Shadowland: Redemption: Week 15

The Bread from Heaven

• 16:1 They left Egypt on the 15th of the first month, a Friday. It has been one lunar month, 29½ days, so this is Saturday. Moses knew the lethal deprivations of the wilderness from 40 years experience, hence it took great faith to follow the cloud into the midst of it with 2 million people and their flocks. Christ came into a world of deprivation, and himself suffered hunger and thirst.
• 16:2 "the whole congregation grumbled" - the unbelief and rebellion highlight the unmerited favor of God's grace. As it was the whole congregation, so "there is none righteous", Romans 3:10.
• 16:4 "I will rain down bread from heaven for you." As the manna came from heaven, so the Word of God is a supernatural gift. Jesus tells us that He is the true bread from heaven, John 6:32, hence the manna tells us about Christ.

  "gather each day" - the bread of heaven meets a daily need. Every day we need the Word of God.

• 16:5 The manna begins on Sunday, and the sixth day will be Friday.
• 16:8 God graciously answered both their complaints, supplying both meat and bread.
• 16:10 "the glory of the LORD appeared" at the coming of the manna, "and we beheld his glory" at the coming of Christ, John 1:14.
• 16:13 "lay round about the host" - as the manna came to where the people were, so the Word of God is near you, Romans 10:8. The quail came when the Sabbath was over at sundown. As the manna came in the darkness before dawn, so when we were without strength Christ died for us, Romans 5:6. As the manna was gathered in the morning, so the Word of God must be gathered each morning to sustain us through the day.
• 16:14 "a small round thing" - the English Word of God is only 5 million characters uncompressed.
• 16:15 "Mannah?" - "What is it?"

  "the bread the LORD has given you" - the manna was a free gift, as was Christ. It was incomprehensible to them, as the natural man cannot understand the Word, 1 Corinthians 2:14. The manna was to be eaten. The Word of God must be meditated upon, and taken into the heart.

• 16:16 "everyone is to gather" - as with the manna, Christ must be received by each individual. As the people laboured to gather the tiny seeds of manna, so we labour to gather our daily food from the Word.
• 16:18 The manna met each individual need, so does Christ. In Numbers 11:4, the manna is despised by those who were not of Israel. So Christ is despised by those who are not His.
• 16:19 "let no man leave of it till morning" - the Word of God must be used. Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, James 1:22.
• 16:24 "and it did not stink" - as the manna was preserved on the Sabbath, so God did not "allow his holy one to see decay" on the Sabbath, Psalm 16:10.
• 16:28 "how long refuse ye" - "ye" is second person plural, something lost in modern translations.
• 16:31 "white in color" - the color of the manna speaks of the spotless purity of Christ. "with honey" - the manna was sweet to the taste, as are the words of Christ, Jeremiah 15:16.
• 16:33 "lay it up before the LORD" - so Christ is before God on our behalf, Hebrews 9:24. As the manna was preserved in the ark, so the Word of God has been preserved for us.
• 16:35 As the manna lasted until Israel reached Caanan, so the Word of God sustains us in the wilderness of the world - until we reach Heaven.