by Marsha Tomlin Anderson based on Exodus 16:1-25

The Israelites made a huge snakelike trail through the Desert of Sin as they settled in for the night.

When Reuben’s family sat down to eat, there wasn’t much food on their plates. His father wanted seconds, but his mother softly told him they couldn’t spare more food.

Reuben listened to his parents talk to each other.

“Mother, did you say we’re running out of food?” he interrupted.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she shrugged her shoulders. “We have a few days’ worth, if we’re careful.”

Reuben and his sister, Abby, jumped when their father banged his fist on the table.

“What were we thinking following Moses into this desert?” he said. “What good is it to be free if we starve to death?”

Angrily he stormed outside. Reuben went over to comfort his mother, searching her eyes for assurance that everything would be all right.

That night Reuben had a terrible nightmare. He was back in Egypt, surrounded by his favorite foods. But every time he reached to grab something, it vanished into thin air. He sat up with a start and rubbed his stomach. He was hungry.

Quietly he got up and snuck over to the food supplies. He knew that the four small cakes were for breakfast, but he was so hungry that he ate one.

The next morning his mother noticed right away that one cake was missing. Without saying a word, she ignored the rumbling in her own stomach and gave her cake to Reuben.

After breakfast, Reuben’s mother carefully packed their food and water supplies. They couldn’t afford to waste anything.

Outside they discovered many other families were in the same shape. The men argued loudly about Moses’ leadership.

“What I wouldn’t give for a fresh onion or a melon,” one man cried out.

“Stop it!” yelled another. “There aren’t any, and you’re making me hungrier!”

Moses knew about the food shortage and had been on his knees praying. If God could part the Red Sea, Moses was confident He could provide food. But the Israelites were turning into an angry mob, and he needed a solution fast!

That evening the answer came in an unusual way. A dark cloud overshadowed the Hebrew camp.

“Look at all those quail,” one man yelled.

Worn out from flying, the birds practically fell into the hands of the hungry Hebrews, providing a scrumptious supper. Reuben, remembering his nightmare of vanishing food, stuffed himself with the fresh meat until his stomach hurt.

The next morning the Israelites awoke to another pleasant surprise. The ground was littered with millions of small cakes. They called the food “manna,” which means “What is it?”

Reuben picked up one of the cakes and smelled it, then took a small bite.

“Hey, it’s good!” he said excitedly. “It tastes like honey.”

Moses told the Israelites that manna was a gift from God that came with special instructions. They were only to gather as much as they could eat in one day and shouldn’t take extra to store overnight.

Reuben didn’t like the sound of that plan. While everyone else gathered a day’s worth, Reuben used his blanket to hoard as much as he could.

I don’t want to run out of food again, he thought. What if God doesn’t give us the manna tomorrow?

As Reuben prepared for bed, a satisfied smile spread across his face. He put his head down on his mat and closed his eyes.

In the middle of the night, Reuben suddenly sat up. He wrinkled his nose and started to sniff. Phew! Something stinks! he thought.

Soon his whole family was complaining.

Searching the tent, they opened the blanket filled with manna.

“Oh no!” Reuben yelled, pulling back the cover. The manna was crawling with maggots.

“Get it out of our tent right now!” his mother screamed.

Reuben quickly picked up the corners of the blanket and threw it outside. When everything calmed down and they were once again settled in bed, Reuben no longer felt clever.

That’s what I get for being so greedy, he told himself.

God was faithful and provided manna every day. Reuben was sure to take only what he needed. When Friday came, everyone else gathered twice as much as usual—just as Moses had commanded because Saturday was a day of rest.

His mother, father and sister each took enough manna for two days. But not Reuben. That stuff’s awful if you keep it overnight, he thought.

The next day Reuben went outside to get his breakfast, but the ground was bare. Not a piece of manna was in sight. Inside his tent, Reuben’s family happily ate the manna they had gathered the day before.

I should’ve listened to Moses, Reuben thought, shaking his head. I’ll go hungry today. But I’m going to trust God from now on and follow His instructions, so I won’t go hungry again.

	Q: Why did the football coach walk into the telephone store? A: He needed a receiver. Jessica S., 10, Texas Clubhouse Jr. Click here to subscribe