God wanted
this miracle to be remembered.
Moses said, "The LORD has commanded us to
save some manna, to be kept for our descendants,
so that they can see the food which he gave us to eat in the desert
when he brought us out of Egypt." Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar,
put two quarts of manna in it, and place it in the LORD's
presence
to be kept for our descendants." As the LORD had commanded Moses,
Aaron put it in front of the Covenant Box, so that it could be
kept. (Exo 16:32-34)
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Every day, for eighty years, the
manna lasted for one day only, except the double portion of manna
that was provided on the sixth day, which lasted for two
days.
'Moses said to them, "No one
is to keep any of it for tomorrow." But some of them did not listen
to Moses and saved part of it. The next morning it was full of
worms and smelled rotten, and Moses was angry with them.'
(Exo 16:18-20)
'On the sixth day they
gathered twice as much food, four quarts for each person. ...As
Moses had commanded, they kept what was left until the next day; it
did not spoil or get worms in it.' (Exo 16:22-24)
God really
went out of His way to ascertain that his people
got their weekly rest, because He knew they needed
it.
How far
would you go to ensure that you don't burn out?
- Pieter de
Waal
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Christ is the eternal
'Manna' of Life
The daily manna didn't last. In
contrast to this, the manna placed in the tabernacle
was never refreshed or replaced. This manna was preserved from
corruption by the tabernacle. God's miracles and mercies are always
to be remembered, to encourage us to trust Him at all
times.
Those that ate
manna got hungry again, but those
that feed on Christ by faith shall never hunger.
"I am the bread of life," Jesus told them.
"Those who come to me will never
be hungry; those who believe in me will never be thirsty.
(Joh 6:35)
The way that the
manna came to the Israelites, compares directly to Christ
.
1. The manna
came on a daily
basis, sufficient for each day.
"When they measured it, those who gathered
much did not have too much, and those who
gathered less did not have too little. Each had gathered just
what he needed." (Exo 16:18)
The Lord thus
encourages us to do daily reading of the Word at the beginning of
each day.
There are two
mistakes we normally make:
Eating yesterday's
bread - Don't
eat stale bread. Yesterday's bread can kill you!
Don't live from past revelations. You need fresh revelation each
day.
Eating spiritual
fast food -
take proper time to get a balanced
meal from the Word of God, prepared by God himself.
2. The
manna was provided in close proximity to where they were
staying.
"And in the morning there was dew all
around the camp. When the dew evaporated, there was something
thin and flaky on the surface of the desert. It was as delicate as
frost." (Exo 16:13-14)
Christ is within
reach of all of us through his word.
3. The manna
came with the
dew.
"When the dew evaporated, there was
something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert. It was as
delicate as frost. When the Israelites saw it, they didn't know
what it was and asked each other, "What is it?" Moses said to them,
"This is the food that the LORD has given you to eat." (Exo
16:14-15)
The Word of
God always functions in harmony with the Holy Spirit
"When, however, the Spirit comes, who
reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth.
He will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of what
he hears and will tell you of things to come." (Joh
16:13)
4. The manna was to be
distributed by the men as heads of their houses.
"The LORD has commanded that each of you is
to gather as much of it as he needs,
two quarts for each member of his household." (Exo
16:16)
Today it is still
the responsibility of the head of the house to
prepare spiritual food for the members of his household.
5. There never was a
surplus of manna.
"When they measured it, those who gathered
much did not have too much, and those who
gathered less did not have too little. Each had gathered just what
he needed." (Exo 16:18)
No part of the Word
of God is ever superfluous. There was enough manna for everyone,
but none had too much; so in Christ there is a complete
sufficiency, and no superfluity.
6. There was none
left for the next day
"But some of them did not listen to Moses
and saved part of it.
The next morning it was full of worms and smelled rotten."
(Exo 16:20)
If you don't use
your opportunities, you might lose everything!
"When God gives you your daily manna, heed his
words and you will reap the benefits,
just like the Israelites did when God rained manna all
around the tabernacle."
