The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. Joshua 5:12
When God removes manna from our life, it means He is preparing you for milk and honey.
What is the origin of manna?
God took the people of Israel out of Egypt. They were in the wilderness. they saw God’s mighty power. God send 10 dreadful plagues among the Egyptians, He parted the Red Sea for the people of Israel to walk and the Egyptians drowned in the same Red Sea. The people of Israel saw the mighty acts of God.
And now, it was not even two months since they left, but they started grumbling against God.
Exo 16:1-3
The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
Despite seeing all the miracles, they had no faith.
They complained that their life was better in Egypt. Was it really better in Egypt? They were beaten and made to do hard labour. They were treated like slaves; worse still, they were slaves. Their male babies were thrown into the Nile River and left to die. They forgot their miserable life in Egypt and began to complain that their life now is harder because they had no proper food to eat.
The Lord heard their grumbling
The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” (Exo 16:11-12)
In response to their complaint against Moses and Aaron, God promises to give them manna. That was the origin of manna
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. (16:4)
God called it bread from heaven. It was the Israelites who named that bread as manna. Exo 16:31 says ‘The people of Israel called the bread manna.’ MAN in Hebrew was an expression, here of surprise, NA means a GIFT. So the word manna meant a GIFT OF SURPRISE from heaven.
Psalmist says manna was the grain of heaven, or the food of angels. (Psalm 78:24,25)
he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.
Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.
How did manna look like? It was white like a coriander seed (vs 31). Manna was similar to coriander but was white like milk
How did it taste? It tasted like wafers made with honey (vs 31).
Looked white like milk tasted like honey. Almost foreshadowing the land flowing with milk and honey.
The manna fell down from heaven every morning.
Exo 16:4 - The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way, I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.
24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.
See the power of God’s words. Same manna. Same 24 hours. same desert climate. But the other days it was full of maggots and began to smell. On Sabbath day, nothing happened?
God is able to work above the realm of nature. As per natural laws, only this can happen. But God’s supernatural power is able to work beyond that. God is not controlled by nature. Even in your life, there may be situations where you think this can never happen. It is not practically possible, not scientifically possible, not realistically possible.. yes, that’s not possible! But with God everything is possible. God can make supernatural things happen.
• He can stop the sun and moon if he wants
• He can make the iron float
• He can walk on the waters
• He can calm the seas and winds
• he can create everything out of nothing
• he can turn a rod into a serpent and a serpent back into a rod
• he can part the Red Sea
• He can break down the walls of Jericho
He has done it in the past. he can do it now. He is an all-powerful God! Just trust him. in the power of words. He can call those things to existence those that do not exist. Amen.
He can make manna to be preserved not just for one day but for generations without stinking
32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”
33 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.”
How would this manna not spoil? That is the hand of God!
Hebrews 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.
Apparently, manna could be cooked in different ways. And it was probably highly nutritious. The Israelites consumed it for forty years with no side effects. The manna apparently had all the proteins and vitamins they needed. It kept them strong, Deuteronomy 34:7 says, “Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength abated.” At the age of 80, Caleb had the same strength as when he was 40.
And God provided manna, literal bread from heaven, each and every day of the Israelites’ 40-year journey through the desert.
1. Manna represented God’s faithfulness
Exo 16:4 - The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way, I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.
This manna fell every morning, 6 days a week for 40 years. What a faithful God!
This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer for each person in your tent.’?” (Exo 16:16)
Consider this immense amount of food that God gave to his people. Feeding the whole nation required approximately several tons of manna every day. And, on Friday, that portion had to be doubled.
Not once, God stopped supplying manna to them. Not even when the people of Israel sinned against God or complained against Him. They once even complained about this manna.
Numbers 11:4-6
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”
Despite their complaints, God did not say he would stop providing manna for a few days. He would watch how they can survive in the desert if not for this manna. He did not let them starve. He gave meat for a month when they complained against manna.
For 40 years, though they were stiff-necked people, sinned against God, made a gold calf and worshipped it, not once, God stopped the provision of manna.
He did not even threaten to take the manna. People were not frightened about the consequences if ever God did not rain manna from heaven. They were not afraid about how they would feed themselves or their family if manna wasn’t there. They were a hundred per cent sure manna would be given. Manna was assured for them all their days in the wilderness.
That is the grace of God. Our God is faithful. Faithful to the promises he has given us, not because you are good but because He is good. If God has promised something he will fulfil it, come what may. He promised the people of Israel that he will give them manna and he gave however unfaithful they were.
How many times we have been unfaithful to God? There are days we don’t even think of Him. Days when we have complained against Him. Days when we murmured. But he has always and always been faithful to us. He has been so, so good to us. He has never taken His grace from us.
For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the LORD, who has mercy on you. (Isaiah 54:10)
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
If you are a child of God, be 100 percent sure, God will provide for all your needs.
