Exodus 16:4–15

The first thing to notice is the grace with which God meets the desires of the people. In Numbers 11 He also meets their desire in similar circumstances. But there "the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague." Here there is no sign of judgment — only patient and forbearing grace. The difference springs from the dispensation. In Numbers they were under law, and God dealt with them on that ground. Here they are under grace, and so grace reigned despite their sin.

When they were hungry enough to cry out for bread, God gave them bread. How true for us also! If He had first given them bread before they were hungry, they might well have complained that they wanted something different. The flesh in us always thinks it knows what we need better than God.

Even God's grace in this way proves us. In fact, nothing proves us more than grace. The very name "manna" carries as much meaning in the picture as it did in the history. It reminds us how little even the people of God enter into what we have here. "They said to one another, 'manna' (what is it?), for they did not know what it was."

Only a heart weaned from Egypt's influences could be satisfied with "bread from heaven," or enjoy it. In fact, we know that the people were not satisfied with it. They despised it, called it "light food," and craved meat. So they showed how little their hearts were free of Egypt, or willing to walk in God's law… It takes a heavenly taste to feed on bread from heaven. Nature cannot enjoy such food.

The people were not yet formally under the law, so the Lord at once stepped in with mercy. Yet by the bread from heaven there would be a first testing: would they walk in His law when He gave it, or would they not? This we see in verse 4.

The manna was a daily provision for daily need. No one could hoard it; if anyone tried, it bred worms and stank. In the same way we cannot live on yesterday's enjoyment of Christ. We must enjoy Him today… Constant dependence upon God, constant drawing from Him, is what He appoints as the way of blessing for us. He would keep us with Himself. We must recognise the hand of God that supplies us, and gives us no store that would let us live, even a little, independently of Him.

We must gather the heavenly manna fresh every morning. We must make Christ our primary object. We must seek Him "early," before "other things" have had time to take possession of our poor, easily-captured hearts.

Manna was food for the wilderness, and presents to us Christ, a humbled Christ in this world. This uniquely attractive picture brings before us the matchless, heavenly grace that marked Him in His lowly path of pleasure for His God and Father. It shows His obedience, meekness, gentleness, dependence, His love of righteousness, His hatred of lawlessness, and every other feature of perfection.

The Lord Jesus said to the Jews, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven" (John 6:32). What a beautiful answer to murmuring is God's tender action. Here were these people all murmuring, and the Lord steps in and "rains bread from heaven" for them.

Notice this carefully: God gave the Sabbath of Jehovah's rest before the law, along with the eating of this bread from heaven. It was first given to Israel as a privilege, not by command, or on the principle of law. And here the people rested on the seventh day. I know of no other single instance where the people rested on the Sabbath day. From Adam to Moses, right up to this chapter, more than 2,500 years passed. In all that time the Spirit never uses the word Sabbath, in its root or in any of its forms. And here, in the wilderness of Sin, it is God's gift to His redeemed people, in perfect grace.

So we find that God made the "manna" — the heavenly food He supplied to meet His people's daily need — serve the "rest" which He appointed for them. That rest outweighed every other consideration. The Lord says, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

"Sabbath" means rest. Here, if the connection means anything as a type — and it surely must — then the teaching is clear. Our hearts find rest as we take in and enjoy Christ as the Bread from heaven.

Everyone had to gather it every day according to his eating (Ex. 16:16); and if he gathered more — unless it was for "the Sabbath" — it would certainly become corrupt. No, dear friends, there must be constant feeding upon Christ, day by day and hour by hour; and we can never receive more than we need at the time. This keeps us in continual dependence, with our eyes always on Christ.

Collected this way on any other day, out of self-will, it became worthless and rotten. But done in obedience, with the Sabbath in view, it stayed sound and good. The truth taught is that when we share in God's rest, in His grace, throughout eternity, Christ will still be our food. There is perhaps another thought. It is that whatever we gain of Christ here becomes our eternal possession and delight. Gather as much manna as we may, two omers instead of one; if it is kept for the rest that remains, it will be a source of strength and joy throughout eternity.

