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When the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron because
they had nothing to eat, the Lord answered their needs by giving them
daily bread to eat. This is the law of that bread that God gave them:
Ex. 16:4 "Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from
heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate
every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or
no. 5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall
prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they
gather daily."
Moreover, the
parameters of their gathering of the manna are set forth as follows: Ex.
16:14 "And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of
the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost
on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one
to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said
unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16
This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man
according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number
of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.
17 And the
children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18 And
when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing
over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man
according to his eating. 19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till
the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some
of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and
Moses was wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every
man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 22
And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much
bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation
came and told Moses.
The nature of
the manna is set forth as follows: Ex. 16:31 "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. 32 And Moses said,
This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be
kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have
fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of
Egypt."
Furthermore, a
homer of this manna was laid up for a memorial to the children of
Israel: Ex. 16:33 "And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an
omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept
for your generations. 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it
up before the Testimony, to be kept." Later this memorial of manna was
placed in the Ark of the Covenant for safe-keeping.
The things we
are told of this manna in the wilderness very closely parallel what we
know about the scriptures themselves:
1. This manna
was daily food for the children of Israel. It provided their daily
sustenance. Likewise, the scriptures are food or sustenance to the souls
of the children of God:
a. Deu. 8:3 "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed
thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know;
that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man
live."
b. Matt. 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth
of God."
2. This manna was to be gathered daily, except on the Sabbath day:
a. Ex. 16:26 "Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which
is the sabbath, in it there shall be none."
b. In the Lord's sample prayer he said, Matt. 6:11 "Give us this day our
daily bread."
3. The manna was white in color. The color white is associated with the
subject of righteousness in the scriptures: Ps. 19:8 "The statutes of
the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is
pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring
for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether."
4. The manna had to be gathered. Likewise, we are to labor by reading,
studying and meditating on the word of God:
a. 2 Tim. 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
b. 1 Tim.4:13 "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation,
to doctrine."
c. 1 Tim. 4:15 "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them;
that thy profiting may appear to all."
5. In gathering the manna, the children of Israel had to humble
themselves by stooping down upon the ground to gather it. Likewise, to
gather the spiritual food of the scriptures, we must humble ourselves:
Luke 10:21 "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these
things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes:
even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."
6. The manna was sufficient to the needs of the children of Israel.
Likewise, the scriptures are sufficient to our spiritual nutritional
needs as children of God:
a. 2 Tim. 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works."
b. 1 Pet. 2:2 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby:"
c. Heb. 5:12 "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have
need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the
oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of
strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word
of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them
that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil."
d. Acts 20:28 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the
flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed
the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."
e. 1 Pet 5:2 "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy
lucre, but of a ready mind;"
The memorial of manna was placed in the Ark of the Covenant for safe
keeping. The Ark of the Covenant is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
Lord said concerning his keeping of the scriptures:
a. Matt. 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth
of God."
b. Matt. 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say
unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Jesus Christ is
the only one who has continued in all things that are written in the
book of the law to keep them.
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