Joshua 5:9-12 (NRSV)
Read Joshua 5:9-12 on biblegateway.com
Verse 9The Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt." And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.
Verse 10While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. Verse 11On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. Verse 12The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
Devotion
On the day after the people of Israel celebrated the Passover at Gilgal, “the manna ceased.” The Apocrypha states that the manna will fall again when the Messiah comes (2 Baruch 29:8). This can give yet another level of meaning to Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. It can also give meaning to the countless manna moments that continue as part of life. Unfortunately, we often miss miraculous manna moments, such as wheat growing, farmers harvesting, bakers baking, and grocers stocking. However, just because something happens frequently need not make it any less miraculous – if we have the eyes to see it.
Prayer
God of miracles, open our eyes to the multitude of continuing manna moments strewn across the landscapes of our lives. Amen.