On the sixth day they were to gather twice as much as on other days, to provide for the Sabbath, when they were not to gather at all (v. 5). As a type this teaches two things. There will be no labour of gathering in eternity, but that labour increases as eternity draws near.

On the sixth day the amount is twice as much as usual. The sixth day is the day of discipline, and it is also the day of spiritual harvest.

They say they wish they had died in the land of Egypt, while they sat by the meat pots and had plenty to eat. But they forgot the harsh slavery they had suffered under, complaining bitterly all the while! They accuse Moses and Aaron of bringing them out of Egypt. Yet only a short time before, they had sung in triumph to the Lord, thanking Him for His great deliverance. How is it possible that their eyes had grown so dim, and in so short a time?

By now they had surely eaten all the food they brought out of Egypt, and in the wilderness there was no visible source of supply. Sad to say, the people were walking by sight. The wonders of the Passover night and the crossing of the Red Sea had happened within the month. Yet they had completely forgotten the power of their God.

These miracles gave no honour to the men who worked them, though of course they proved that their ministry came from God. They were wholly a testimony to the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, and all He taught. This is true even of Moses' works of power. In Exodus 16:8 and elsewhere we read, "What are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD."

It was as great a miracle to bring the quails, but seeing the glory is not said in connection with them. God had promised, "in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD." What took place at evening? God gave them flesh to eat. That was God's proof that He had brought them out of the land of Egypt. It showed that if He led them through the wilderness, He would feed them also. But more than this was to be seen in the morning.

The bread that Israel gathered every morning was only a type of the true bread... But the flesh in the evening, what may we learn from that? Does it not tell us of the provision God makes to meet our bodily needs? After the toil of the day the body needs refreshment... Just as the evening quails meet every bodily need, so the morning bread teaches us to begin each day with Him who alone sustains the soul... The quails are as much His gift as the bread; both are of His grace.

In Numbers 11 He also meets their desire in similar circumstances. But there "the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague." Here there is no sign of judgment — only patient and forbearing grace. The difference springs, if we may so describe it, from the way God was dealing with them at the time. In Numbers they were under law, and God treated them accordingly. Here they are under grace, and so grace reigned despite their sin. Their grumbling was also the occasion for the display of the glory of the Lord. So when man shows what he is, God reveals from the depths of His heart what He is.

He does not judge them. Instead, He lets His glory draw near, so that the light of His presence might shine in on this grumbling people.

God had heard the murmurings of the children of Israel against Him. They may say they were complaining only against Moses and Aaron. But these men were nothing more than representatives of God. So Moses insists that their murmurings were not against Moses and Aaron, but against the Lord (v. 8).

These miracles gave no honour at all to the people who performed them. Of course they confirmed the divine character of their ministry. They were entirely a testimony to the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to all He taught. This is true even of Moses' works of power, as in Exodus 16:8 and elsewhere: "What are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD."

Moses and Aaron speak to the children of Israel, to subdue them before the Lord. They tell them that at evening they will have a fresh reminder that the Lord — not Moses and Aaron — has brought them out of Egypt. Then the next morning they would see the glory of the Lord in a way they had not imagined.

Look back at Exodus 16 and 17. Those chapters record their murmurings and complaints before God gave the law. We see a difference at once. Then no judgment followed, as it did later in Numbers 11. It illustrates the statement that "sin is not counted where there is no law" (Rom. 5:13), and also that other statement of the apostle, "when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died" (Rom. 7:9).

Their murmurings were the occasion of the display of the glory of the Lord (v. 10). So the display of what man is draws out from the depths of the heart of God the revelation of what He is. It was so in the garden of Eden, and indeed all the way down the line of His dealings with man. We see this principle in perfection at the cross. There man appeared in all the utter corruption of his evil nature, and God showed Himself fully.

