2011 Lent Study Guide - University Presbyterian Church

Exodus 16:1-18
Opening Prayer
Lord God, thank you for bringing us together again. You said wherever two or more are gathered in your
name, that you will be there. Here we are and we gather in your name. Help us clear out the busyness of our
days and to sense your presence in this time. Help us listen to your word. Open our hearts and souls. Build us
up, Lord. We pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.
What’s Happening in the Small Group?
Over the past few weeks we’ve been encouraged to have a more intimate relationship with God.
We’ve been prompted to listen to God. We’ve been challenged to sense God’s calling. Take a few
moments to share with your group a revelation you’ve experienced, some of the changes you’ve
made (or tried to make), and what you have discovered during this process.
What’s Happening in the Word?
After the dramatic departure from Egypt (Ch. 12) and the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea
(Ch. 14), and an emotive song of praise to Yahweh (Ch. 15), the Israelites go into the desert and soon
run out of fresh water. God works another miracle and provides fresh water (Ch. 15). Next, the people
grumble because of their lack of food. God hears their grumbling and meets their needs, but there’s
much more to this story than complaining, bread, and birds.
Marker for our lives: The Bread
God builds us up to send us out.
Read Exodus 16:1-18 together.
What does it say?
Week Five: A Bread to Build
What happened in the text just before the provision of bread and quail?
If convenient, look at an atlas and/or a biblical map and see if you can find the wilderness in
which this account is set.
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