January 24^th

BREAD OF HEAVEN

In John 6:57-58, Jesus said, “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.” Jesus’ words coupled with the above Scriptures give a glimpse of the wonderful shadow the manna in the wilderness was of Him.   As an example for our learning, through the manna we can see how God has always been so faithful to His people. Let us find our Lord in this Old Testament type.

          The manna was described as being like the coriander seed. Coriander in Hebrew is Gad. Gad was a patriarch whose name means troop or overcomer. Consider that the power to overcome was inherent in the manna and all they had to do was eat it. Every savored bite should have served as a reminder that they were being equipped to overcome.

This thought parallels the New Covenant’s testimony of Paul in Romans Chapter 6:1 where he boldly declares the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Consider again that the power unto salvation is inherent in the Gospel.  It makes one wonder how the focus shifts so easily from the Gospel to other things when the power unto salvation is in the Gospel.

          The manna was the color of bdellium.  The only other place bedellium is found in the Bible is in Genesis 2:11 in a place called Havilah which was a part of Eden.  Havilah means to whirl. Sounds like preparation for an ascent! The manna tasted like wafers made with honey and fresh oil.  The honey made them able to get a taste of their land that flowed with milk and honey before they entered into it!  The fresh oil spoke to the anointing. Every bite afforded them the privilege to taste and see that the Lord is good! Every bite had the fullness of Christ in His Power built into it.