God in His grace answered Israel's murmuring. He gave them flesh and manna, and He also appeared in His glory (Ex. 16:2-10). God did not rebuke them for murmuring, but appeared in His glory to show His care for them in wonderful grace. It was not until the people had undertaken to keep the law that the glory of God brought terror to the hearts of Israel.

All our complaints, our expressions of unbelief, our murmurings, are against the Lord, and come straight into His ears. If the Lord were visibly before our eyes, we would not dare to say what we often allow ourselves to say in the hastiness of our unbelief. And yet we really are before Him, His eyes are upon us, and He hears our every word.

How does God answer the murmurers? And how does He answer us if we are walking in their path? Read the whole of Exodus 16 for the answer. For forty years — the whole time of their wanderings in the wilderness — He gave them manna. He puts Christ before us the whole time of our wilderness journey. Christ is the always humble, dependent, obedient One. He is the only One who accepted everything in the wilderness path as from God His Father, without a single murmur. The manna is Christ in humiliation, seen here as a dependent Man. That is how God meets your murmuring and mine.

God had heard the murmurings of the children of Israel against Him. They may say they were complaining only against Moses and Aaron, but those two men were nothing more than God's representatives. So Moses insists that their murmurings were not against Moses and Aaron, but against the Lord (v.8).

Note also that murmuring against Moses and Aaron was murmuring against the Lord. (v. 8.) All sin is really against God. (See Psalm 51:4; Luke 15:18-21.)

We generally find out where we are by a murmuring spirit. Nothing is easier than for a murmuring spirit to get into the heart of a believer, or a whole church... The murmuring was really against God, and not against the servants of God. Examine any murmuring honestly. It is not against the circumstances, nor against God's people. It is always the outcome of downright unbelief towards God. That is the point.

Don't murmur, Christian, for it is a most unchristian, a most ungodly thing to do. Nothing dishonours God more, nothing does greater damage to the soul. Of all the sins Israel committed in the wilderness, this was the chief one. It meant they did not believe their God was fit to be trusted.

The people murmured. They showed how much they wanted to go back to Egypt, almost as soon as God had rescued them from it... But grace, without judgment, answers their murmuring, and provides for their need. The Lord heard them, but did not rebuke them. They cried for bread — it was rained from heaven; He gave them flesh every evening, and bread every morning.

We do not remember often enough that all our complaints, our expressions of unbelief, our murmurings, are against the Lord, and come straight into His ears. How often our sinful words would die away on our lips if this thought were in our minds! If the Lord were visibly before our eyes, we would not dare to say what we often allow ourselves to say in the hastiness of our unbelief. And yet we really are before Him, His eyes are upon us, and He hears our every word.

In chapters 15, 16 and 17 the Lord bears their murmurings with long-suffering and tenderness, and He meets their needs out of the fulness of His unwearied love. But after Sinai, murmurings of the same kind bring judgment. The reason is simple: the people themselves had asked to be put under law.

How very solemn it is that the first mention of the display of God's glory has to do with meeting their murmurings... Aaron, directed by Moses, said to the whole congregation, "Come near before the Lord: for He has heard your murmurings." Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud (verse 10). Although Israel had murmured, God was dealing with them in grace. He answered their murmurings in grace, with the rich provision of flesh and manna.

He does not judge them. On the contrary, He lets His glory draw near, so that the very light of His presence might shine in on this murmuring people.

And that is the lesson we learn here, in the wilderness of Sin. It is met by the words, "Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling" (Ex. 16:9). Ah, He does not judge them. On the contrary, He lets His glory draw near, so that the very light of His presence might shine in on this complaining people. They had said, "Would that we had died" (Ex. 16:3)... They had forgotten their bondage. All they remembered was what they had fed upon. They were away from the meat pots of Egypt. But they had not yet learned that the fullness of God's hand is enough.

