Receiving The Bread Of Life
“Then said the Lord unto Moses, I will rain bread from Heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4).
The children of Israel had just been delivered from Eygpt and had been in the wilderness for about a month. They were quick to complain to Moses about their current location and had even wished that they had died at the hand of God back in Eygpt. They wanted to return to Eygpt where they falsely claimed that “we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full.” The truth was that they were slaves and harshly treated by the Egyptians. They had eaten slave food in Eygpt and would see the Lord provide them with Angels’ food in the wilderness.
“Men (the Israelites) did eat angels’ food, He sent them food to the full” (Psalm 78:25).
The Lord graciously sent quail for them to eat in the evening, and rained down bread from Heaven for them in the morning. The quail seemed to be supplied this once and possibly on rare occasions. When they saw the Lord’s provision of bread from Heaven they didn’t know what it was so they called it “Manna.” It was graciously provided by the Lord for all of the forty years they were in the wilderness.
They were to gather it each morning in an amount to be enough for a one-day provision for each person. They were not to gather more than they needed for the day. Those that did gather more than needed found it bred worms and stank. On the sixth day, they were to gather twice as much for each individual. This was so they would have provision for the seventh day which was the Sabbath instituted by the Lord on which day they were not allowed to work.
The manna given them by the Lord showed the Lord’s grace and mercy towards them and represented the true Bread from Heaven; the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says that “The glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud” the first time the manna was provided. “The glory of the Lord” and the true bread from Heaven would be fully revealed when Jesus came in the flesh and dwelt among us. The Word says “we beheld His glory.” So, the manna was a type of God’s provision of His Son that the world might not perish, not of hunger, but as the result of our fallen nature. The following well-known verse says it best:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life,” (John 3:16).
The manna miraculously provided to Israel in their great need for sustenance points, in type, to Christ as our daily provision. Some of the interesting facts about the manna sent from the Lord that point to in type to Christ are the following: It was given freely by the Lord (Grace); it was given only to Israel (only believers receive from the Lord); the manna came to them where they were (the Lord finds us); each individual had to gather the manna for himself (everyone must come to the Lord individually); the manna lasted only the day (we must place our faith in the Lord on a daily basis); the manna was white (the purity of Christ); it was sweet to the taste (living for the Lord is the most wonderful life). And lastly, as the Manna was Israel’s source of sustenance for the forty years in the desert; we are kept by grace through faith in Christ and Him crucified, with the Lord providing for all our needs. The following verse says it well:
“According to His Divine Power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him Who Has called us to knowledge and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).
All of this story of the Lord’s gracious provision of manna in the desert is a wonderful picture of the Lord’s care for us and His love that brought us a Savior. The true “Bread from Heaven” was sent by the Lord in His grace and mercy. Just as the Israelites were in a wilderness and in need of daily sustenance; we are in the wilderness of sin and can only find our daily sustenance in the One that loved us and left His home in glory to die on a cross for the sin that has us in bondage. The Lord made this very clear in the following verse:
“I (Jesus) am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven: if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of this world (the cross)” (John 6:51).
“….He who believes on Me has everlasting life. I am the Bread of Life” John 6:47,48).
The Lord calls out to us and points us to the “Living Bread which came down from Heaven.” It is freely given by the Lord in His Grace and mercy. We must receive this “Living Bread” by placing our faith in the Lord and His sacrificial work at Calvary. Only those that come to Him in repentance and faith receive, but those that do come experience the blessings of the Lord in this life and in the (eternal) life to come. As has been said, living for the Lord is the most wonderful life. The Lord has proven His love for us and draws us to Himself. In the following verse, the Lord makes His love for us abundantly clear:
“….Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness, I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3).
If you do not know the Lord; He is only a prayer away! The following is the Sinner’s Prayer prayed by millions down through the years:
The Sinner’s Prayer
Dear God in Heaven,
I come to you in the Name of Jesus. I’m sorry for my sins. The way I’ve lived, the things I’ve done. Please forgive me. Cleanse me with your Precious Blood from all unrighteousness. With my mouth, I confess Jesus Christ. In my heart, I believe God raised Jesus from the dead, and He is alive. At this very moment I accept Jesus Christ as the savior of my soul. And I make Him the Lord of my life. According to your Word which cannot lie: I am washed, I am forgiven. I am saved. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer and believed, according to God’s Word, you have passed from death to life. You have been born again (born from above)! Praise the Lord.
“That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”
“For with the heart man believes unto Righteousness: and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9,10).
Remember Always,
God Loves You!
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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2022
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