Manna Described

[Editor's Note: This is the second sermon in a three-part series entitled The Heavenly Meal for a Hungry Multitude.]

To see the introduction to this series, please refer to first sermon in the series entitled, "Manna - A Heavenly Meal For A Hungry Multitude. You can use a portion of that introduction with this sermon, and add to it as desired.

I. Notice the Properties of the Manna

A. It was Perplexing

Exodus 16:14-15a, "And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small A round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15a And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was..."

The correlation to Christ once again becomes evident here. When the Israelites saw the manna, they asked, "What is it?" Jesus was also a puzzle to the Jews, almost from the beginning. When Jesus was twelve years old, the doctors and religious leaders were astonished by His wisdom and understanding (Luke 2: 46-47).

Jesus' disciples were amazed and bewildered by His power over the elements (Matt.8: 27). They did not yet perceive that He was the very Son of God.

The Bible says of Jesus, "...the world knew him not..." (John 1: 10b). The sad thing is that untold millions of people still find Jesus Christ a puzzling enigma. They still don't know who He really is. Sadder still are the many Christians who know Him as Savior, and yet don't know Him intimately.

B. It was Pure

Exodus 16:30a, "And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white..."

White is often associated with purity. This is of course one of the predominant qualities of the Lord Jesus. Scripture says of Him, that He was, "...holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from

sinners..." (Heb.7: 26).

When one thinks about Jesus as the living Word (John 1: 1), we are faced with His purity. The Bible says, "Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it" (Ps.119: 140). We can trust Jesus' character; and we can trust His Word, because both are true and pure.

In 1915, A Russian Armenian was reading his Bible when he was beheaded. I saw the Bible-large, thick, and well used. Inside was a reddish stain that permeated most of the book. The stain was the blood of this man, one of more than a million casualties of a religious and ethnic holocaust. Robert A Seiple, President, World Vision, June-July, 1990.

C. It was Pleasant

Exodus 16:31b, "...and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey."

Here we find another picture of Christ Jesus. The sweetness of the Lord Jesus is exhibited throughout the Gospels by His kindly compassion and responsiveness to people in need. The Apostle Peter offers this analysis of Christ.

In 1 Peter 2:22-23 we read, "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:"

Sweetness also speaks of Christ as the Word. The written Word reveals He who is the Living Word. Our sentiments concerning the Word of God should be like those of the psalmist who said, "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Ps.119: 103).

II. Notice the Plentifulness of the Manna

Exodus 16:18-20, "And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it (the manna) till the morning. "Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them."

Dear child of God, there is fullness in Christ. Whatever your need, be it big or small, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient to meet that need.

Philippians 4: 19, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Colossians 2:9-10a, "For in him (Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him..."

Notice also that the manna was to be appropriated for the needs of but one day. The grace of Christ must be appropriated afresh and anew each day. Not only is this true of God's grace, but also of the Word of God's grace as well, "...which is able to build you up" (Acts 20: 32). Just as the manna could not be stored up, but had to be used, so it is with the Christian and the truth of God's Word. Truth that is not used, but only filed away in some book of facts, tends to stink after a while. It's not how much truth you acquire that changes your life, but how much truth you apply that makes the difference.

III. Notice the Preservation of the Manna

Exodus 16:32, 34, "And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept."

I find two significant thoughts that can be derived from this command given to Moses:

1. The first is that the manna was to be remembered

It was to be cherished and remembered as that which nourished and sustained them in the difficulties of their wilderness journey. We too need to remember that it is the grace of Christ and His Word that sustains us in the wilderness of life. Psalm 103: 2 says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:"

2. I also find here a picture of the ascension of Christ

Moses was commanded to take an omer of manna and place it in a golden pot (Heb.9: 4) and set it in the very presence of God in the Tabernacle. This is indicative of Christ, the epitome of God's grace (Rom.3: 24; Gal.2: 21; I Tim.1: 14; II, Tim.1: 9), Who after He had provided the bread of salvation for mankind, ascended up from the wilderness of this sin-cursed world, to take His rightful seat on the throne of His Father (Mark 16: 19).