Notice, further, that murmuring against Moses and Aaron was murmuring against the Lord (v. 8). All sin is really against God... Their complaints were also the occasion for the display of the glory of the Lord (v. 10). So the display of what man is brings out of the depths of the heart of God the revelation of what He is. It was so in the garden of Eden, and indeed all down the line of His dealings with man. The cross shows this principle perfectly. There man displayed the complete corruption of his evil nature, and God revealed Himself fully.

These miracles were kept completely separate from any honour given to the people who performed them. Of course they proved the divine character of their ministry. But they were wholly a testimony to the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, and all He taught. This is true even as to Moses' works of power; as Exodus 16:8, and elsewhere, "What are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD."

He asks the people to "come near" before the Lord who had heard their complaints. He had known that effect in himself. Like a wise master builder, he wanted to lead his brothers into the same thing, even if it was by a different path. The glory of the Lord and the resources of the Lord had already taught him. Now he wants the people to receive the same blessed teaching, even though their discontent and complaining is what draws it out... Let us note that a servant's discipline must always be in advance of the service required of him. He cannot lead beyond that point to which he himself has been led.

While the glory-cloud of Jehovah's presence shaded and lit up the camp, the hearts of Israel were on Egypt. Their faces were turned that way, and it needed Aaron's words to change their attitude, but after a while "they looked toward the wilderness" (v. 10). In these words, "they looked toward the wilderness," lies the key we seek. God had displayed His glory in judgment, both in Egypt and in the Red Sea; He would now display His glory in the wilderness.

God was the Provider. The bitter water was made sweet; the manna came down each night; the water flowed out of the hard rock — and all for a complaining people. What grace, what patient dealing by God! And until they reached Sinai and promised to obey the law, God dealt with them in pure grace. He supplied each need, and He did not punish them for their complaining.

Their grumbling was the occasion of the display of the glory of the Lord (v. 10). So the display of what man is draws out of the depths of God's heart the revelation of what He is. It was so in the garden of Eden, and indeed all down the line of His dealings with man. The cross shows this principle in perfection. There man appeared in all the utter corruption of his evil nature, and God revealed Himself fully... Notice too that grumbling against Moses and Aaron was grumbling against the Lord (v. 8). All sin is really against God.

It is met by the words, "Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling" (Ex. 16:9). Ah, He does not judge them. On the contrary, He lets His glory draw near, so that the very light of His presence might shine in on this grumbling people. They had said, "Would that we had died" (Ex. 16:3)... Which was better: to toil at the brick-kilns of Pharaoh, or to travel in the desert with God?

While the glory-cloud of Jehovah's presence shaded and lit up the camp, the hearts of Israel were on Egypt. Their faces were turned that way. It took Aaron's words to change their attitude, but after a while "they looked toward the wilderness" (v. 10). In these words, "they looked toward the wilderness," lies the key we are looking for. God had displayed His glory in judgment, both in Egypt and at the Red Sea; He would now display His glory in the wilderness.

He desires the people to "come near" before the Lord who had heard their grumbling. He had known the effect in himself. Like a wise master-builder, he would lead his brothers into the same, though by a different path. The glory of the Lord, and the resources of the Lord, had already taught him. Now he wants the people to receive the same blessed teaching, even though their discontent and grumbling drew it out.

But more — in the morning they were to see the glory of Jehovah. And "in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up," a new thing happened, one which had never been before on earth... "Manna?" — "What is this?" — the people exclaimed. It was God's glory in the wilderness — it was the gift of God.

Exodus 16 teaches us much. It is where the manna first appears, and along with it the glory of God appeared in the wilderness. Those whose eyes were opened saw in Jesus here God manifest in the flesh, Emmanuel, come near to us to bless us.

The second appearing of the glory came in very different circumstances, for Israel had bound themselves by a covenant of death to keep the whole law. The contrast between these two appearings of the divine glory is very striking. It shows the difference between the Lord's dealings with Israel under grace and under law. Those who seek to stand before God on the ground of law deal with a God who is a consuming fire. Those who deal with God in grace, as made known in Jesus, learn His goodness in the rich provision He has made for His people.

