John Piper, in “Can God Spread a Table in the Wilderness?” states:
The Advanced Lesson in the Wilderness
But that’s just Wilderness 101, a course entitled: “Deflating the Human Ego.” The more advanced seminar is entitled, “How to Spread a Table in the Wilderness.” The course is a snap if you are ready for it; but if you’re not, it can be very humiliating. It is taught in two halves, one going to Mt. Sinai, one going from. The first half of the course was taught in Exodus 16 on the way between Egypt and Sinai. The Israelites have learned the lesson of Wilderness 101 and know they are done for without food. They say, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3). Lesson 101 is learned: they are helpless. But now comes the advanced lesson. God says:
“Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you . . . At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. (Exodus 16:4, 12-14)A very short course, but a very clear lesson: God can spread a table in the wilderness. And therefore, helpless as we are, we should trust, obey, and be thankful. We should rejoice even in the wilderness, knowing that it is for our good in the end (Deuteronomy 8:16), and that even here our needs will be marvelously supplied.
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 