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To See if they Obey My Law

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Exodus 6:2-4, 12-15 Psalm 78:3-4, 23-25, 54 St John 6:24-35 This week I find myself in the enviable position of getting to write a second reflection on the Bread of Life discourses in St. John chapter 6. But this section of the discourse has an element that we do not usually look at, and it is a theme that runs through all of our texts this week. Ethiopian Orthodox icon of the Last Supper In Exodus 16:4, God tells Moses that he will send Manna to feed the Israelites, and he explains why "To discover if they will walk in my Law or not." The gift of Manna is surrounded by instructions: take only what the day requires, do not gather on the Sabbath. God desires to know if His people will honor the gift of sustenance which He has given. Will we give in to greed? Will we give in to anxiety? Will we be obedient to the Divine Law handed down? Will we rely on God for our daily bread? The Psalmist carries this theme forward. God "opened the doors of Heaven" and &