The story of the miraculous supply of manna is a reminder of many things. First, it reminds us of the grace of God. Then it reminds us of the provision of God. Then it reminds us of the written Word of God.
Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). We may try to live by any other means, but it won’t be long before we get ravenous for real food!
Maybe we will join a church, knowing somehow our inner hunger pangs have to do with sermons and Bible studies and things like that. We may even try to take notes, but somehow we can’t seem to gather enough to satisfy our spiritual hunger. That is because God wants us to gather our own manna from the Bible.
Do we have a right to expect our leaders to produce bread for us at the drop of a hat? Maybe some of you think that that’s what you are paying the preachers for! After all, they are there to break the Word of God in small enough pieces to nourish us, aren’t they? What are they doing with all that free time during the week? But we must remember that however hard they work, our leaders can provide only a certain amount of spiritual nourishment. We are totally dependent on God to supply our daily bread for us. According to the apostle Paul, in Eph. 4:11-12, the pastor,teacher and other leaders are there to teach and train us to collect our own food. How good is God to allow us a part! So when the Israelites began doing what they did best and started to complain, instead of telling them to quit griping, the God of grace promised His antsy children bread. “I will rain down bread from heaven for you,” He told Moses to tell them (Ex. 16:4).
Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35). God rained Jesus on us from heaven one day, and He still expects us to draw our spiritual lives from Him. He is the Living Word who spoke to us through His life and actions. Those who understand this wrote about Him, and their words are recorded in the Bible. If we will only read it, those words will help us get to know the very One who is our very food and will teach us how to feed on Him! God patiently worked with the disgruntled multitude. He instructed Moses to instruct them! He gave the Israelites all the information they needed to survive. God wants us to do the same today.
Have you learned how to collect your own manna, or is the Bible still a complete mystery to you? Are you frightened of it? Is it still a big, dark house that you are reluctant to enter? Do you still take a trip to a church once or twice a month and then grumble about the pastor’s sermon? By all means go to church, but why don’t you buy a Bible, or if you have one, get it down from the top shelf, dust it off, and begin to cook yourself a good meal?
