Chapter 4
A Table Set by God

How God prepared his people for the Promised Land
1.	After the Israelites left Egypt, how did a gracious God respond to their complaint that they had nothing to eat (Exodus 16:12,13)?
He provided quail for them as meat and manna for them as bread

2.	With his instructions about gathering manna day by day (Exodus 16:14,16), what was God teaching his people about the way he provides for us?
Once again he was teaching them to trust him.  He was saying, “I will give you what you need.  Look to me for every good thing.  Live one day at a time.”

3.	What did Jesus say about this in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:31-34)?
Do not worry about tomorrow.  The Lord knows what we need.  Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.  
It is worth noting two words that Jesus uses here in these verses.  The first one is “pagan.”  Jesus says to worry about what you will eat or what you will wear is what the unbelievers do.  But you/we are not unbelievers.  You/we are one of God’s children through faith in Jesus.  Therefore, trust that your heavenly Father knows what you need and will provide what you need.
That is the other word worth noting – “Father.” Jesus could have used the name God to signify his awesomeness and power; his ability to do anything.  He could have used the name Lord, to speak of our master-servant relationship.  But he uses the gentle, loving, caring term Father.  The one you can approach anytime with anything and will never turn you away.  The term that highlights the beautiful relationship we have with him as his child.  In the same way that an earthly child never worries about what to wear or eat because they have confidence their loving father will provide food and clothing and shelter, so we need not worry.  

4.	How does the Lord’s Prayer teach the same truth (Luke 11:3)?
Give us this day our daily bread.  
Jesus teaches us to pray for our daily bread so we
-	Realize that everything we receive is a gift from our gracious heavenly Father
-	Receive all our bodily needs with thanksgiving
-	Trust God to supply all we need each day

Food in the Promised Land
1.	Which three staple crops dominated the agriculture and the diet of the Israelites? 
a.	Grapes - Wine
b.	Olives - Oil
c.	Grain - Bread

2.	What were their fruit crops?
Besides grapes they also had figs, dates, pomegranates, and melons

3.	What do you think of the foods they ate?
Very modest; repetitious; and healthy

4.	What does the food they ate say about their diet?
It was a good, healthy diet.  One that was not overindulgent.
5.	What do the foods we eat say about our diets?
Sometimes they speak to an overindulgence; to a people who are spoiled; and foods that are not always good for us.
6.	Why do you suppose God gave his chosen people a modest standard of living (Deuteronomy 8:3)?
So they couldn’t say: “Look at what my hands have done.”  
So they could say: “The Lord provides.”
In all of this the Lord was teaching – Man doesn’t live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

A proverbs passage comes to mind when you think of this truth: give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. (Proverbs 30:8)

7.	If God asked you to live that way, how might you react?
Answers will vary.  
We might get upset and say God is being unfair or not good to us.  We might grumble and complain and ask God why he doesn’t give us more.  
I know for myself, I can think of times I’ve looked into a pantry full of food and a refrigerator full of food and whined because there wasn’t anything there that I wanted to eat.  How ungrateful!
8.	Why is God so concerned about our attitudes toward food, clothing, and shelter?
Because they come from him, and therefore reflect our attitude toward him
These are things of the world, and therefore reflect our attitude towards the world too
9.	Satan tempts us to eat and drink without thinking just as horses and donkeys do. God gives us earthly blessings so that we will realize that he is loving and kind. He hopes that the earthly provision he gives us will remind us of a much greater gift he has for us. What is that?
The gift of his love given through his Son – the forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation
10.	What dangers go with enjoying a higher standard of living?
a.	Forgetting God
b.	Trusting in self/wealth (look at what I have done)
c.	Chase after the things of the world (worldly)
d.	Selfishness/hoarding

Dietary restrictions
1.	God wanted the Israelites to remember that their world did not revolve around them but around him. How was their culture a reminder of that?
Their modest way of life; the firstborn of their livestock was to be offered to God on the altar; their firstborn sons were to be dedicated to him (if those sons didn’t serve, they were to be redeemed by a payment of money)

2.	What purpose did the laws about clean and unclean foods serve?
a.	They were to serve as a reminder that the Israelites were to be concerned not only about outward appearance but also their inner nature
b.	They served as a daily discipline to show that they were different from the nations around them
c.	It also served as a reminder of sin
3.	If God commanded those food laws, why don’t we obey them (Colossians 2:16,17)?
They served these purposes then, but all those purposes have been fulfilled in Christ

Attitudes regarding God’s providence
1.	Read Numbers 11:4-6. Describe the Israelites’ attitude toward the food God provided for them as they marched toward the Promised Land. 
They grumbled and complained.  In that grumbling and complaining they forgot and minimized the discomforts of the past.  They had fallen into the trap of thinking that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  It was discontentment.
2.	What does their request say about their priorities in life?
They were only thinking about physical survival and comfort; about making a living and accumulating “stuff”
3.	How might we make the same mistake that the Israelites made?
It isn’t just how might we, it really is how have we!
We have complained even though we have so much.
Our priorities in life are getting ahead/building a “nest egg”/accomplishing chores.  
-	We can see that in infrequent worship (why aren’t we there on days we aren’t there?)
-	We can see that in our attitude towards Bible Class
-	We can see that in the ways we are willing to adjust our schedules for everything but God’s Word
-	We can see that in what consumes the majority of our thoughts in a day
-	We can see that in the type of offerings we give

4.	God wants us to learn that if he doesn’t give us what we want, we can want what he gives us. What role does gratitude play in your life?
Gratitude and contentment need to grow and play a bigger part in our lives.  
Once again we come back to those words of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount: “But seek first his kingdom (those things that have to do with faith) and righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”
How do we build contentment and gratitude?
	We remind ourselves daily that we already possess the greatest Treasure of all, the Lord – “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25). 
	We remind ourselves daily that with the Lord comes the promise of all we truly need.

5.	What promise has God given you about providing for your daily needs (Matthew 6:25-27)?
He knows what we need and he will provide what we need.
6.	What is the goal of your life for the 24-hour period we call today (1 Corinthians 10:31)?
Our goal is to do everything that we do (no matter how mundane or simple or seemingly insignificant) to the glory of God.
We can’t ride the fence and say, “I don’t think I want to bring glory to God in what I do, but I don’t want to dishonor him either.”  We will be doing one or the other.  How much we need to grow in asking this question as we embark on our day and the things we do each day: “What is it you want me to do Lord?”  Of course, that goes contrary to the question of our sinful nature: “What do I want?”  It will be a battle till we take our last breath – but that is the Christian’s life.