Exodus 16 · Grade 5
Daily Dependence
Read and Think
About a month after leaving Egypt, the people complain that slavery with food was better than freedom in the wilderness. Their memory of Egypt has become distorted. Moses explains that their grumbling is aimed at God. Still, God responds with grace and with a test: daily manna would show whether they would walk in my law.
The manna teaches daily dependence. Everyone had enough: He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack, a verse Paul uses to encourage generosity (2 Corinthians 8:15). Hoarding failed; it bred worms. The Sabbath pattern also appears here, before the Ten Commandments are given at Sinai. God provides double on the sixth day so His people can rest.
Deuteronomy 8:3 explains the lesson: God fed them with manna to teach them that people do not live by bread only, but by every word that comes from God's mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). In the New Testament, Jesus quoted this when tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4). In the New Testament, in John 6, after feeding the 5,000, Jesus says that He is the true bread from heaven, who gives eternal life. A jar of manna was kept before the Testimony as a lasting reminder of God's faithful provision.
Show What You Know
How had Israel's memory of Egypt become distorted?
How does Paul use the manna in 2 Corinthians 8:15?
What happened when people hoarded manna?
What lesson does Deuteronomy 8:3 draw from the manna?
What does Jesus claim in John 6?
Word Bank Fill-In
Use the word bank to fill in each blank.
- About a month after leaving Egypt, the people complain that slavery with was better than freedom in the wilderness.
- Moses explains that their grumbling is aimed at .
- Still, God responds with grace and with a test: daily would show whether they would walk in my law.
- God provides double on the sixth day so His people can .
- In the New Testament, in John 6, after feeding the 5,000, Jesus says that He is the true from heaven, who gives eternal life.
Think About It
How can remembering the past wrongly lead us to complain?
Why do you think God built rest into the pattern of provision?
Memory Verse
“Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.”
Exodus 16:4 (WEB)
Copy It
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for today's Bible story. Help me to . Amen.
Take It Home
For families: talk about these together.
- How can you trust God for each day's needs?
- When do you try to grab more than you need?
- How can you make rest a part of your week?
Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.