But grace, without judgment, answers their grumbling and provides for their need. The LORD heard them, but did not scold. They cried for bread, and He rained it down from heaven. He gave them meat every evening and bread every morning.

Note, too, that grumbling against Moses and Aaron was grumbling against the Lord. (v. 8.) All sin is against God. (See Psalm 51:4; Luke 15:18-21.) That is why the Lord says, "I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel."

Exodus 16 shows us Israel murmuring again, but the Lord answers in nothing but grace… Wrath did come upon them another day. They despised the manna, insisted on meat, and kept on in their craving… But that was after the law came in. God then judged in righteousness the sinners who dared to make the blessing depend on their own power to obey it. But up to Sinai it was not law, but grace. "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." So the Lord told Moses to say, "At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God."

How precious this display of divine grace is! It shines against the dark background of man's sin, and that sin is the very thing that drew it out. Exposing what is in the heart of man brings out of the depths of God's heart all that He is in blessing to man… But at the cross we see man at his lowest, rejecting the Son of God. And there we see the heart of God fully revealed in grace.

The bread that Israel gathered every morning was only a picture of the true bread. Of that bread the Lord said, "if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever" (John 6:51). But what about the meat in the evening — what may we learn from that? Does it not tell us how God provides for our bodily needs?… The quails are as much His gift as the bread; both are of His grace. The quails only met bodily needs, so they were not laid up before the Lord; but the manna, the bread from heaven, was.

It seems we must draw a very clear distinction between the quails and the manna. God gave both to meet their hunger. But the quails came more in His chastening ways with a people who wanted what they had eaten as they sat by the pots of meat in Egypt. So the psalmist speaks of them craving in the wilderness and testing God in the desert: "He gave them what they asked, but sent leanness into their soul" (Psalm 106:14-15).

But there is a far deeper meaning in the manna than this… Then comes the Lord's answer: "it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven." And He adds, "I am the bread of life." He is the reality the manna pictured — our God gives us food for this wilderness life.

Exodus 16 shows us Israel murmuring again, but the Lord answers with nothing but grace. Yet, as Moses and Aaron said, the murmuring was against Him, and not against them... Wrath did come on them another day. They despised the manna, demanded meat, and kept on craving, when they should have been ashamed and grieved at their self-will and unbelief... But this was after the law came in. God was right to judge sinners who dared to make the blessing depend on their own power to obey it. But up to Sinai it was not law, but grace... Their absolute need was now plain. In the wilderness, who but God could supply bread for such a multitude?

Their murmurings were the occasion of the display of the glory of the Lord. So the sight of what man is draws out of the depths of God's heart the revelation of what He is. It was so in the garden of Eden, and indeed all down the line of His dealings with man... Note, moreover, that murmuring against Moses and Aaron was murmuring against the Lord. All sin is really against God.

What may we learn from the meat given in the evening? Does it not tell us of the provision God makes to meet our bodily needs?... So, "in the evening quail came up and covered the camp." There was abundance. God provides for the natural needs of His saints... The evening quails meet every bodily need. In the same way, the morning bread teaches us to begin each day with Him who alone sustains the soul... The quails are as much His gift as the bread; both are of His grace. The quails only meet bodily needs, so they are not laid up before the Lord, but the manna, the bread from heaven, is.

The quails have no special teaching connected with them, while the manna is a very striking picture of the Lord Jesus. The quails were given to satisfy the desires of the people, but brought no blessing... God may hear the cry of His people, even in their unbelief, and grant them their desires — but for discipline rather than for present blessing.

What took place at evening? God gave them meat to eat. It was God's proof that He had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and that if He led them through the wilderness, He would feed them too. But the morning would show more than this. Then they would have not only proof that God had freed them from slavery; they would also see the glory of the LORD.

