Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11, NKJV)

But, even after their grumbling, God still promised mercy in Exodus 15:26 saying,

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”(Exodus 15:26)

God wasn’t just promising physical health, He was offering protection, healing, and blessings. 

But the promise came with a condition: obedience and faithfulness.

The teachable hearts would receive this promise, but stubborn hearts would forfeit it.

Sometimes we bring trials and struggles upon ourselves because we failed listen to wise instruction the first time.
But here’s the hope, God is still willing to work on our behalf if we’re willing to cooperate with Him. 💖

Not long after God provided them with water, the Israelites were grumbling again.

How did God, respond? Read Exodus 16:1–36

Then, View the next segment of this video, Part 3: Quail and Manna

Exodus

(Lesson 7)

The Bread and Water of Life

Part 3: Quail and Manna                 

Unfortunately, as the wilderness journey continued, a pattern began to emerge, a repetitive pattern of rebellion.

We forget so quickly. The people forgot how the mighty hand of God had rescued them from Egypt. They forgot the miracles. They forgot that for every problem they faced, God had already provided solutions.

They forgot that God is the problem solver.

Their forgetfulness distracted them from the Promised Land, making them focus on the immediate discomforts rather than their ultimate eternal goal.

By forgetting they fixed their eyes on the temporary problems instead of God’s eternal promises.

Their forgetfulness therefore caused them to view their present hardship as not worth persevering to obtain their future everlasting reward.

This was not just their problem. It’s ours, too.

How often do we let present troubles make us forget past blessings and our eternal future reward. That’s the point made in

 Exodus 16:1-7

¹ And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. 

² Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 

³ And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. 

⁵ And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” 

⁶ Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 16:1–4, NKJV)

The people’s complaint was simple: they were hungry.

They wanted food. But the way they expressed it was full of accusation and disrespect toward God and His appointed leaders.

 Instead of trusting Him to provide, they accused Him of bringing them into the wilderness to die.

This was a heart issue, not just a food issue. Yet God’s response wasn’t punishment it was provision.

He promised to send bread from heaven, but the provisions would also be a test of their obedience.

Notice that temptation in the Bible often comes in the form of food.

It is often a testing ground for God people.

In Eden, the Fall was related to eating from the one tree God had forbidden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16–17; 3:1–6).

In the wilderness, Satan’s first temptation to Jesus was through food, turning stones into bread (Matthew 4:3).

Esau lost his birthright because he couldn’t control his appetite (Genesis 25:29–34).

Israel’s distrust and disobedience was often connected to food and drink!

That’s why later in Deuteronomy 8:3 Moses told the people:

“…man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

Physical bread sustains the body, but God’s Word sustains the soul.

True life depends on more than what’s on our plates, it depends on who we trust and obey.

The manna was more than food. It was God’s supernatural provision  for the Israelite.  

It was bread from heaven that God supplied during their 40 years of journeying in the wilderness.

It was a daily reminder that God was their Creator, Sustainer, and the Provider of everything they needed.

Also, God use this bread from heaven called manna to instruct people on observing the seventh-day Sabbath.

Each week four miracles happened:

1. Daily Provision – For six days, manna, fell fresh each morning.
2. A Double Portion fell on Friday – Enough for two days was given on Friday so that they wouldn’t need to gather on the Sabbath.
3. No Spoiling from Friday to Sabbath – The Friday portion stayed fresh, unlike other days.
4. No Manna Fell on the Sabbath As a direct sign that God wanted them to rest on the Sabbath and trust in Him to supply all their needs.

God constantly performed these miracles to remind people to remember the Sabbath day and encourage them to celebrate his goodness on that day.

As God said in Exodus 16:29

 “…See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:29, NKJV)

The Sabbath wasn’t a burden—it was a gift. God built these miracles into their week so they would remember His goodness, depend on His care, and celebrate His day of rest.

The truth is, God made us to enjoy food. The colorful abundance of fruits, grains, and vegetables He created is proof that He wants us to delight in eating.

But, like every good gift, food can be abused when we let our appetites control us instead of God’s Word.

This is something for you and I to think about so that we don’t quickly forget what God has done for us.

Water in the desert was a constant problem for the Israelites, in relation to water what new challenge did the Israelites face and what should they have learned from it?

Read Exodus 17:1–7

Bottom of Form

Then Continue to the next segment of this video, Part 4: Water from the Rock

Exodus

(Lesson 7)

The Bread and Water of Life

Part 4: Water From the Rock

In the wilderness, you need water, plenty of water.

