Exodus 16:18-20 — And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.

There are times when, in all honesty, I have to question the depth of my faith and my commitment to it. Certain passages in scripture call me to account. One such is the story of the rich young ruler. I’m sure you know the one I mean. The story is, I think, important because it’s featured in the gospels of Matthew, Luke and Mark. Here was a young man who had (almost) everything. It seems the only thing he was missing was peace of mind. He approached Jesus asking “what must I do to inherit eternal life”. Jesus teases him, a little, but directing him to the commandments. When he claims (with a little smugness, I wonder) to be doing a good job in following them Jesus hits him with the real punch. “… One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21)
Now whenever this text is taught it is diluted by an observation that the direction to “sell all” was, of course, directed to the rich young ruler, and not to every Christ-follower. Well fair enough. Not for me to argue with all those professional preachers. However, I’m pretty sure that it is a general instruction to hold lightly to material things. Jesus was not big on riches. He warned that they were deceitful, that it’s impossible to serve God and riches, and that it’s really hard for a rich man to get into heaven.
Reading Exodus this morning I was struck by the story of the Israelites and the manna. It’s important to remember that it wasn’t just God’s provision of food for the people. He was teaching a lesson, too. In verse 4 of chapter 16 we already know that God saw it as a test for His people, “that I may prove them,” He said, “whether they will walk in my law or no”. And what happened? Some of the people were greedy. They gathered more than they needed. And what was the result? “It bred worms, and stank!” And that’s what I think happens when we hang on too tightly to our material things. They start to “stink”!
The trouble is that I might think this, but when I contemplate taking a surgical approach to my possessions I find it hard to contemplate. I can make excuses, thinking — for instance — of the harder times I had when I was young, but it still leaves me with an uneasy feeling.
You can be sure that I work to do better in this area. Sadly, it’s just one of quite a few I need to work on. But I suspect that I have more than enough … but that it’s only just enough for me just now. The only good news is that I’m not hankering after more … What about you?