Oh my goodness! How come we never thought of this before?
IF the Israelites had animals to sacrifice to Jehovah in the wilderness, then how come their god jehovah had to give them Manna so they wouldn't starved to death?
How Come we never saw this before????
by Newly Enlightened 24 Replies latest watchtower bible
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RULES & REGULATIONS
When you take off your rose-colored glasses ( yee of little faith), you will see how these silly Bible stories just don't make any sense. If the Israelites had enough wisdom to make a trip out of Egypt, why would they wander in the desert for 40 years while they had the same wisdom to get out of the desert? Here is a silly answer from gotquestions.org
Question: "Why did the Israelites need manna if they had flocks/herds of animals that they could eat?"
Answer: In Exodus 9:1–7, the Bible tells us that the children of Israel had cattle or livestock while living as slaves in Egypt. And in Exodus 12:30–31, Pharaoh tells Moses to get out of Egypt after the final plague had been placed on Egypt and all their firstborn sons had died. Pharaoh even went so far as to tell the Israelites to take all that they had, including their flocks and their herds, possibly getting every trace of them out of Egypt. Yet as they wander in the wilderness, they complain and moan about not having enough to eat, and God deals with them with tremendous grace by providing manna (Exodus 16:1–5). Why, though, did they describe themselves as “starving” when they had flocks and herds of animals?
The fact is that the Bible doesn’t explain why they did not—or could not—eat the animals from their flocks. For the sake of the argument we will ponder some possible answers even though Scripture is silent on the issue. First, it’s possible that Israel had too much of the Egyptian ways in them, having been in captivity there for over 400 years. Egypt had a system in effect wherein they worshiped many animals, cattle among them. Soon after the exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel even worshiped a golden calf, fashioned by Aaron in the absence of Moses (Exodus 32:1–4). It’s possible they were so steeped in Egyptian ways that they couldn’t bring themselves to eat animals they worshiped.
Second, did they see their livestock as their source of income? They were shepherds, and they came from shepherds. No one would want to eat his source of income. Perhaps they were preserving their flocks and herds for when they came into the Promised Land and would once again be shepherds and herdsmen. If they ate up the source of all their income, they would be paupers and beggars in their new country. A third possibility is that they were just whining because they were tired of eating the same old thing all the time. Perhaps they just wanted some variety in their diet.
Whatever the reason, the point is that it wasn’t meat that the Israelites lacked; it was faith. They wanted to go back to Egypt where they were “fed” (Numbers 11:4–6). Even though they had been slaves in Egypt, they wanted to go back so they would not have to worry about where their next meal came from. Another point is that they should have made the trip in 10 days (and they probably had that much food) but it took 40 years because of their rebellion and disobedience (Numbers 14:26–35). Nothing would please or satisfy the grumbling Israelites, not meat for a whole month, not all the flocks and herds or all the fish in the sea.
Although God is silent as to why this happened, the lesson we learn from it is that God is faithful and supplies our needs, whatever they are, and it is not always what we want or think that we need. But He knows our greatest needs, and He knows what will sustain us and keep us safe. A case in point is the fact that the clothes and shoes of the Israelites did not wear out in the 40 years of desert wandering because God saw to it (Deuteronomy 8:4; Nehemiah 9:21). The manna stayed fresh so long as the people gathered it up according to His instructions, and water came out of a rock for them (Numbers 20:11). In the same way, God has promised to supply all our needs through His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). We are not to worry about food because God knows what we need before we ask. Rather, we are to seek God and His kingdom, putting Him first and trusting in His faithfulness to provide what we need (Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:22–31). -
nowwhat?
So did the animals eat manna as well? Hmmm. Pretty hard to graze in the desert
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RULES & REGULATIONS
So did the animals eat manna as well? Hmmm. Pretty hard to graze in the desert
Somewhere and somehow there is an answer for every Bible question:
From this, we see that the wilderness, although translated as ‘desert’, is not a sandy desert but rather uninhabited land containing pastures suitable for feeding animals; providing that they are moved from place to place. As God was leading Israel in the wilderness we may be confident that he would lead them to places suitable for feeding cattle.
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Wasanelder Once
Maybe the manna was yummy?
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road to nowhere
The bible is silent so we will make up something
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Pete Zahut
Second, did they see their livestock as their source of income?
40 years wandering in the wilderness, who needs an income and what was there to buy out there? Who were they going to sell their livestock to? Each other? What other Israelite would buy and animal if they weren't planning to use them for food ? If they did have cows to milk and chickens eggs, how badly were they starving?
. Perhaps they were preserving their flocks and herds for when they came into the Promised Land
If they had livestock they could have bred them. They were in the wilderness for 40 years....their existing animals would have died of old age by the time they got there if they didn't breed them. So why not eat them if they had them?
A case in point is the fact that the clothes and shoes of the Israelites did not wear out in the 40 years of desert wandering because God saw to it. The manna stayed fresh so long as the people gathered it up according to His instructions, and water came out of a rock for them
If he went to all that trouble providing a miracle for their shoes and clothes, why not provide them with a variety of things to eat for 40 long years or was his purpose to keep them alive so they could be miserable? Did he make the water he provided for them bitter so that it would keep them alive but they'd hate it?
We are not to worry about food because God knows what we need before we ask.
What's the purpose of "Making or Petitions known to God" then?
Rather, we are to seek God and His kingdom, putting Him first and trusting in His faithfulness to provide what we need.
Maybe that's why the folks at JW headquarters are doing so well. They certainly don't starve at Bethel or want for anything. They have hearty meals, tennis courts and swimming pools and and they all live in a resort out in the country. Good thing Jehovah is providing them with what they "need" because the Governing Body members I sat with for every meal while I was there, certainly wouldn't have stuck around if they had to eat oatmeal every day and sleep on mats on the floor or eat whatever the local JW's could spare for them. They wouldn't put up with having to travel by bus to make their personal appearances. They "needed" Lincoln Town Cars and they "needed" to travel in first class accommodations. Jehovah knows this and according to you, provides it for them, otherwise they'd be long gone.
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RULES & REGULATIONS
Deuteronomy 8:4 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
4 These past 40 years, your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell.
Really? Forty years in sand, dust, sand caked grounds, and their feet did not swell and their sandals didn't need repair?
I work outdoors and walk all day long. Every 2 months I need a new pair of shoes because of aches and pains.
Why can't a shoemaker in today's times figure out how to make shoes last forty years like in Biblical times?
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LongHairGal
NEWLY ENLIGHTENED:
I was always curious about what Manna tasted like! I know the Bible describes it but I would have loved to taste it.
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RubaDub
Forty years in sand, dust, sand caked grounds, and their feet did not swell and their sandals didn't need repair?
R & R ....
IMHO, they were likely Birkenstock. They wear very well, from what I understand.
I could imagine some testimonials from those who wore those sandals and said "I wore these for 40 years and I bet I still have 10 years of tread-life left."
Rub a Dub