This is the thing which Jehovah has commanded Gather of it every man according to what he can eat, an omer a poll, [according to] the number of your persons ye shall take every man for those that are in his tent.
The bread lies on the ground, and God attaches a rule to it: one set measure each, and every man gathers for his whole tent. Commentators read that rule as a picture of how a believer feeds on Christ, and of who else depends on it.
What the Bread Pictures
The manna is more than desert food. Commentators identify it with Christ Himself, in His lowly life on earth.
What, then, is the Manna for the believer? It is Christ come in human flesh — a humbled Christ… So Christ is the Manna in all that He was in the flesh. He is the Manna in the expression of what He was, both as the revealer of the Father and as the perfect man. His grace, compassion, sympathy, tenderness, and love; His meekness and lowliness of heart; His patience, forbearance, and long-suffering; His example — all these are found in the Manna. God has given us that Manna as our food for the journey through the wilderness.
The Omer: One Measure for All
The measure is fixed. Older translations read "an omer for every man," and one writer shows what that says about God's thought for each person.
In the giving of the manna, you remember, God said, "an omer for every man." Whether one gathered much or little, it was all measured. Each one had his full quota — "an omer for every man." A full Christ for every man was the thought of God… So the omer was the measure of Christ coming into this world. He came to meet the need of man, and in doing so to show the grace and glory of God.
The omer was an everyday household measure. So the gift came sized to the person, not to the crowd.
An omer was the measure people used in the tents of Israel for ordinary purposes. It held the usual portion of a man's daily food. So it made the gift of the manna personal to the need of every single person in the camp.
"According to His Eating"
The verse ties each man's portion to what he can eat. One writer turns that into a test of the believer's desire.
First, they were to gather it every man according to his eating (vv. 16-18). As a result, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. The appetite governed the amount collected. How strikingly true this is of the believer! We all have as much of Christ as we desire — no more, and no less. If our desires are large, if we open our mouth wide, He will fill it. We cannot desire too much, nor be disappointed when we desire. On the other hand, if we barely feel our need, we shall have only a little of Christ.
How does one fixed measure fit appetites that differ? Commentators give two explanations.
Some explain that although several in a family went out to gather the manna, when it was brought home and measured it came to just an omer for each of them. The more likely explanation is that an omer was the average portion for each. Some needed more and others less, so every one gathered "according to his eating," according to what he knew he would need. That way every one had enough, and nothing was wasted.
The Cost of Gathering
The bread lay free on the ground, yet nobody was fed without going out for it. One writer notes the effort and the posture it took.
Human responsibility went together with divine goodness. The heaven-sent provision lay around Israel's camp, yet each Israelite still had to be diligent to make that provision his own portion… To gather the manna, a man had to stoop, for it fell on the ground. Without question, the lowliest find for themselves the most of Christ.
Gathering for the Tent
The verse does not stop with the individual. It reaches the whole household.
But they must gather the manna "according to each one's need" (v. 16). This would take time, and would also mean bending down. First it says "an omer for each person." God would provide for each one individually. But it is also specifically said that each man should gather for all who were in his tent. The head of the household is responsible to share with his whole house the preciousness of the Lord Jesus.
Carried into the New Testament
The New Testament takes this scene out of the desert and applies it to money given for believers in need.
The earlier part of the passage comes up again in 2 Corinthians 8:15. It shows that when believers make a collection for poor fellow believers, this divine principle of "equality" should be worked out: what some have in abundance supplies the need of others.
Summary
- Given — the manna is Christ in His lowly life on earth, God's own provision for the journey.
- Measured — the omer is one fixed portion for each person: a full Christ for every man was God's thought.
- Gathered — the supply is equal, but the intake follows appetite; we have as much of Christ as we desire, no more and no less.
- Stooped for — the bread lay on the ground, so a man had to bend; the lowliest find the most of Christ.
- Shared — each man gathered for his whole tent; the same principle of equality later shapes giving among believers.