Testing God
Yahweh rained bread from heaven to test Israel, to see if they would follow His instructions (Exodus 16:4). They didn’t follow Him. Instead, they disobeyed the instructions about manna (16:13-21) and turned the tables to put God to the test (17:2, 7).
Jesus follows the same pattern. He is Bread from heaven, and gives miraculous bread in desolate places (Matthew 14:13-21; 15:32-39). This is a test for Israel, to see if they follow His instructions. They don’t, and instead put Jesus to the test (16:1; 19:3; 22:18, 35).
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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