“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” (Psalm 37.22)
2. Manna had a purpose
“So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
Manna was the beginning of their faith journey and not the end. God wants us to grow in our faith life. Living by the Word of God is a journey of faith. Are we growing in reading God’s word? Are we growing in applying this word in our day-to-day circumstances? Are we growing in our faith journey?
People will come on Sunday and be fed the word. But if they do not read God’s word through the week, they are starving. God never intended for us to have a meal of manna once a week. We are to feed on manna daily.
Jesus’ model prayer says, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’. It is not just asking God to sustain us with provisions for the day, but also give us a word that will carry us through the day.
Jeremiah said “When I discovered your words, I devoured them.” (Jer 15:16) The psalmist wrote “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalms 34:8)
That was the purpose of manna. Jesus quotes this while facing temptation in the desert. ‘Man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God….’ (Matt 4:4)
3. When manna ceases, it means God is preparing you for milk and honey.
During the 40 years in the wilderness, Moses died. Aaron died. Joshua led the people out of Israel to the Promised Land.
And then one fine day, the manna stopped.
Joshua 5:10-12
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.
Just imagine this.
The next day, as usual, these people would have gone out in the morning to collect manna. Because they are now accustomed to this, as they have been doing it for 40 years.
But now, they see only sand. There is not a bit of manna. Immediately they would have thought it is probably Sabbath. They check their calendar. It is not Sabbath either. Then, why is there no manna? Did we do something wrong? What happened?
Because the manna did not gradually stop. It did not become lesser and lesser until it finally stopped raining down from heaven. All of a sudden, one fine day, the manna ceased.
What do we do when the manna ceases?
Suddenly your loved one dies, suddenly you lose your job, suddenly a trusted person deceives you, suddenly something unexpected happens…
When God removes manna from the menu, it means He is preparing you for milk and honey. Amen!
When God takes you away the manna from you, it means he is preparing you for a new beginning.
It may not be easy, because there is a change involved. The people of Israel were used to getting readymade manna. They did not dig the soil, sow the seeds or reap the harvest. It was readily available on the ground. But now, they need to do some agriculture on the land. Only then they can enjoy the produce of the land. It was a change. But a new beginning.
In our life, God allows opportunities for transitions and new beginnings.
God gives us what we need when we need it, and when it is not needed anymore, He replaces it with something else, something much better.
God may be taking you through a period of change. Suddenly things stopped. Suddenly something changed. Everything was going well, but suddenly it was gone. Does that mean you are now fallen out of God’s favour? No, God is preparing you for something better.
It symbolises the beginning of a new journey. One journey is ending, and another one is beginning.
The manna stopped because the Israelites had to move forward into the Promised Land. The manna was good for what it was, but it wasn’t God’s final plan for the Israelites. There was something better coming, even though they didn’t know it at the time.
Similarly, sometimes God takes away something so we learn to embrace the new and better thing. We may be pushed out of our comfort zone, pushed out of things we have relied on over the years, or some doors may be closing. But that just means God is about to open a new door. God is preparing you for milk and honey. Canaan is the land of milk and honey; Canaan is the land of promise.
Manna was just a survival food, that kept them alive in the wilderness. But that was not God’s ultimate plan for them. Although the manna fell in great abundance, it was just enough for a person or a family. The blessing couldn’t be shared.
God’s plan is not ’just enough’, but abundance. When manna ceased, God blessed them with milk and honey.
They had great achievements lined up for them. Battles to be won, giants to be fought with, nations to be conquered, lands to be possessed. God had kept great victories ahead of them.
God wants to do more in your life than just provide your daily bread. He wants to enter into your circumstances where you begin to experience the supernatural power of God. He wants you to be a blessing to others. He wants to live life to your full potential.
So next time, when the manna ceases in your life, don’t be alarmed. An abundance is waiting for you!
4. Manna was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ.
The manna was a shadow of what was to come. The manna came down from heaven just as Jesus came down from heaven as a prophecy that He was coming in the flesh. God sent manna from heaven to satisfy the Israelites’ physical hunger. He sent Jesus from heaven to satisfy our spiritual hunger.
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33)
35 - Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
Exodus 16:16 - This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer for each person in your tent.’?
It was an omer for everyone, be it a kid, a skinny person, a fat person, a glutton, a poor eater. Interestingly, the same one omer was enough for everyone. One omen, it would not be too little. One omer, it was not too much.
The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed. (Exo 16:17,18)
In the same, Jesus is enough, whatever your circumstance may be. Too weak, too strong, too meek, too proud, too poor, whatever.. Jesus can satisfy you.
Just as manna sustained and strengthened the Israelites for forty years as they wandered through the desert, Jesus, the heavenly manna, sustains and strengthens us as we walk as pilgrims on earth destined to go to our promised land, heaven.
