“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.’” v4-5

“Then Moses said to Aaron, ”Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.” And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.” v9-10
After much complaining and questioning, God proved Himself once again to have thing in control by meeting the Israelites need for food. He provided manna from heaven for the morning and quail at night. Each person had enough for that day. On the sixth day they were to gather a double portion to last throughout the sabbath (seventh day, a day of rest).

Even though the Israelites directed the blame and questioned Moses, he still realized that they were questioning God not him. He was just the messenger. It is easier to complain than it is to trust. Moses had a great perspective on this and how he related to the people.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. 16:1-2
It happened again. As the Israelites encountered danger, shortages, and inconvenience, they complained bitterly and longed to be back in Egypt. But as always, God provided fr their needs. Difficult circumstances often lead to stress, and complaining is a natural response. The Israelites didn’t really want to be back Egypt; they just wanted life to get a little easier. In the pressure of the moment, they could not focus on the cause of their stress (in this case the lack of trust in God); they could only think about the quickest way, resist the temptation to make a quick escape. Instead, focus on God’s power and wisdom to help you deal with the cause of your stress.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”
But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” 14:10-14
Trapped against the sea, the Israelites faced the Egyptian army sweeping in for the kill. The Israelites thought they were doomed. After watching God’s powerful hand deliver them from Egypt, their only response was fear, whining, and despair. Where was their trust in God? Israel had to learn from repeated experience that God was able to provide for them.

The people were hostile and despairing, but Moses encouraged them to watch the wonderful way God would rescue them. Moses had a positive attitude! When it looked as if they were trapped, Moses called upon the God to intervene. The Lord told Moses to stop praying and get moving! Prayer must have a vital place in our lives, but there is also place for action. Sometimes we know what to do, but we but we pray for more guidance as an excuse to postpone doing it. If we know what we should do, then its time to get moving.

But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. That is how the LORD rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses.” 14:29-31
God has preserved these examples in the Bible so that we can learn to trust him the first time. By focusing on God’s faithfulness in the past, we can face crises with confidence rather than with fear and complaining. We may not be chased by an army, but we may still feel trapped. Instead of giving into despair, we should adopt Moses’ attitude to “stand still and watch the LORD rescue” us.

“So the people of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded through Moses and Aaron. And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died.” 12:28-30
Every firstborn child of the Egyptians died, but the Israelite children were spared because the blood of the lamb had been smeared on their doorframes (passover). So begins the story of redemption, the central theme of the Bible.

Redemption means – “to buy back” of “to save from captivity by paying a ransom.” One way to buy back a slave was to offer an equivalent or superior slave in exchange. That is the way God choose to buy us back – he offered his Son in exchange for us.

In the Old Testament times, God accepted symbolic offerings. Jesus had not yet been sacrificed, so God accepted the life of an animal in place of the life of the sinner. When Jesus came, he substituted his perfect life for our sinful lives, taking the penalty for sin that we deserve. Thus he redeemed us from the power of sin and restored us to God. Jesus’ sacrifice made animal sacrifice no longer necessary.

We must recognize that if we want to be freed from the deadly consequences of our sin, a tremendous price must be paid. But we don’t have to pay it. Jesus Christ, our substitute, has already redeemed us by his death on the cross. Our part is to trust him and accept his gift of eternal life. Our sins have been paid for, and the way has been cleared for us to begin a relationship with God.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth. But I have spared you for a purpose—to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” v9:15-16
As each gloomy plague descended upon the land, the Egyptian people realized how powerless their own gods were to stop it. Hapi, the god of the Nile River, could not prevent the waters from turning to blood. Hathor, the crafty cow-godess, was helpless as Egyptian livestock died in droves. Amon-Re, the sun-god and chief of the Egyptian gods, could not stop an eerie darkness from covering the land for three full days. The Egyptian gods were:
(1) not personal
(2) numerous
(3) not exclusive (any and all could be worshiped)

By contrast, the Go of the Hebrews was:
(1) a living personal Being
(2) the only true God
(3) the only God who should be worshiped

God was proving to both the Hebrews and the Egyptians that he alone is the living and all-powerful God.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“‘This is the finger of God!’ the magicians exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the LORD had predicted.” v8:19
Some people think, If only I could see a miracle, I could believe in God.” God gave Pharaoh just such an oportunity. When gnats infested Egypt, even the magicians agreed that this was God’s work (“the finger of God”) – But still Pharaoh refused to believe. He was stubborn, and stubbornness can blind a person to the truth. When you rid yourself of stubbornness, you may be surprised by abundant evidence of God’s work in your life.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the LORD had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent! Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the LORD had predicted.” v10-13
How were the wise men and sorcerers able to duplicate Moses’ miracles? Some of their feats involved trickery or illusion, and some may have used satanic power since worshiping gods of the underworld was part of their religion. Ironically, whenever they duplicated one of Moses’ plagues, it only made matters worse. If the magicians had been as powerful as God, they would have reversed the plagues, not added to them.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the LORD. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the LORD!’” v6-8
The Israelites where so mad and worked that they refused to listen to Moses when he came to declare Gods message. It is easy to get caught up in the things going on around us and miss the message God is trying to give us. Or better yet, refuse to listen. How receptive am I to the things of God. Is my life so loud that I don’t hear him, or when I do, do I listen intently or refuse to believe what He is saying?

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible.