1. The Giving of the Manna in the Wilderness
After the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, they journeyed into the Wilderness of Sin. They complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you." The next morning, a fine, flaky substance lay on the ground like frost. The people asked, "What is it?" Moses said, "This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat."
2. The Characteristics of the Manna
The manna was white like coriander seed. Its taste was like wafers made with honey. It appeared each morning after the dew evaporated. The people gathered it daily, an omer per person. If anyone gathered more than needed, it bred worms and stank. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much, and it did not spoil, because the next day was the Sabbath. The manna continued for forty years, until they entered the Promised Land. It ceased the day after they ate the produce of Canaan. The manna was a supernatural provision, a daily miracle.
3. The Manna Was Bread from Heaven
Moses declared to Israel, "He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." The manna came from heaven, not from the earth. It was not produced by human labor. It was a gift. Jesus emphasized this when He said, "Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven." The manna was a type; Christ is the reality.
4. The Manna Was Given Daily, Not Once
The manna was given daily, not stored in barns for future use. The people could not harvest enough for a week except before the Sabbath. This taught Israel to depend on God each day for their sustenance. They could not rely on yesterday's manna. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." Believers must come to Christ daily. He is not a one-time provision but a daily bread. The manna points to the need for constant, daily dependence on Christ, the bread of life.
5. The Manna Was Sufficient for All
Each person gathered an omer, and there was enough for everyone. Those who gathered much had nothing left over, and those who gathered little had no lack. God provided exactly what was needed. There was enough for the whole congregation. No one went hungry. Christ is sufficient for all who come to Him. He is the bread of life, and whoever comes to Him will never hunger. There is no shortage. The manna's sufficiency points to the all-sufficiency of Christ for every sinner who believes.
6. The Manna Was Free, Not Earned
The manna was a gift. It did not come by human labor. The Israelites did not plant, water, or harvest. It was rained from heaven. Salvation is not by works. It is the gift of God. The manna could not be bought with silver or gold. It was free. So Christ is freely offered to all who thirst. Isaiah prophesied, "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat." The manna points to the free grace of God in Christ.
7. The Manna Was Preserved as a Memorial
The Lord commanded Moses to take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and to set it before the Lord to be kept for generations. This pot of manna was placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. It was a memorial of God's provision. The writer of Hebrews mentions the golden pot that had the manna. This preserved manna points to Christ, who is the hidden manna. In Revelation, Jesus promises, "To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat." The hidden manna speaks of the eternal sustenance found in Christ.
8. Jesus Declared, "I Am the Bread of Life"
After feeding the five thousand, the people followed Jesus, seeking more bread. He said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you." He then declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." Jesus explicitly identified Himself as the fulfillment of the manna. He is the true bread from heaven.
9. The Manna Was Eaten by Those Who Died
Jesus noted that the fathers who ate the manna in the wilderness died. The manna sustained physical life temporarily, but it could not give eternal life. The generation that ate manna in the wilderness perished in the desert because of unbelief. The manna was a shadow, not the substance. It pointed to something greater. Christ gives eternal life. Those who eat the bread that comes down from heaven will never die. The manna was a type; Christ is the antitype. He is superior in every way.
10. The Believer Must Eat the Bread of Life
Jesus said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." To eat the bread of life is to believe in Jesus Christ. It is to receive Him, trust Him, and make Him part of oneself. As the manna was ingested physically, so Christ is ingested spiritually through faith. The believer who feeds on Christ will never hunger. Let everyone who thirsts come to Him and eat.
Conclusion
The manna was the bread from heaven that God provided for Israel in the wilderness. It was given daily, was sufficient for all, and was a free gift. Jesus explicitly identified Himself as the fulfillment of the manna, declaring, "I am the bread of life." The manna sustained physical life temporarily, but Christ gives eternal life. Let every believer feed on the true bread from heaven, Jesus Christ, who alone can satisfy the hungry soul.