Joshua 5:12 (ESV) -- And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

Most Christians will acknowledge that God provides for them. But our understanding of this provision is usually limited to certain types of things or ways of providing. We acknowledge big demonstrative examples, but often miss the smaller, everyday ways God provides. 

Our passage today is a great reminder of this principle that the LORD is the source of all our provisions. It says in Joshua 5:12, “And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.”

Manna from Heaven was a provision from God. The LORD fed the people of Israel each day with what they needed to live. They didn’t have to work. They walked outside and picked up what God gave them to eat. But when we read Joshua 5, we see the time of providing manna is over. Does that mean God’s provision ended? By no means! They now ate the produce of the land. Who provided that? God. 

I love how this passage shows a transition from the manna in the wilderness to the produce from the ground in Canaan. But make no mistake, there was no transition from the Provider and source of both. The work of their hands in tilling soil, planting seeds, and tending to the produce was required. But God was the one that caused any of those actions to bear fruit (literally). We are prone to disconnect God’s role in these everyday examples of provision. It is easy to attribute God’s role in dropping manna from Heaven, but overlook His role in causing food to spring forth from the earth. 

Therefore, we can give thanks before each meal and truly recognize that every step in the process of getting it to our mouths is directed by God. He is truly the giver of all. Praise be to the God who provides for us and is involved in all the details.

Reflection & Journal:
- Why is this transition from manna to produce from the land significant? 
- How did the Israelites get produce from the land?
- What does this passage teach us about the nature of God’s provisions?

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