Bread from heaven

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Bread from heaven

Exodus 16:12 In the morning you shall be filled with bread, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.

Exodus 16:13-15

 13 So it came about . . . In the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.

 15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”

“The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys” (Malcolm S. Forbes).

So often people are not satisfied with what they have. It seems that they always want something else, something more. When does this begin? It seems to set in at a very young age. Commonly a child is not satisfied with their toys for very long. They often want something different. Particularly if it’s something that someone else has and enjoys. The point is that whatever we have is never enough.

So it was with the children of Israel in the wilderness. They had just witnessed ten of the greatest miracles of the Old Testament. That was soon followed by the amazing miracle of the opening of the Red Sea, allowing them to escape Pharaoh’s army while destroying it at the same time. They had been set free and given liberty from their taskmasters. They were no longer slaves to the Egyptians. Were they grateful? Did they give thanks and praise the Father? Sadly no! They complained and were not satisfied with what they had.

Exodus 16:2-3

 2 The whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

 3 “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

Whatever gratitude they had did not last long. Rather than being thankful for what they had, they focused on what they did not have. It seems incredulous. Until we examine our own hearts and realize that we do pretty much the same things.

The Father graciously gave them what they asked for.

Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day.”

Exodus 16:14-15

 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.

 15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

When the Jewish people saw the bread from heaven laying on the ground, they did not know what it was, so they said, “What is it?” In Hebrew, the word translated what is ma. The word translated, “I pray thee (KJV),” or please is na. Together, the words become ma-na. Ma-na is the source of the Greek word manna and ultimately the English word manna.

The people walking about questioning, wondering what it is that they see, they keep asking, “What is this please?” That is, “Ma-na, ma-na, Ma-na”? So the people call it – manna (Exodus 16:11). Father has a sense of humor that bubbles up now and then. As He observes them, somehow I see Him smiling

Manna was the bread of heaven. It was a supernatural provision that lasted for 40 years. But it was much more. It was a prophecy, a picture that one day the Father would provide a far more wonderful and satisfying bread of heaven.

Deuteronomy 8:3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

How can we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord?

REFLECT & PRAY

“When Jesus called Himself ‘the Living Bread,’ He was not claiming to be exactly like the manna. He was claiming to be even greater!”(Wiersbe)!

Father thank You for providing the True Bread of Heaven, your Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for drawing each child of the King to the Lord Jesus Christ.

INSIGHT

In John 6, a dialogue ensues between the Jewish religious leaders and the Lord Jesus Christ. Ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ claims to be sent by the Father as the true bread which comes out of heaven.

He tells the crowd that the Father wants them to believe in the One whom He sent. The crowd responds by saying if You make such extraordinary claims, show us a sign that we would believe in You.

Speaking of bread, they are thinking about the time when the Father provided the bread of heaven through Moses, manna.

John 6:35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

They began to murmur. They could not fully agree because they knew that he was the son of Joseph and Mary. How can He say that He came from heaven?

In response, the Lord Jesus Christ makes even bolder statements.  So bold in fact that some heard a veiled, even ridiculous suggestion of cannibalism.

But the answer to the mystery of this passage is found within it. When understood, it explains itself and the mystery is resolved.

John 6:53-58

 53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.”

 54 “But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.”

 55 “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”

 58 “I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did even though they ate the manna but will live forever.”

This discussion is about how to internalize, take within the true bread of heaven. There is no physical bread present, only the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not intending for them to eat Him or drink His blood.  

John 6:35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

To cease to be hungry, eat, that is, come to Him. To cease to be thirsty, drink, that is believe in Him.

But there’s more.

All children of the King can partake of the spiritual  bread from heaven. Spend time in the Word of God, and take in the words of come from his mouth.

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