For certain water in the wilderness is life. 💧

Without it, your body grows weak, your mind grows cloudy, and your hope begins to fade.

God knew this and He had already proven He could meet their every need.

But even so, when thirst came, the Israelites didn’t respond with trust.

They went as far as looking beyond what God had done to reflecting back at how much better life would be if they were back in Egypt under Egyptian slavery, the very place God had delivered them from. (Paoiueoue)

Despite their negative attitude and their lack of trust, going as far as challenging God’s ability and willingness to give them water, God give them.

It says in Exodus 17:4-7

4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”

5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go.

6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

7 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:4-7)

 Moses named the place Massah (“testing”) and Meribah (“quarreling”) as reminders of two lessons:

• Don’t test God,
• Don’t argue with Him.

As expressed in Hebrews 3:7-8 and 15

⁷ Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, 

⁸ Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,

¹⁵ while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:7-8 and 15)

They had seen God’s power again and again, yet they doubted His presence.

This was a heart problem. God still provided water, but the incident was meant to correct them, to teach them trust and obedience.

Providing deeper insight Patriarchs and Prophets says:

“Moses smote the rock, but it was the Son of God who, veiled in the cloudy pillar, stood beside Moses, and caused the life-giving water to flow. Not only Moses and the elders, but all the congregation who stood at a distance, beheld the glory of the Lord; but had the cloud been removed, they would have been slain by the terrible brightness of Him who abode therein.” — Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 298 (Paoueue)

It wasn’t just water flowing that day, it was life.

Because without water there is no life.

God was showing them that He cared for their bodies, just as He cared for their souls.

Every single cell in our body needs water.  

We are 60 percent water.

In fact, even our bones are composed partly of water.  Without water, nothing can survive. So, by giving them water in the wilderness, God was sending a message:

“I see you. I care for you. I will not let you perish.”

It showed that God cared for their needs and that they could trust Him.

But, He had one condition, they must obey.

 Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4

 reflected on this very story to point out that Christ, not only guided them but provided the water, saying:

“…and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10:4)

In other words, it wasn’t just about the miracle of water, it was a revelation of who was their true source.

Christ Himself guided them. Christ Himself provided for them. Like a solid rock, He was unshakable, dependable, and faithful.

Psalm 78:15–16 describes how He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water in abundance. He never failed them.

What is your “water need” right now.

What thing are you desperate for God to provide?

Learn to trust Him enough to wait for His timing and follow His way, even if the desert heat is pressing down on you. Put your trust in Him.

Christ is the Source of life and the Giver of eternal life.

Like a solid rock, He is reliable and unwavering.

 God firmly led His people in the wilderness and you can count on Him because God always keeps his promises.

Jethro Moses, father-in-law came to visit him because he had heard of all the amazing things God had done for the Israelites.

How did he respond upon his visit. Read Exodus 18:1-27.

Then, continue to the next segment of this video, Part 5: Jethro

Exodus

(Lesson 7)

The Bread and Water of Life

Part 5: Jethro

Sometimes, God sends wisdom through unexpected messengers. Being teachable means being humble enough to receive it.

Moses got a special visit from his father-in-law, Jethro, also known as Reuel in Exodus 2:18.

Jethro didn’t come by himself. He brought Moses’ wife, Zipporah, and their two sons, Gershom and Eliezer.

When Moses heard they were near, he didn’t wait for them to come to him, he went out to welcome them. (Poaiureoeuo)

Can you picture that moment… a family reunion in the middle of the wilderness.

It says in Exodus 18:7-8

 So, Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent. 

⁸ And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. (Exodus 18:7–8)

Moses, though the leader of an entire nation, still showed humility and respect to his father-in-law. His position of leadership didn’t make him too important to honor family.

This humility set the stage for the important lesson that was about to follow.

Jethro had heard of the astonishing deliverance God had done for Israel.

But hearing secondhand wasn’t enough. He wanted to see Moses and hear the story for himself.

Thus, in Exodus 18:8 it says

⁸ And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. (Exodus 18:8)

Jethro acknowledged God’s power and praised Him for his goodness and his miraculous intervention in behalf of his people.

He declared in Exodus 18:10-11 that the Lord was greater than all gods.

“Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.” (Exodus 18:10-11) (Paoieoeiru)

This picture of how God’s work among His people was to be a testimony to the nations around them to acknowledge the true God.

But Jethro didn’t just come to receive, he also came with wise and valuable advice.

He saw something Moses didn’t see. A leader stretched too thin. Day after day, Moses sat hearing disputes from morning till night.

This wasn’t feasible for him or for the people.

