Exodus 16
Explanation and Bible story for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 3-6)
The Explanation
The sun was hot. Very hot. The people of Israel walked and walked through the desert. Sand under their feet. Sand everywhere. And they were hungry. So hungry!
The people began to grumble. "We want food! In Egypt we had bread. We had meat. Here we have nothing. We are going to starve!"
Moses heard it. Aaron heard it. And God heard it too.
Then God spoke. "I will give my people food. Bread from the sky. Every day."
Moses told the people. "Tonight you will get meat. Tomorrow morning bread. Then you will know: God is with us."
And look! That evening a big flock of birds came flying. Little quails, all over the camp. Meat for everyone!
The next morning the ground was wet with dew. And when the dew was gone, something lay there. Little white grains. Soft and round.
The people looked. "What is that?" they asked. Nobody knew.
Moses smiled. "That is the bread from God. Eat it!"
The people tasted it. Mmm, sweet! Like little cookies with honey.
What Does This Mean?
Every morning it lay there again. New bread from God. God did not forget his people. Not one day. Not one single day.
The people called it manna. Forty years long they ate manna. God took care of them, every day.
The Common Thread
Long, long after this, Jesus said something wonderful. Jesus said: "I am the bread from heaven." Just like the manna. God gave manna in the desert. And God gave us Jesus. Jesus makes our hearts full and happy, like bread fills a hungry tummy.
For You
Do you know what is so nice? God still takes care of you. Every day.
Look at your plate at dinner. Bread, or an apple, or warm food. Who gave that? Yes, God did! Through daddy and mommy, but really it comes from God.
And when you go to bed tonight, your bed is there. Your blanket is there. Your teddy is there. God takes care of you. Every day again. Just like with the people in the desert.
You do not have to worry. God sees you. God hears you. And God gives what you need. Today, and tomorrow, and the day after.
Talk About It
What do you like most to eat? Who gave you that food?
The people in the desert said, "What is it?" Have you ever seen something and not known what it was?
Praying Together
Dear God,
Thank you for bread. Thank you for food every day. Thank you that you take care of me. Just like the people in the desert. You are so good.
Amen.
Questions about Exodus 16
Short answers for anyone reading about this for the first time.
What is Exodus 16 about?
What does Exodus 16 say?
What does Exodus 16 teach us about God?
What can toddlers learn from Exodus 16?
Why is Exodus 16 an important Bible story?
What others discovered
Forty years of mornings. Not one great delivery of forty years' worth, but bread on the ground again and again, "until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan." God never gave them a supply they could sit on. He gave them a reason to look for him at dawn. Is that what you resent about your life right now?
Notice what Moses says: "Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to Yahweh." Before Sinai, before commandments carved in stone, God is already teaching rest through bread. He gives extra on the sixth day so His people can trust Him on the seventh.
What would it look like this week to prepare for rest instead of collapsing into it? To gather your manna early, so Saturday finds you unhurried, holding what God already provided?
Looking for something for slightly older children?
We also have dedicated versions for elementary age (7-12) and teens (12 and up).
Open in the Children's Bible tool
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