THE LORD IS FULL OF PITY. HE OPENS HEAVEN TO POUR DOWN SUPPLIES. THE SUPPLY IS A MIRACLE!
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not” (Exodus 16:4).
Have you ever wondered why we so quickly forget the goodness of God?—unbelief does have a very short memory. The children of Israel had forgotten the Red Sea in a month. They forgot that hunger could be satisfied. They became very unthankful for their daily provision. Discontent has a slippery memory.
We see in this passage of scripture that God promised to meet the Hebrews’ need for food in the desert, but He decided to test their obedience. God wanted to see if they would obey his detailed instructions. We can learn to trust him as our Lord only by following. We can learn to obey by taking small steps of obedience. God was testing the Israelites and they continued to fail the test. Moses reminded the children of Israelites it was God who allows the test to come. This applies to all of us—our leaders included.
When the Israelites were in Egypt, they shrieked about their oppression, and were ready to give up anything for liberty; when they got it, they are ready to put their necks in the yoke again, if only they can have their stomachs filled. Men do not know how happy they are till they cease to be so. Our present miseries and our past blessings are the themes on which unbelief harps. If only we would learn, at the start of our walk with God, to take our complaint straight to the complaint department we would be so better off—it is the very presence of the Lord we should go to, for He hears our murmurings (see v.8).
Instead of chiding them to get into the Promised Land, the God of grace promised His complaining children bread, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.” Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35). God rained Jesus on us from heaven one day, and expects us to draw our spiritual sustenance from Him.
The Manna from heaven that God rained on His complaining children is a beautiful picture of the Word of God, the Bread of Life, miraculously provided for spiritually needy men and women. The Manna that fell in the wilderness was a great blessing to the people of Israel. It fed them in that harsh land for forty years. God used it to sustain them, strengthen them and to supply them until they arrived in Canaan. The Manna was given to them to feel after fleshly bodies. Of course, the Manna also serves to teach us spiritual truth. The Manna represented who Jesus was—He identified Himself with the ancient Manna that fed Israel.
God had it all figured out there was to be a given quantity daily and twice as much on the sixth day. If a man trusted God for tomorrow, he would be content to stop collecting the Manna. When his need was full he would stop gathering more abundance he did not need and then feed his family. Greed and unbelief would masquerade then as now, under the guise of prudent foresight. Only he who absolutely trusted God to provide for him would eat up his portion, and lie down at night with a quiet heart knowing that He who had fed him would feed.
We must be thankful that God is a patient long-suffering God. Faith is the condition of our receiving His highest gifts; but even unbelief touches His heart with pity, and what He can give to it, He does, if it may be melted into trust. The farther men stray from Him, the tenderer and penetrating His recalling voice. We multiply transgressions—He multiplies mercies.
Manna means, “What is it?” Manna rained down from heaven—it was God’s idea, not men. The Manna was free. All man had to do was go out and collect what he needed for the day each morning. Manna is like free grace. We all deserve judgment and death but God offers life.
The appearance of the Manna is interesting. It was small—this speaks of humility (Phil. 2:5-8). It was round—like a circle that has no beginning and no ending; Jesus Christ is eternally God (John 8:58). It was white—white like the purest of snow. The whiteness of the Manna speaks of the purity of Jesus (Heb. 7:26). It was also sweet—wafers made with honey and sufficient—good for everyone—old and young.
This is a picture of Jesus! He is an all-sufficient Savior. Regardless of where you are in life, or where you have been, Jesus is all you need! Once the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, there was no longer any need for them to have Manna provided.
A person had to stoop and pick up the Manna symbolizing that people had to bend their knees and get down there where it was. Remember, at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow. The Manna had to be swallowed in order to do you any good. It had to get inside you. Until Jesus lives inside you—you can attend church all you want, and read your Bible every day—it still doesn’t mean Jesus owns you. Have you tasted the heavenly Bread? Have you been saved by the grace of God?
People got tired of the Manna—year after year, and that happens to us, too. If we are not hungry for God and in His word every day, we too, will become bored and stop growing spiritually with the Lord. Return to your knees—take the time to get to know the Lord in your heart so, knowing Him feeds your soul—He is the Bread of Life!
The passage shows that the Lord takes a situation of difficulty and an attitude of complaint and He uses it as an opportunity for discipleship. He teaches them even through their grumbling and complaining that He is their provider.
Just as the Manna was gathered daily—we too, need to meet with the Lord every day of every week to keep spiritually fed. Ask God to keep you hungry for the milk and honey—Jesus Christ. He has supernatural food to offer you. It is the Lord Jesus preeminently and the Word of God as the means by which we feed upon the living Manna—Jesus Christ!
