THE MANNA (1)
THE MANNA (1)
Rem Last week we were looking at the end of chapter 15 — Marah — and the commencement of chapter 16 — the Manna — the Lord’s grace in answering the hunger and the thirst of His people. Hunger and thirst — the two great needs of man — met in grace.
CAC It suggests that we are now to lead an entirely new manner of life for which Egypt’s food is no good.
Rem New food and different drink for “newness of life”, “spiritual food and spiritual drink” (1 [p. 77] Corinthians 10).
CAC It is a fine thing when we begin to look at every circumstance and every need as an opportunity for a fresh expression of the blessed grace of God. That stops all murmurings.
Rem The circumstances test us — “to prove thee” (Deuteronomy 8: 2).
CAC There is a full supply for all our need but everything depends upon the state of our hearts. Have we hearts to value and make use of it? The fulness of supply tests us. Do we delight to move through wilderness circumstances in His way, sustained by what comes from heaven, so that nothing distracts us?
Ques What is the root cause of murmurings?
CAC Our natural thoughts have to be reversed. When this is not the case with us a murmuring spirit results. The flesh does not like to be put on a new line altogether. Flesh has no pleasure in a life perfectly set forth by Jesus. “In the evening flesh ... in the morning bread” (verses 6, 8, 12, 13). The murmuring day closes with the quails and the new day begins with the manna.
Ques What do the quails set forth?
CAC The death of Christ.
Ques. As in John 6?
CAC John 6 is further on and leads right into the land. Here God says, as it were, “I will give you flesh tonight and bread in the morning”. We have to eat “flesh” — that is, death — and finish up the murmuring day. Before we come to “bread” we must take up the thought of “flesh”. “Flesh” terminates the murmuring day. “Flesh” suggests the death of Christ where murmuring flesh has met its just deserts at the hand of God. Christ to meet the murmuring and Christ to meet the need of the wilderness. God gives them the quails here, “When Jehovah gives you in the evening flesh to eat” (verse 8). It is different from Numbers 11 where they are given “for their lust”.
God has judged murmuring flesh in the death of Christ and there is bread from heaven in the morning. We need new
[p. 78] tastes; then we are ready for the manna. It is said of Moab in Jeremiah 48: 11, “His scent is not changed”. But in Isaiah 11: 3, it is said of the Lord, “His delight (literally scent) will be in the fear of Jehovah”.
The manna was “deposited before the Testimony” (verse 34). What is “deposited” is positively delightful to God. This is the first mention of the Testimony and the connection of the manna with it suggests God saying, as it were, ‘I will supply food rich enough so that you can answer to My testimony as you go through the wilderness’.
The manna and the Sabbath go together. The Sabbath is first given to man here. “See, for Jehovah hath given you the Sabbath” (verse 29). In Genesis God keeps it for Himself (Genesis 2: 2, 3). When you have eaten manna for a week (six days of exercise) you have your rest with God. “Tomorrow is the rest, the holy Sabbath, of Jehovah” (verse 23). The quails ought not to continue. We may see once for all that the day of murmuring has been brought to an end. We are to feed on the fact that Christ has borne the judgment of the murmurer.
The blood on the lintel, the way through the sea, the wood cast into the waters, “flesh”, is all instruction in grace as to the death of Christ. It is one blessed chapter of grace after another to the end of chapter 18.
Ques Is this pot of manna (verse 33) what is spoken of as “the hidden manna” in Revelation 2: 17?
CAC I am not sure that that refers to this pot of manna. With regard to this pot it says “that they may see” (verse 32), it is not hidden. The “hidden manna” suggests to me the wonderful blessedness of what has been hidden in regard of Christ here.
Ques. The thirty years?
CAC Yes, that is right. For instance, in Psalm 22: 9 He says, “Thou didst make me trust, upon my mother’s breasts”. Who ever saw that trust but God? Who saw Him drawing everything from God even as a Babe? Every part of that life was nourished out of heaven. And then at thirty years the Father could say, “Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight”, Luke 3: 22. All that “hidden manna” is for the overcomer, to be spiritually known now and fully enjoyed in the coming age.
The Lord was constantly drawing every needed support out of heaven from God. Every detail in His life was the product of grace and support out of heaven and that is the grace He ministers to you and to me. There is enough recorded of those thirty years to give us the character of them. For instance, Mary and Joseph fulfilled what was obligatory in Jerusalem and returned (Luke 2: 42, 43) but the spiritual instincts of the Boy led Him to tarry behind in “the city of the great King”, absorbed with what was of God.
There are two sides of the life of Jesus:
- The manna, everything sustained from heaven every moment. He lived “by every word which goes out through God’s mouth”. All came down from heaven.
- The meat-offering, what springs up here, “fine flour”. The manna sets forth what heaven has for man. The meat-offering sets forth what man has for heaven.
The manna must be learned first, a life out of heaven, the product of bread from heaven. At His baptism the manna merges into the meat-offering, the oil is poured on it (Leviticus 2: 1); “the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove upon him” (Luke 3: 22). He was anointed there. Something is seen there that has sprung up for heaven.
Ques What do you understand by “that they may see the bread that I gave you to eat in the wilderness” (verse 32)?