Moses needed an organized legal system that had just and fair principles.

He also needed judges that were men of integrity who would be dedicated and faithful.  

So, Jethro gave him some wise, constructive advice on how to accomplish this:

He advised Moses to appoint:

1. Appoint men who fear God.
2. Choose men who are trustworthy.
3. Select men who hate dishonest gain.

He instructed him to place the men over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

This way, smaller matters could be handled locally, reducing Moses Administrative load so that he could focus on only the hardest cases.

This way all the people could be effectively served.

Here’s the powerful part, Moses did not see Jethro’s advice negatively, Moses listened and accepted his father-in-law’s wise counsel.

It says in Exodus 18:24

²⁴ So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.  (Exodus 18:24)

You see, Moses could have dismissed Jethro.

He could have said, “You’re not a Hebrew—you don’t understand our ways.”

But he didn’t. He accepted constructive criticism with grace.

And because he listened, the nation’s leadership structure became stronger, the people were better served, and Moses avoided burnout. (see also Deuteronomy 1:9–18).

Question, how do you respond when advice comes from someone you didn’t expect?

Are you humble enough to weigh it, pray over it, and, if it’s wise—apply it?

Sometimes the very counsel that will bless us the most comes from outside our usual circle.

It’s true, Moses could have just brushed off the old man and told him to mind his own business.

But, the good thing is He didn’t.

And in the long run it benefited him and his people.

What important lessons can we learn from  Moses and Jethro’s visit?

Moses, the writer of the Exodus provides great details of what happen to the people of Israel in the wilderness.

Why all the necessary details? Read: 1 Corinthians 10:11.

Then, continue to the last segment of this video, Part 6: The Bread and Water of Life

Exodus

(Lesson 7)

The Bread and Water of Life

Part 6: The Bread and Water of Life

The stories in the Bible are not recorded for just history or for our amusement.

They have a deeper more divine purpose.

The apostle Paul put it this way:

“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)

Paul makes it clear, the things that happen to the Israelites in the wilderness aren’t just old records. They’re living lessons meant to guide us today.

God preserved them so we wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes, so we’d be humble enough to learn from the past instead of stubbornly walking into the same trouble.

They are there to help keep us from getting into the same troubles they did; that is, we are expected to learn from their examples.

Paul also reminds us that God doesn’t just give us warnings, He gives us the power we need not to fall into the same trap.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

In other words, Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God gives us the strength to make wise choices, to love, to live selflessly, and the discipline to stay faithful when temptation comes.

And the source of all this is a new life in Jesus.

John 14:6 says

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6)

Therefore, Jesus is not just a faithful guide, He is life itself. Following Him isn’t about religious rituals; it’s about letting Him transform us from the inside out.

Paul captures that transformation beautifully in Romans 12:1-2 saying:

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 

² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1–2)

Being teachable before God means letting Him reshape your thinking, your desires, and your life so you can clearly see and follow His will.

Jesus, in His ministry, drew lessons from these wilderness stories, especially about the manna and the water, using them to reveal truths about Himself, the One who led the Israelites through the wilderness.

You can read this account in John 4:7-15 in his encounter with Samaritan women at the well and John 6:31-51 in which he declares that He is the bread of life.

In John 4, a Samaritan woman came to draw water but left with something far greater. Jesus the Spring of Water that never runs dry.

Physical water can quench your thirst for a moment, but only Jesus can satisfy the deep, inner thirst for peace, joy, and happiness.

No water or human can satisfy this thirst only Jesus can

Psalm 42:1-2 portrays this saying:

¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 

² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1–2).

Later, speaking about the manna, Jesus clarified who is the real Bread of Life in John 6:31, 32 and 35

³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’

” ³² Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

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. (John 6:31, 32, 35)

You see, it wasn’t Moses who provided that manna, it was God. And now, Jesus declares Himself the true Bread of Life, the One who can satisfy both spiritual hunger and thirst forever.

The point here is that the water from the rock was Christ’s gift of love to quinch their thirst. But more than that, besides meeting their physical needs, the bread and water also had spiritual significance, for Jesus Christ is “the bread of life” (John 6:35, 48) and “the living water” (John 4:10, 11, 14; John 7:37, 38). 

It is therefore nothing earthly, no amount of money, no possession, on human, no relationship can satisfy this need, only Jesus the living water and the bread of life can satisfy your spiritual thirst and spiritual hunger.

 Are you trying to fill yourself with the water in which you thirst again?

Jesus is everything your soul needs. Learn to trust Him to meet both your physical and spiritual needs.

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