Using Mary Boys' mapping grid, it is clear that this particular lesson provides space for understanding what it means to be religious, but not for educating in faith. The lesson focuses on a personal understanding of what God does for us, but no instruction on how we should respond to God's providence. The story of the manna in the wilderness is dialectical - it is as much about our reaction to God's instructions and promises as our trust confidently in God - but the lesson only reflects half the story.

The Questions section focuses primarily on the relationship between revelation and faith (in that God's provision for the Israelites in the wilderness reminds us that God also provides for us), and questions for the Older children is primarily interested in the significance of worship. In the experiential activities (Cooking Station and Game Station) the children are invited to participate in the re-creation of manna gathering and eating, which is a way of "attending to the experience of conversion." The Israelites could not understand the miracle of the manna without having faith in a God who could provide.

However, a consideration of what the "manna in the wilderness" means for our actions (not our beliefs) is missing. The goal of education appears to be to create good and moral citizens, to inspire pietistic good behavior. This is valuable and necessary, but it lacks the whole story of the manna miracle, which is that the Israelites learned to be dependent on God and to respect each other's needs. The provision of the manna was not meant to last forever; it would eventually end when the Israelites took the promised land. God wanted them to remember, even when they were growing their own crops and no longer so clearly depending on God's providence, that all was still dependent on God, and that the chosen people of God were to take only what they needed and to provide for the needy among them. There is no social awareness in this lesson or intentional action beyond thankfulness.

This is a great lesson if used as a starting-off point for the story of the manna in the wilderness, but it needs to add more of Boys' education in faith portions to fully tell the story.