Suggested reading: Exodus chapter 16 verses 1-21.
We conclude our meditations this week on the manna (bread – ‘the small round thing’) that God sent down from heaven as food for the children of Israel to feed upon. Today we will consider the responsibility of the people in relation to this gift from God.
- They had to gather it every morning (verse 21) – they had to collect it early, before the sun was hot and melted it away. They needed it to sustain them throughout the entire day, until the quails came in the evening. It was a regular exercise in their lives if they wanted to survive. So it should be with us – we should meditate on Jesus Christ at the beginning of every day if we want to be spiritually sustained throughout each day. Have you meditated on Him today by reading the Bible? The manna (bread) was all they needed and Christ is all we need!
- It could not be stored for the next day (except on the Sabbath day, as no work was permitted under God’s Law on that day) – verse 19. There had to be a fresh supply each day. It reminds us of the need to meditate on Christ each day; indeed, we cannot survive spiritually on past ‘experiences’ of Christ. Some of the children of Israel tried to do this with the manna and it bred worms and stank!
- Each person gathered it according to their eating (verses 16-21) – each person’s appetite governed how much bread they gathered – they never had too much or too little. How much we meditate on Christ each day will be governed by our spiritual appetites.
It was a real tragedy when the people lost their appetite for this bread. It is an even greater tragedy if Christians lose their desire to meditate on Christ! Let us pray that the Lord will preserve us from this.