Heavenly Manna

"And when they measured by omer, he who gave much had no more, and he who gave little had no less" (Exodus 16:15). ... And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat" (Exodus 16:15).

We understand from (John 6) that "the manna for us, or rather the true bread, is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" (John 6:33), that is, the Lord Jesus. Christ is the one who gives eternal life, and he is the one who nourishes this life. The manna was collected from around the camp by the people.

Exodus 16 provides us with many practical lessons related to the above:-

1- The amount of manna collected depended on the individual’s appetite and ability to eat (v. 18). Thus, we take from Christ as much as we desire. The more the believer is occupied with Christ, the more he is nourished and strengthened.

2- The manna was only for today’s needs, not tomorrow’s. So, to the extent that I have fellowship with Christ today, I will be able to face the difficulties that lie ahead.

3- "The gathering of the manna teaches us a lesson about the life of faith" (v. 18; 2 Cor. 8:15). If the manna was kept in the tents of the people, it would spoil, but being kept in the "divine refrigerators"protected it from spoilage.

5- The children of Israel gathered the manna in the morning, before the sun got hot, otherwise it would melt.

So, may we also do the first thing we do in the morning, to spend time with the Lord before the work of the day absorbs our time and we don’t find an opportunity. Just as we never neglect to satisfy the needs of our bodies, let us never neglect to feed on Christ, "the food that endures to eternal life"(John 6:27).

The chapter concludes with instructions to place an omer (a unit of volume equal to about 2.2 liters) of manna and place it before the Lord for safekeeping. This is the Lord’s portion. It refers to the Lord Jesus who came from heaven, becoming a human being. Then he rose and ascended to heaven with a glorified body. He is in this image for the joy of the Father’s heart. This joy will be shared by the overcomers according to (Revelation 2:17).

By/Youssef Riad