There is a far deeper meaning in the manna than this. You remember how the Lord interprets it in John 6... "It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven." Then He adds, "I am the bread of life." He is the fulfilment of the manna. Our God provides the food we need for this wilderness life. The wonder of it is so great that no one has ever been able to take it in. "God manifest in the flesh!"

This is how divine grace serves, and they depend on it completely. No human hands bestowed this bread. God Himself showers it around their tents in the night while they sleep. It comes in the dew, the beautiful figure of the Spirit, who ministers Christ, and not Himself — the dew lifts and leaves the manna on the ground. But it lies there, an insignificant thing, and small as the frost.

But grace, without judgment, answers their murmuring, and provides for their need. Jehovah heard them, but did not scold them. They cried for bread, and He rained it down from heaven. He gave them flesh every evening, and bread every morning.

So divine grace ministers, and they are dependent entirely upon it. No human hands gave this bread. God Himself showers it around their tents in the night while they sleep.

Does it not tell us of the provision God makes for our bodily needs? After the work of the day the body needs refreshment... He who sent the quails is the same One who said, "Do not be anxious about tomorrow"... And just as the evening quails meet the body's needs, so the morning bread teaches us to begin each day with Him who alone sustains the soul... The quails are as much His gift as the bread; both are of His grace. The quails, since they only meet the body's needs, are not laid up before the Lord, but the manna, the bread from heaven, is.

We take our stand with the hungry people at the end of the anxious day. And look — "In the evening quail came up and covered the camp." Here was the flesh they wanted. Jehovah, their salvation, had not appointed Israel to perish! It was He who had brought them out from the land of Egypt, and this the quails showed to Israel. But there was more — in the morning they were to see the glory of Jehovah... It was God's glory in the wilderness — it was the gift of God.

Only part of one verse deals with the miracle of the quails. All the rest of our chapter gives the details of the manna. That is because the manna is a picture fulfilled in Christ, the wilderness food of His saints. The Lord's own words in John 6 make this clear. The manna was the picture, but He is the "true bread from heaven."

The word of the Lord came true in an extraordinary flight of quails that evening. This bird migrates and is easy to catch, but the huge numbers settling on the camp made the event a miracle. Nothing more is said here about them. But when this miracle was repeated under the law, judgment followed, as we see in Numbers 11:31-34.

A flight of quails comes before the manna, in the evening. It supplies the people with the flesh they had been promised. We know well what this death as the food of life means, so it raises no difficulty here. The Lord Himself, in His sermon on this text of manna (John 6), assures us that we must not only eat His flesh, but drink His blood, or we have no life in us. His person and His work are both necessary to us. And His sacrifice must come first. In the same way, Israel could eat the lamb only inside the house sprinkled with blood. So the quails come first, and in the evening.

But notice, it was in connection with the dew that the manna came. It is the Holy Spirit who makes Christ our food; and may there not be a fitness in the dew being withdrawn so that the manna may be seen? The Spirit always presents Christ and none but Him. But the same things that removed the dew also melted the manna. The sun of this world soon drives away, as far as our enjoyment goes, what should be our food.

Water in Scripture is a figure of the word of God in its cleansing or purifying power. The Israelites got manna in connection with dew — we receive Christ through the word.

God stamped the character of grace on this gift of the manna, given to meet the people's need. Their grumbling should have brought down judgment. Instead, God met it by supplying this food.

And when the dew lifted, a new thing appeared, one which had never been on earth before. "Manna?" — "What is this?" — the people exclaimed. It was God's glory in the wilderness — it was the gift of God.

This then is the meaning of the manna: the bread which God gave the Israelites to eat in the wilderness. It is therefore the proper wilderness food for the Lord's people. The Jews once said to our Lord, "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" He replied: "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." (John 6:32-33.) The manna, then, is clearly a type of Christ — a picture of Him as He was in this world. He came down from heaven, and He becomes the food of His people as they pass through the wilderness.