CAC God’s people as viewed in the land and finding the greatest delight in viewing the character of life seen in Christ in wilderness conditions. It is there to be seen spiritually.
Ques Is the golden pot the assembly?
CAC Yes, a divine vessel. All the preciousness of the manna as seen perfectly in Christ is to be treasured in our affections. The fineness of the grain is called attention to (verse 14). Every circumstance in His life, all His exercises, were vessels for the grace of heaven. There was no circumstance [p. 80] so small in the life of the blessed Lord but what became the vessel for the grace of heaven to manifest itself. Why should we murmur at circumstances? Every circumstance becomes an asset, an occasion for the grace of heaven and the life of Jesus to be manifested. There is no other food for the redeemed.
Rem I am afraid we loathe it sometimes.
CAC It is very sad when it is so and only shows how the flesh comes into evidence in the people of God.
Ques What is the Sabbath?
CAC The thought of the Sabbath was in the mind of God. We get here the first introduction of it for man. “See, for Jehovah hath given you the Sabbath” (verse 29). The “flesh”, the “bread”, the “Sabbath” are all a question of divine gift.
Ques For us what does it mean?
CAC The Sabbath sets forth God’s perfect rest in Christ outside the tests of the wilderness. They were to eat but not gather the manna on the sabbath (verse 25). There was to be perfect rest. Then (verse 29), “Abide every man in his place: let no man go from his place on the seventh day” suggests that each Israelite has his place in rest with God. Nothing on the Sabbath was to disturb his place with God. The Sabbath was at the end of six days of gathering.
Rem The manna was within the reach of every Israelite.
CAC All was grace; even if a man was not diligent, the administration of grace was so complete that each had his omer full (verses 16 - 19).
Ques What about “the dew”, verses 13, 14?
CAC The dew suggests divine refreshing to prepare the way for the manna. “I will be as the dew unto Israel” (Hosea 14: 5). God will thus prepare them to appreciate Christ. The dew falls on the spirits of His people to cause them to appreciate Christ as the manna. The dew falls silently and invisibly. It is a sovereign movement of God to prepare us to appreciate Christ. It is a reviving, a refreshing power on the spirit.
Rem “He restoreth my soul”.
CAC We all know what it is. Sometimes when you open the Scriptures all seems dry; you want the dew. Another time the Scriptures come home with power. Why? You have had the dew. There is no manna without the dew. You must pray about the manna first. It is the activities of God sending the dew on our spirit. Look at the dry, barren state of Israel today and it will be so until the dew falls upon them. We all know the difference. Like Gideon’s fleece, dry when all around is wet. I long for the dew.
‘Each thought of Thee doth constant yield
Unchanging, fresh delight’. (151:4)
Does it? It will if the dew is on you.
Rem Nebuchadnezzar was “bathed with the dew of heaven” for seven years. The manna falls on prepared surfaces.
CAC It is only appreciated by us as it falls on the dew.
Rem The thought of food in Scripture is important.
CAC It suggests the building up of a new constitution. Egypt’s food, worldly literature, etc., build you up for Egypt. But that which is pleasurable to God, seen in Christ, is built up by feeding on the manna daily, for six days, so that we can enjoy our place in Sabbath rest with God. If we are really set to move on lines pleasurable to God, as seen in Christ, every test becomes an opportunity for the grace of heaven.
Rem I suppose the question is raised also as to how we gather (verse 17).
CAC There must be diligence. There is need of diligence. Peter is the great wilderness man and in his second epistle he tells us how the manna becomes available. It comes in on the line of gathering (2 Peter 1: 3 - 11). “As his divine power has given to us all things which relate to life and godliness ... using therewith all diligence, in your faith have also virtue ...”.
Rem Lacking these things one is blind.
CAC Practically we do not get the grace of heaven [p. 82] until we are in circumstances where we need it. ‘Egypt’s food no more to eat’. There is a full supply of all we need to carry us right through to “the everlasting kingdom”.
Ques Would you say something as to “the Testimony” (verse 34)?
CAC The Testimony first appears in connection with the manna. The Testimony really was the two tables. The suggestion in the manna being kept before it is that God had provided sufficient support for the Testimony to be set forth in His people. Before the Testimony is set forth, provision is made in the manna to enable the people of God to maintain the Testimony. The Sabbath gives you the thought of your place of enjoyment with God. Each has his place with God (verse 29). That is Godward. The Testimony is manward.
The saints are now the tables — living tables (2 Corinthians 3: 3). All that can be known of God by men is set forth in the saints. The manna enables us for it.
After faith (2 Peter 1: 5) we need virtue, that is courage. There is a supply of courage for us, “As his divine power has given to us all things which relate to life and godliness”. But we have to get it through exercise “using therewith all diligence”. Again “use diligence” (verse 10). Each fresh period of exercise and history has its divine furnishing beforehand. We should be ready for opportunities. We miss them by not being ready for them.
The Testimony has its place in the wilderness. It is “The ark of testimony” and “The tabernacle of testimony” in the wilderness. “The Testimony” is in the wilderness where God is not known. We shall be in accord with the Testimony if feeding on the manna. The Testimony is Christ. Nothing forms part of the Testimony that is not Christ. What is fruit for God becomes Testimony in the world. The manna is said to be “very fine”, the smallest circumstance affords an opportunity for the grace of heaven.