Manna

And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16: 2 3)

After enduring the drinking water crisis, the people of Israel are complaining about the food crisis now. They still couldn't trust Moses and Aaron as well as God. So, God told Moses to tell the people of Israel what to do as described below.

“I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people 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 that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” (Exodus 16: 12 to 16)

God not only provided Israelites the bread and meat but also disciplined them to be obedient as described below.

But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” (Exodus 16: 20 to 26)

Israelites called the bread manna as they said to one another "What is it?" and ate it for 40 years as described below.

The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (Exodus 16: 35)

Israelites failed God many times during the 40 years. Yet, they kept God's command to obey the Sabbath during those years. The manna never stopped coming down from heaven during the 40 years. So, when the Jews saw Jesus fed the five thousands, they requested Jesus for the manna as described below.

Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” (John 6: 31 to 34)

So, Jesus answered them as below.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. (John 6: 35 36)

Jesus is the manna. Yet, they didn't believe him. To receive the manna, we need to believe and accept Jesus Christ because he is the Lord of the Sabbath as described below.

I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12: 6 to 8)

As the ancestors of the people of Israel, if we accept and obey Christ Jesus as the lord of the Sabbath then we will receive not only the heavenly manna but also the eternal life as promised by Jesus Christ as described below.

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6: 40)

As the Israelites received the manna by obeying the Sabbath as God commanded, we will also receive the manna and eternal life by obeying the lord of Sabbath, Jesus Christ. Emmanuel.

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