Second, it looked like "a small round thing," as small as the tiny specks of frost. The Son of God came down from heaven into manhood, so that He might give His flesh for the life of the world. In doing so He did indeed make Himself small and of no account in the eyes of men. It was also round, not angular and uneven. In the same way, in Christ once humbled here, there was an evenness that came from perfection in every detail.

The manna was round, picturing how accessible Christ is. A round thing is not like a square or an oval. Wherever you touch its edge, you are the same distance from its center. So the round shape shows how easy our Lord was to reach — young and old, rich and poor, religious and irreligious. Think of the woman who was a sinner, and Mary Magdalene, out of whom seven demons were cast. Think of the dying thief, and the children whom the disciples would have driven away. All alike could reach Him and be blessed.

It is on the ground, so they must stoop to gather it. It lies on the face of the wilderness — something fine, as if pounded to pieces, fine as the frost on the ground. It does not look like much. It carries marks as if of rough handling. It reminds us of the prophet's words: "no beauty that we should desire Him." "What is it?" they say; for they did not know what it was. "The world knew Him not."

The manna was found where the dew of heaven had fallen around the camp. The barren wilderness received the dew on its face. The moisture gathered unseen and fell from above. Where it settled on the ground, God spread the angels' food for man — "He gave them bread from heaven to eat." So we have both before us: the Spirit of God, who presents Christ to us, and Christ our food... We must gather our spiritual food diligently, day by day, early in the morning before the sun is up.

"Behold" — on the face of the wilderness at this very moment, despite all the bareness and roughness of your path. Behold, for you, God's own provision. Stoop, gather it up, and it will be sweet to your taste, and it will supply strength to you for all your desert way! Yes, weak as you are, surrounded by sorrow as you are, or, sadly, proud as you are, it is there waiting for you... not covered up, but out in the open... It is for every saint of God.

"It is manna" (Ex. 16:15) has no meaning to a reader who does not know Hebrew, but translated as the earliest versions had it — "What is this?" — the passage is simple enough.

The people say to one another Man-hu? "What is it?" And the question remained as its name, for no one ever really found out what it was — nor ever will. But something we know: it is the sustenance and strength of the redeemed soul.

The mark of grace is on this gift of the manna, given to meet the people's need. Their murmurings did not bring down judgment. Instead, God met them with this food.

This, then, is the meaning of the manna: the bread which God gave the Israelites to eat in the wilderness. It is therefore the proper wilderness food for the Lord's people. The Jews said to our Lord, "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" He replied, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven." So the manna is plainly a type of Christ — Christ as He was in this world. He came down from heaven, and in that character He becomes the food of His people as they pass through the wilderness.

It lies upon the ground, so they must stoop to gather it — on the face of the wilderness — something fine, as if pounded to pieces, fine as the frost on the ground. This is how the people see it, who have not yet tasted it, and do not know what it is. It clearly does not look like much; it carries marks as if of rough handling. It reminds us of the prophet's words, "no beauty that we should desire him." "What is it?" they say; for they did not know what it was. "The world did not know Him."

The barren wilderness received the dew on its face. The moisture gathered unseen and fell from above, and where it settled on the ground, God spread the angels' food for man — "He gave them bread from heaven to eat." So we have both before us: the Spirit of God, who presents Christ to us, and Christ our food. "The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven" (John 6:33), and we find Him, we may say, where the Holy Spirit presents Him to us.

The heavenly manna must be gathered fresh every morning. Yesterday's manna will not do for today, nor today's for tomorrow. We must feed on Christ every day, with fresh energy of the Spirit, or else we shall stop growing. What is more, we must make Christ our first object. We must seek Him "early," before "other things" have had time to take hold of our poor, easily-swayed hearts.

You and I cannot feed on that manna unless we come to it through death. Manna, then, is Christ humbled, as He was in this scene. "The old grain of the land" is Christ glorified. You and I have to eat both, because we are in the wilderness and yet going to heaven. We are on our road home to God, and the Spirit of God carries our souls into heavenly places now. You must eat both.