-manna-
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground... and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey" (Exodus 16:14-15, 31). And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil" [Numbers 11:8]).
The wordings in the two passages above can’t help but stir the imagination, as they were undoubtedly intended. Although Moses tried to explain how the manna looked and how it tasted, he satisfied very little of our curiosity because we really have no frame of reference. This is because we know of nothing that can be likened to the manna. However, Jesus gave us understanding of the spiritual significance of the miraculous substance when He was teaching His disciples.
"Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled…Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day… Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:26,31-51).
So, the manna in the wilderness was a type of the Christ who came to do the will of the Father and to seek and to save that which was lost. And just as the Israelites in the wilderness knew what it was to see, and to handle, and to taste of that manna sent down from heaven; so do those in our age who have received Christ as Lord and Savior, know what it means to be "born again" and to be a "temple of the Holy Ghost" and to have "Christ living in them, the hope of glory."
(In my first years of witnessing to others, as I tried to explain my relationship to Christ, I often encountered questions such as:
It soon became evident that because they had no frame of reference, it was futile to try to answer their questions to their satisfaction. I learned to answer something like.
Return To Your Study In RevelationsWhat if you found yourself shipwrecked upon an Island were there was a beautiful, fresh water spring full of cold, delicious water. But in the land where you lived, there was no water; and the people got their liquids from other sources. Upon being discovered by a passing ship and returned to your homeland, you found yourself trying to describe to your friends and neighbors this beautiful spring of water. "What did this water look like?" they would ask. "How did it feel? How did it taste?" How would you answer them? You would probably answer something like, "Well, it looks like, uh, well, it’s a clear, liquid…but…and it tastes like…well, it’s cool and refreshing to the taste and it’s very satisfying when you’re hot and thirsty." The bottom line is: for them to really understand what there is to know about water, you would have to either take them to the spring or to bring some water from the spring to them. This is how it is with the manna from heaven and the salvation that He brings to man; you cannot describe these things to another to their satisfaction. But you can take them to the source by bringing them under the sound of the preaching of Christ and Him crucified, or sharing with them your testimony and the Word of Life that brought forth the spring of everlasting life that bubbles in your own soul.)
For more about the Manna from Heaven—or any other Bible topic that interests you, go to our Bible Treasure Page and utilize the super on-line, study tools that so many men and women have made available through their labors of love. And as you do, pray the Lord’s blessings on them and on their efforts.