Manna - What Is It?

Coriander Seeds

Dear Jesus – Help us to see the supernatural quality of the manna we read about in the Exodus experience.  Reveal to each of us the relevancy it has to our very specific lives.

What do we know about manna?  Possibly from childhood stories, we recall it was a rather mysterious food that fell from heaven providing sustenance for the Israelites during their days wandering in the wilderness.  Just that brief synopsis gives us much to think about.  Let’s do some comparisons:

-          I’m part of spiritual Israel!

-          I’m not in heaven yet – and can clearly see myself as being in the wilderness…
-          I, too, am on my way to the promised land (Heaven) - oh yes I am!

But I don’t know that I’m eating angel food every morning!  Hmmm…  Let’s revisit some details in the story.  Exodus 16:12 introduces the manna to the reader:  ‘..and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’  Oh my – getting excited - let’s contain ourselves and simply note the providing of this bread would result in the recipients knowing that I AM the LORD your God!  Sounds like a potential for supernatural experience to me! 

Here’s the story in rather condensed form (note the verses) told in the NASB version:

¹⁴ When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’” ¹⁷ The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. ²¹ They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.  ²² Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses…  ³¹ The house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. ³⁵ The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

Let’s collect some details for consideration – did I get them all?

-          The manna was gathered morning by morning

-          Each person had as much as he needed
-          When the sun grew hot it would melt
-          Twice as much collected on Friday (6^th day)
-          Taste was like wafers with honey
-          Ate it every day they were in the wilderness

While the literal reading has always been interesting, today the 'Me Dimension' and the 'Jesus Dimension' rather leap off the page.  I'd so enjoy hearing what the Holy Spirit shows you!  Check this out:

My Personal Application:

- Jesus is available to me morning by morning

- Jesus will feed me until I am full!  (until I want NO more!)
- Jesus understands my capacity to be distracted during the day
- Could it be there is a DOUBLE blessing from my time with Him on Friday so I have some to share on Sabbath?  Gotta test Him on this one.
-  Mmm..mmm Good!  It IS sweet!  There is no bitter aftertaste, no caloric guilt, no intestinal difficulty, no shame - the WORD is sweet!  Can I just say - isn't wafers with honey essentially pastry?  Pastry - daily - with only positive results.  Isn't God GOOD?!
- And yep - I need it every day I'm here in the wilderness.
- Bonus Feature:  Since I'm feeding myself everyday on the WORD ain't no complaining here about not 'getting fed' on Sabbath.  Church is now desert!  No longer the entree.  While I have my preachers I enjoy - feeding myself is where it's AT.

August of 2011.  I committed to not moving into my day without AT LEAST my straight-up Bible reading for the day (which clocked, took 2 min so no hardship there).  However - it was amazing what struggles ensued over 2 minutes.  But hey - it was SO worth it.  It's a progression. 

May of 2012.  I committed to the daily reading program RevivedByHisWord.org.   Two reasons:  to experience deeper unity with my church family and to slow my reading to 1 chapter per day.  Tough to do.  Amazing results - so grateful Jesus led me to that.  Recently started asking the Lord to wake me up in the mornings and oh wow.  It is just awesome to have time to dig in His WORD and experience Him speaking without a time limit.  

Here's the thing:  In August of 2011 I was starving for the WORD but I didn't know it.  Therefore Jesus put me on the starving-child-Bible-program.  He knew my capacity and it was perfect.  My job was to agree to the plan.  If you're waffling - may I suggest the same?  Make a 2 minute straight-Bible commitment.  Ask Jesus to grow you when your belly's ready.  He will.  :-)