"The Covenant Bread" Exodus 16:22-26

Introduction

When the children of Israel were in the wilderness of Sin when the food began to run short and the people grumbled against Moses. They said back up in verse 3 of chapter 16:

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.”

Moses pointed out that their grumbling was really against the Lord, not him.

But the Lord spoke to Moses of His coming provision to the people. He declared that He would give them quail that evening and “bread from heaven” the next morning.

Our text this morning focuses in on the bread portion of God’s provision. And there is an important spiritual connection to the believer’s life in Christ that the whole of Scripture is emphasizing to us.

And this has significant spiritual implications for us as the covenant people of God. Look at the provision of God in verses 22-24 of your text:

I. The Provision (22-24).

Make no mistake about it, the Lord was the one who provided the bread from heaven. It was simply called “Manna” in Hebrew which is simply translated “What is it?”

It was a fine, flake like thing, and they were to gather for 5 days a portion for their daily needs. And they were not to keep any as left overs for the next day.

Whatever they kept leftover would stink, rot and become worm infested.

The 6th day was an exception to this rule. They could labor to gather a double portion on the 6th day.

They would eat one portion for the 6th day and keep the second portion for the 7th day. This second portion would not stink or rot and nor would it become infested with worms.

This provision was something that the Lord made for them to eliminate the need for them to work on the Sabbath.

Sabbath rest was a principle that was instituted by God in the creation account of Genesis chapters 1-2.

This Sabbath provision is one that God provided but they would not labor for it on the Sabbath. The Lord preserved Manna for them to eat that didn’t need to be worked for but was preserved and provided for by the Lord.

Christian it is not hard to see that the Lord is teaching His people to be dependent on Him for their provision of daily bread.

The basic needs to sustain life are provided for us by the Lord when you trace those basic provisions to their origination.

And no, the ingredients don’t originate from Walt’s and neither does the bread. You can buy the ingredients and prepacked bread there but bread doesn’t have its origin from Walt’s.

God is the one who provides the sustenance of life for His people. Actually all creatures are dependent upon the Lord for the sustenance for life.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:11 it included an appeal to the Lord to, “give us this day our daily bread.”

The physical and material aspects of bread or the sustenance of life are provided for by God.

Man may labor with his hands for it but the primary factors for that labor to produce food is dependent on the Lord.

But this text is not primarily trying to lay down the principle that the Lord is ultimately the Head of the food chain.

But there is a pattern being established here that is pointing the people of God to His covenant provision to us in Christ. Look back at your text to verses 25-26:

II. The Pattern (25-26).

The pattern was being established by the Lord that the second part of the double portion would be there for them on that 7th day.

It was the Sabbath portion that was not to be labored for so that the Sabbath could be upheld and celebrated in worship to the Lord.

This portion would not stink, rot and nor would it have worms in it. It was preserved for them by the provision of the Lord without their labor on the Sabbath day.

In John 6 Jesus had fed the 5000 the day before and the people seek Him out and what they want is more bread from Jesus. Then the Lord Jesus tells them in John 6:26-27: 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

When Jesus says, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life,” He is referring to that second portion that was preserved and provided for the Sabbath.

It was a day of rest where no work was to be done. It is the picture of God’s provision of grace to the people of God that is pointing the people away from the works of their hands and towards the gracious provision of God in Christ.

But how do we know that Jesus has “Manna” in the wilderness in mind in verses 26-27? Jesus fully knows right where the Jews are going in John 6. He already has their number because they want a miraculous sign in verse 30 and they pick Manna in John 6:31–34: 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 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. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus identifies the true Bread of Heaven as being the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Christian the Historical events of Exodus 16 are establishing history as an allegorical event of the Spiritual reality of Christ. And it runs all through John 6. Turn there and look at it Christian. Starting in verse 35: 35 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. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 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.” 41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Christian the pattern is unmistakable. Jesus is bringing the historical record to bear of those Jews of His day and John is recording it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Like the Lord provided physical food for His people in the wilderness of Sin so has the Lord provided spiritual nourishment for us in Christ in this wilderness of the world.

Like bread is to our physical bodies Christ is Spiritual bread for our life in Him.

Unbeliever without the bread of life there is no eternal life with God but only the eternal torment and separation from Him.

But the Lord has provided for you and He issues His call of the gospel upon your life today, that you would believe the gospel of His provision of grace unto salvation. Believe!

Conclusion:

Christian He didn’t come into the world to just save us but to become our Spiritual sustenance that we are dependent on for life in this world and life eternal in a new heavens and a new earth.

This table points us to this reality. Christ is with us and He calls us to gather as the family of God at His table.

I can still remember hearing those words from either my Mom or my Dad after working all day or playing: Wash up, its time to eat.

And our heavenly Father is telling us the same thing in preparation for His table. Wash up its time to eat.

We wash in the cleansing flood of the blood of Christ and the provision of grace that our Lord bestows upon us.

Examine your heart today and confess your sin confident in His provision to cleanse us and forgive us of all of our unrighteousness in Christ.

Come to Him and feast on the Bread of Heaven, the covenant Bread of the people of God. Let’s Pray!