In the Bible, fresh from slavery, the children of Israel reminisced about the good old days of mud brick quotas and “sitting around the fleshpots of Egypt.” (I’m taking a leap here, but I picture “sitting around the fleshpots” as Egyptian chariots encircling pyramidal-shaped fast-food drive-throughs.)
Nostalgia turned to moaning—”Are we there yet, Moses?” and “He’s touching me!” etc.—and was heading toward open revolt.
God spoke. “I will send cookies.” (paraphrased)
The next morning, we read of the earliest known appearance of sugar cookies. The text reads: “Behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing … And the house of Israel called the name thereof ‘Manna’ and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.” Exodus 16:14, 31)
Sounds like sugar cookies to me.
With childlike distrust of any new food, the Israelites called it “manna,” which literally translates, “What is it?”
A cautious taste later, manna was welcomed with open jaws.
Evidently, manna could be made into unlimited entrees’ which kept Mrs. Moses’ 1001 Manna Recipes on the wilderness bestseller list for 40 years.
All kidding aside, there IS something better than cookies for healing and problem solving. David the Psalmist proclaimed it: “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8)
As tasty as sugar cookies are, Jesus reminded Satan, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
Sugar cookies still pacify disgruntled people. The Bible tells us that God sent quail—tastes like chicken! —along with mana for forty years. Not surprisingly, after eating manna for that long of a time, cookies fade from history for a long while.
Apparently, one CAN have enough of a good thing.
Part 3 Grandmother’s Sugar Cookies —Watch for it February 22