My Dear Friend,

After being freed from bitter bondage to Pharaoh, the children of Israel received a sweet blessing from God: bread from heaven!

God told Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not" (Exodus 16:4, NKJV). Let's examine this text more closely.

God was personally involved in this feeding work: "I will rain..." His charitable contribution would be bread, the very staff of life: "rain bread..." Unlike any other, this bread was divine, holy, from another world, from God's very presence in heaven: "bread from heaven." It was an exclusive distribution, reserved only for God's covenant people: "bread from heaven for you..." It was a very personal distribution, divinely given according to every individual's appetite: "every man according to his eating," or "as much as he could eat" (16:21, ESV). So, those who wanted more could have more, while those satisfied with less had less. How wonderful that almighty God should send each Israelite a personally tailored breakfast, every day, in every place they encamped, and all while in a starkly barren wasteland! But there's more.

God did not put this bread in their mouths, or hands. They had to rise every morning and gather it for themselves - or go hungry: "The people shall go out and gather..." They gathered enough to meet everyone's daily nutritional needs, "a day's portion" (ESV), on average two quarts (one omer) per person, with those needing less apparently sharing their extra with those needing more, so no food was wasted and no one went hungry. This bread-gathering discipline was to occur not once or twice a week but daily (except for the seventh day): "a certain quota every day ..." The people were not to fear God wouldn't provide the next morning and, therefore, try to keep some manna overnight (except the evening before the Sabbath): "Do not leave of it [overnight] till the morning" (Exodus 16:19). The people were not to search for manna on the Sabbath morning, as none was given on that day He set aside for rest: "The seventh day . . . there shall be none" (Exodus 16:26).

By sending this manna only as the dew fell each night (Numbers 11:9), God required His people to gather it at a specific time - in the early morning hours: "They gathered it every morning" (Exodus 16:21). To ensure they would conform to His plan, the bread dissolved by mid-morning: "When the sun became hot, it melted" (Exodus 16:21). Thus, the Hebrews had to form an entirely new way of life centered around God and His loving gift of heavenly bread delivered to their camp first thing every morning. If not, they would starve. Obviously, the desert had no other sufficient food sources.

This morning manna discipline also served another purpose. It was a divinely planned examination: "That I may test them, whether they will walk in my law, or not" (Exodus 16:4). God rained manna every day, and twice as much the sixth day (for the Sabbath), and then waited to see how the people would respond. Their actions revealed their hearts, where they truly stood with Him.

Some gathered at God's time. Others rose late and found the manna melted. Some did not try to keep the manna overnight. Others did so, only to discover it had bred worms. Some did not try to gather manna on the Sabbath. Others did so, defying God's orders; but, as He warned, they found no manna (Exodus 16:27). Thus, manna tested the trust and submission of God's people, exposing their true faith and obedience. What is God trying to tell us?

Simply this: manna is still falling! Not Israel's literal sweet-tasting bread, but Christians' spiritual bread. Our manna consists of many kinds of Word-bread: fresh biblical insights; sustaining comfort from the Psalms; succinct wisdom from Proverbs; inspiring Old Testament biographies and events; new discoveries about Christ in the Gospels; biblical revelations of God's nature, desires, plan, and ways of working; samples of His blessings and judgments; and understanding of Bible prophecies. Specifically, our manna is any timely scriptural portions that perfectly fit our current situational needs and trying tests. As we "eat" this spiritual bread - ponder, believe, and obey it - the living Bread, Christ (John 6:31-35, 49-58), nourishes and sustains us in our trials just as He did the Israelites in their wilderness testing. And there's more.

Our manna is dew bread. As we offer God thanksgiving, songs, and worship, the dew of His Spirit falls and, in His presence, He teaches us, opening our mind to discover manna in God's Word. Our manna is sweet bread. However bitter our trials or hateful our opponents, our manna is so sweet that it heals our troubled hearts, leaving us blessed, gracious, and free from all self-pity and bitterness in even the most pitiful, bitter situations.

Our manna is also faith bread. Every morning we seek God eagerly, confident that, in His unfailing faithfulness, He has already provided our manna and all we need to do is prayerfully rise and seek it. Our manna is shared bread. As the Israelites lovingly shared manna with each other, we share our timely biblical insights with others, who may find it just as timely, nourishing, and inspiring.

Our manna is saving bread. Manna saved Israel from starvation in its wilderness trials. Similarly, our manna saves us by preventing our faith and hope from failing in our tests of enduring faith, faithfulness, and love. Our manna is prophetic bread. Israel's manna was a type of Christ, a foretaste of the First Advent of the Bread of Life. Every time we eat spiritual manna, we "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8) and look forward to the living Bread's Second Advent. Now let's apply these truths to our lives.

Like the Israelites, we won't receive manna effortlessly. We must seek it, expecting God to personally feed us with spiritual bread from heaven every morning - as we prayerfully, patiently, thoughtfully read and research His Word. We should gather "according to our eating," or as much as we need to restore our soul to full strength. Then, when the "sun" is hot, or our daily trials heat up, we are already spiritually nourished and ready for them.

And let us remember these truths. The dew brings our manna. Are we asking our Father for the fresh "dew" of His Spirit daily, so He may open to us manna from God's Word? Our manna is powerfully sweet, so strong it enables us to endure the hardest experience with a sweetly content, joyful spirit. We should seek manna by faith in God's faithfulness, coming eagerly to His Word daily, knowing He has already prepared spiritual bread for us. Every day we should share our manna with someone, to bless them, and also to release God's hand to give us even more to have and share. When pressed nearly to death, we discover our manna is saving bread, always sufficient to rescue us from cowardly panic, carnal retaliation, and the discouragement of unbelief. And our manna is prophetic; the Good Shepherd, who is feeding us every morning, will soon appear to take us, His flock and bride, to "be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:17, NLT).

Summing up, gracious as He is, God may give us spiritual manna any time we draw near Him day or night. The above-described pattern, however, remains His perfect will, or preferred plan. And it is testing us. Will we fully trust and obey, fully please Him, and receive the full amount of manna He provides daily? May this message motivate us to make whatever changes are necessary to do so.

Conforming to His plan,

Dr. Greg Hinnant

GREG HINNANT MINISTRIES