Israel in the Wilderness

This week in the BEP we are looking at God’s provision for Israel during their 40 year wilderness wandering period.

I want to do a study specifically on the miracle provision of the Manna from Heaven.

This chapter should be read in connection with John 6, for the manna from heaven is a type of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.

It also illustrates the written Word of God on which God’s pilgrim people feed from day to day.

Matthew 4:4 BSB

4 But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Let us read this story:

The Manna Explains Who Jesus Is

Exodus 16:15 BSB

15 When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

The Hebrew word manna means “What is it?” (v. 15), the statement of the Jews when they could not explain this new food that God had sent.

1 Timothy 3:16 BSB

16 By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.

“Great is the mystery of godliness,” writes Paul in 1 Tim. 3:16. “God was manifest in the flesh.” Consider how the manna pictures Jesus Christ:

His humility.

Exodus 16:14 BSB

14 When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground.

It was small (v. 14), which speaks of His humility; for He became a baby, and even a servant.

His eternal nature.

Exodus 16:14 NKJV

14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

It was round (v. 14), which reminds us of the circle, symbol of His eternality; for Jesus Christ is eternal God.

His holiness.

Exodus 16:31 BSB

31 Now the house of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

It was white (v. 31), a reminder of His purity and sinlessness; He is the holy Son of God.

His sweetness.

Exodus 16:31 BSB

31 Now the house of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

It was sweet (v. 31).

Psalm 34:8 BSB

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Note in Num. 11:4–8

Numbers 11:4–8 BSB

4 Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat? 5 We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. 6 But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!” 7 Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin. 8 The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil.

Note that the “mixed multitude” that went with the Jews did not appreciate the taste of the manna but asked for the “leeks, onions, and garlic” of Egypt.

They were not satisfied with simple manna.

They “ground it, beat it, and baked it,” but then it tasted like “oil” and not like honey.

There is a spiritual lesson here for us; we cannot improve upon the simple Word of God.

Psalm 119:103 BSB

103 How sweet are Your words to my taste— sweeter than honey in my mouth!

The Manna Illustrates How Jesus Came

It came from heaven.

It was not imported from Egypt, or manufactured in the wilderness; it was given from heaven, the gift of God’s grace.

Jesus Christ came down from heaven as the Father’s gift to hungry sinners.

John 6:33 BSB

33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

To say that Christ is “just another man” is to deny the teaching of the whole Bible that He is God’s Son sent from heaven.

It came on the dew

Exodus 16:13–14 BSB

13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground.

The dew kept the manna from being defiled by the earth.

Numbers 11:9 BSB

9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

This is a type of the Holy Spirit for when Jesus came to earth, it was through the miracle ministry of the Spirit.

(Luke 1:34–35).

Had Jesus not been born of the virgin, He could never be called “that Holy One.”

It came to a rebellious people.

Exodus 16:1–3 BSB

1 On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. 2 And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”

What poor memories Israel had!

They had been away from the bondage of Egypt only six weeks and had already forgotten God’s many mercies.

They murmured against Moses and against God (see 15:22–27), and they longed for the fleshly diet of the old life; yet God in His grace and mercy supplied them with bread.

Verse 4 could well have read, “I will rain fire and brimstone upon those ungrateful sinners!”

But, no, God proved His love toward them by raining bread upon them.

Exodus 16:4 BSB

4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions.

It fell right where they were.

How easily accessible the manna was to the Jews!

They did not have to climb a mountain or cross a deep river; the manna came where they were.

Jesus Christ is not far away from sinners. They can come to Him at any time.

The Manna Shows What We Must Do with Jesus Christ

We must feel the need.

There is a spiritual hunger within that can be satisfied only by Christ.

John 6:35 BSB

35 Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.

It was when the Prodigal Son said, “I perish with hunger” that he decided to go back to the father and seek forgiveness.

(Luke 15:17–18).

Much of the unrest and sin in the world today is the result of unsatisfied spiritual hunger.

People are living on substitutes and rejecting the nourishment that God freely provides.

We must stoop.

The manna did not fall on the tables or on the trees but on the ground, and the people had to stoop to pick it up.

Many sinners will not humble themselves.

They will not bend!

They will not repent and turn to the Savior!

We must take for ourselves.

The hungry Jews were not fed by looking at the manna, admiring it, or watching others eat it; they had to pick it up and eat it themselves.

Christ must be received inwardly by faith if the sinner is to be saved.

This is what Christ meant in John 6:51–58 by “eating His flesh and drinking His blood.”

John 6:51–58 BSB

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.” 52 At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 6:63 makes it clear that Christ was not speaking about literal flesh and blood,

John 6:63 BSB

63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

and

John 6:68 tells us that it was His Word that He was referring to.

John 6:68 BSB

68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

When we receive the Word inwardly, we are feeding on Christ, the Living Word.

We must do it early

ex 16 21

Exodus 16:21 BSB

21 Every morning each one gathered as much as was needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

Isaiah 55:6 BSB

6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.

is the warning of Isa. 55:6 (NKJV).

The manna disappeared when the sun became hot, and this suggests that the day of judgment will arrive when it will be too late to turn to Christ (Mal. 4).

Conclusion:

How do believers feed on Christ?

By reading, studying, and meditating on His Word.

God invites each of us to get up early in the day and gather from the Word the precious manna to nourish our souls.

We cannot hoard God’s truth for another day (vv. 16–21); we must gather fresh food for each new day.

The daily gathering of the manna was God’s test of Israel’s obedience (v. 4), and it is still God’s test for His people.

Those Christians that begin their day with the Bible, gathering spiritual food, are the ones God can trust and use.

Alas, many Christians still hunger for the carnal diet of the world! (v. 3)

And many expect the pastor or the Sunday School teacher to gather the manna for them and “spoon-feed” them.

The test of our spiritual walk is this: do I think enough of Christ and His Word to start my day gathering manna?