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Barbara Brabec’s
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Personal Musings about Life

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July 2025

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

What the Bible Says About Food and Drink
Two Short Bible Study Lessons and
Stories from My 2015 Computer Journal

Since 2007, I’ve kept a handwritten Bible study journal as well as a yearly companion journal on my computer. Many have stories attached to them, which is what prompted me to start sharing some of my journal notes as MUSINGS posts. I hope to encourage others to keep a journal and record what they’re learning from their individual Bible study, sermons they hear, or Christian books they’re reading. This kind of reading, studying, and journaling will positively influence your attitude and outlook on life, as well as your thinking and interactions with others.

This month, I’m sharing two short Bible lessons and stories from my 2015 computer journal. Both relate to something we all have probably said at one time or another: “Eat, drink, and be merry!”

Manna from Heaven
Why the Jews Wandered in the Wilderness
for 40 Years, Living on Bread, Water, and Quail

In my Bible Study on how Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, I gained a new understanding of manna from Heaven and why the Israelites never got to see the Promised Land. (Exodus 16:4-36.) While studying this book, I caught one of David Jeremiah’s sermons on the same topic and journaled as fast as I could write. (He must do extensive research for his sermons and books since all of them include facts and figures that would be hard to find on our own.)

In his teaching about the Exodus, he’d made a map of the various places the Israelites camped (all documented in the Bible by Moses). God led them in circles for forty years because the generation that came out of Egypt had to die out before He would allow the Jews to enter the promised land of milk and honey.

“So the LORD’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was consumed” (Numbers 32:13 NKJV).

I was fascinated by what I learned about manna, which Jeremiah said was an incredible miracle. Until then, I didn’t know that manna means “What is it?” God told the Jews to collect one omer (slightly more than two quarts) of manna each day, which Jeremiah estimated to be six pints. “Moses documented that there were 600,000 men, so counting women and children, there would have been over a million people in total. That amounted to a billion tons of manna every year, and it would have taken a train of 30 cars to deliver that much seed every day.” That boggled my mind.

Jeremiah also explained that when the Israelites gathered more manna than they were allotted each day, thinking they could save it, it turned wormy overnight and stank. Yet all the manna not collected from the ground simply melted into the soil. And when they were allowed to gather twice the amount to keep the Sabbath holy, that manna did not rot. Yes, this surely was miraculous.

The women ground the manna into flour and made bread, so basically, the diet of all these people was bread, water, and quail that God rained down on them from Heaven. Although this provided all the nutrition they needed for good health and strength, it’s easy to understand why they complained and wished they were back in Egypt. What is sad is that a whole generation of Jews had to suffer for Israel to become the great nation God meant it to be.

Perhaps this story will remind you to thank God for the bountiful supply of food available to us today and to help those who are suffering hardships and not getting all they need to eat each day.

King Solomon’s Teachings in Ecclesiastes
on Food and Drink: “It is all meaningless.”

There is disagreement about who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes since the Bible names the author as “The Teacher, a son of David, king in Jerusalem.” According to rabbinic tradition, it was King Solomon, which is good enough for me. (If this detail is of interest to you, research will turn up a variety of opinions on this topic.)

We may joke about “eat, drink, and be merry,” but a search for this phrase will turn up many verses. The following are the ones that registered with me in my study of Ecclesiastes in 2015:

“So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.”

“So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind” (Ecc. 2:22-26 NLT).

The best news King Solomon gave us about enjoying our food is in Ecc: 5:18-20 (NIV), which he did not say was meaningless:  “This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink, and find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift from God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.”

Above Scripture quotations taken from the Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition, New International Version.

Here are other verses from Ecclesiastes in The New Living Translation that I related to:

“Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool” (Ecc. 5:3).

“Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny” (Ecc. 6:10).

I had to laugh at this verse because I related so strongly to it. In Solomon’s concluding thoughts in Ecc. 12-9 he says: “Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.”

Funny how that’s all I’ve ever done—study to learn how to write, study to learn what to write about, and now studying to manage my computer and technology and how to publish eBooks and do graphics and write another book that few may want to read. You can see how easy it was for me yesterday, being sleep-deprived, to agree with Solomon about everything being meaningless. As it says in Ecc. 1:11:

“We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.”

May we always remember and be thankful for
how God has blessed us and those we love.

P.S. Visit the HOME page for Timely Quotes and links to Featured Articles of the month. Musings About Life posts are archived and identified as such on the Christian Encouragement Table of Contents page. Tidbits on Life Bulletins are archived here. Thanks for linking others to Barbara Brabec’s World.

Archived Brabec Bulletins

Year 2021-2022   <=>  Year 2023  <=>  Year 2024

Brabec Bulletins
Published in 2025

Note: After 25 years, I ceased publication of my monthly Brabec Bulletin with the June issue to give me time for other writing I want to do.

June 9, 2025: New Perspective on Words, Writing, and the English Language: The Power of a Single Word, The Men Who Ruined English Spelling, Why You Should Journal Your Life, and Insightful English Language Quotations. As Barbara ceases publication of her Brabec Bulletin after 25 years, she ends with a Bulletin for all those who write for pleasure or profit, love words, and are fascinated by the wonderment of our beloved English language.

May 7, 2025: Living in the Margins of Life and How to Find Time to Do It All. This Bulletin was inspired by an email from publisher friend Betty Chypre many years ago. What I learned from her about managing time still resonates with me today. Maybe with you, too.

April 7, 2025: Protecting Yourself from Money and Privacy Thieves. Expert Tips from Pros: Data Brokers Cashing in on Your Social Security Number * Everything Amazon Knows About You * Four Common Signs of a Scam * Update on My Dark Web Experience * and Solutions to Three Windows 10 Problems.

March 5, 2025: How to Exercise Your Brain as You Age. Our brain needs special care once we pass age 65. This information may help you or someone you love keep dementia or Alzheimer’s at bay. Doing this is not only about stimulating your mind but engaging your whole body.

February 6, 2025: Getting Past Your Mental Roadblocks to Success. Perspective on looking back at your life to see how it’s playing out, ways to grow old gracefully, Bible prophecies coming true, and 5 rules for joyful living. 

January 6, 2025: Has Your Identity Been Leaked in a Security Breach? Most likely, yes, which means your identity is on the Dark Web. If cybercriminals don’t have your personal and financial information yet, they will keep trying to get it so they can sell it on the Dark Web to buyers who could destroy your life.

Copyright © 2025 by Barbara Brabec. All Rights Reserved.