This is the bread. Exodus 16:11-36 To “know the Lord” is more than just trusting Him as our personal Savior. Paul the apostle said, “That I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable unto His death.” That statement encompasses everything that can happen to a believer in this lifetime. Being discontent with what God has graciously given us or withheld from us shows a lack of understanding of the Lord.
There is a hunger in every man, woman, and child that cannot be ignored. Physical hunger manifests in various ways. It starts with a feeling of emptiness inside. Then comes fatigue that quickly turns into weakness. There are twinges of physical discomfort that sometimes become sharp pangs of pain. The body signals that something is missing, and soon, hunger overtakes every thought, guiding every action to satisfy that hunger.
It is the same way with spiritual hunger. In every person's soul, a desire for God has been implanted. God has made us for God, and consequently, there is a hunger for God. But in this deceitful world, there are found those things that are offered to take the place of bread, the staff of life. In Egypt, the children of Israel had leeks, melons, and garlic that attracted their taste but did not meet their basic needs. Much that the world system offers as "spiritual food" is only to satisfy the desire for pleasure and is attractive to the fleshly tastes we have but does not satisfy the fundamental need we have for God Himself.
Despite the complaints of the Israelites, God generously provided for their food needs. Lack of gratitude and trust threaten any relationship, and even though the Lord was displeased with His people's attitude, His love for them motivated Him to meet their physical needs.
Our physical needs are one thing, and our spiritual needs are another, but both are real. In this time and place, we don’t suffer much from lacking physical needs. In contrast, many people’s spiritual needs often seem less urgent than their physical needs because spiritual starvation happens gradually. Even believers who don't actively seek spiritual nourishment from the word of God for themselves lack the nutrients necessary for a healthy spiritual life.
The "bread which came down from heaven" has the power to give life to the world. Christ our Lord is the manna from heaven, on whom our souls must rely for the spiritual food we need. To survive in this wilderness that feels spiritually dry, we must gather nourishment from God’s word each day. Our souls are sustained by what we personally receive to support, instruct, correct, and comfort us through daily reading and meditation on the scriptures of truth. When we read the Bible, the words are given life by the Holy Spirit, enabling us to apply them personally. Grace is provided to help us make what we learn usable.
God has an abundant supply so everyone can eat and be satisfied. It has been made available to all. Emotional attractions and intellectual pursuits do not bring us spiritual fulfillment. Those things come from others or from our own minds. Spiritual needs can only be met by gathering what God has provided. While truth is important for us to serve God effectively, our greatest need is God Himself, who is the Truth.
When one hungers and thirsts after righteousness, they are filled. To gather the manna, the bread from heaven, one needs to rise from where they are, leave what they were doing, and go to where the bread is found. Not habitually taking the time to feed our soul and spirit will soon become obvious to ourselves and, soon after that, to others who know us. What we gather is not to be hoarded but used and shared. There will be plenty there when we return to God's word the next time. Spiritual hunger is met with each bit of heavenly bread, and God is so pleased with what we take in that He gives us more. “Evermore, give us this bread!”
In the camp of Israel, there was a movement among the people during the dark moments just before dawn. From each tent, people would emerge and walk outside to gather the life-giving bread. There weren't large clusters of manna, but small, round portions to be collected one piece at a time. When combined, they formed enough for everyone in the household. "This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat." Each person had specific needs. The children would eat a certain amount, and each member of the household would require different portions. Yet, from the same source, there was easily digestible food with an appealing flavor that could fully satisfy.
How much like "the bread of God" we are able to gather for ourselves, this manna was. Each new day brings new needs. God knows what is needed for each person and has made provisions to meet those needs. It is there for us to take. There is a time to gather what God has provided. There is a time to prepare it so its truths are understandable and applicable. There is a time for eating, and a time for meditating on what we have taken in.
What we gather and feed our souls on now meets our needs for this moment. This will not satisfy the needs of what lies ahead. Each day brings new and different things we might not have considered, but God knows what we need. We might be tempted to ask, “What is it?” when we first gather spiritual thoughts and teachings. Soon, we realize that God has given us exactly what He knew we would need for what was coming.
The bread of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, does not come to us with a mighty rush of wind, fire, storm, or earthquake that shatters the rocks around us to satisfy our spiritual hunger. Instead, He comes quietly and feeds our souls when all other voices are silent, and the life-giving nourishment is available for us to reach out and receive in faith. We nourish ourselves on Him—His purity, His completeness, His perfections, His sweetness, His holiness, and His very life—until He is formed in us.
We do not need to climb a high mountain to find that bread. There is no secret valley floor or particularly lush pasture we must seek to find what our souls require. "But what saith it, the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is the word of faith that we preach." To have sufficient spiritual food on the Lord’s Day, we should prepare the day before. We can offer the Lord our thoughts during worship and remember Him at the Lord’s Supper. Teaching and learning in Sunday School classes or Bible study will be more effective if we have already read and studied the passages beforehand. Conversations with fellow believers become more meaningful when we share spiritual truths together. Gospel messages also nourish and feed the Lord’s people and show the way of salvation for those who are lost.
When we come to Him, who is the Bread of God, we will not hunger or thirst, for He supplies all the spiritual nutrients we need for an effective life and light in the Christian walk here on earth. The way to gather spiritual food, how we use what we learn, and how to preserve it, is to follow the Lord’s instructions. The dimensions, shape, color, and taste of the manna give us food for thought because they so well describe our Lord Jesus Christ. There can be no misunderstanding of the spiritual truths within it relating to the character of our Lord.
The Lord’s provision for Israel was miraculous manna in the morning and quail in the evening. The fact that the meaning of the word manna is “What is it?” assures us it was not something natural to that area, as some people say. The appearance and taste show that it was something people had never experienced before. The amount and the timing of its appearance and disappearance each day, then doubling on the sixth day and not appearing on the seventh day, teach us that God performed a miracle every day for forty years for His people. No matter where they moved, it was there for them in the morning and evening.
The sample they kept in a golden pot that was placed in the ark with the tablets of stone, on which the law was written, never grew maggots, nor did it stink or deteriorate. It served as a unique reminder from God that He is the Creator, Deliverer, Provider, and Sustainer of His people. There was always enough for everyone; they could rely on it being there six days a week. Even though they were often disobedient to God, He was always faithful to them.
We may change our minds to fit our opinions, expectations, convenience, or to please someone else, but God remains faithful and does not change. His word stays the same, His purposes of grace remain the same, and His plans for Himself and us never change. Even when we fail Him and put ourselves first, He remains faithful and unchanging. “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and today and forever.”