Category: Bible

God’s Word is our “Manna from Heaven”.

“Manna from Heaven” has become an idiom of the English language. It means “An unexpected benefit or assistance, especially when it comes at the time when it is needed most.” For example, “Unable to pay my bills, the stimulus check was like manna from Heaven.”

Manna sounds like the Hebrew for “What is it?” The Israelites discovered the manna but didn’t know what it was. Apparently they had never seen anything like it before. The Scripture describes it like this:

“Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.  The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil. When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.” Numbers 11:7-9 NASB

“The house of Israel named it manna, and … its taste was like wafers with honey.” Exodus 16:31 NASB

God provided what they needed to for sustenance, but they had to do something first. They had to prepare it. I always thought of manna as being loaves of bread floating down from Heaven. But in reality, they had to take the manna and grind it, and then cook it in a pot or bake cakes with it.

How does this apply to us today?

God has graciously given us His Word and that Word is the Bread of Life. This means that although God has given us His Word (the Bible), we have to take it and do something with it.

We must read and study it daily. It is our “daily bread”. The Holy Spirit will speak to us daily through His Word. Our daily devotion in God’s Word infuses us with strength and encouragement.

If we leave our Bible on the shelf, we leave our daily bread on the shelf. What a tragedy to leave the manna on the wilderness floor when it’s what we need to sustain us!

“Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.” John 6:35 NASB

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 NASB 

From John 1:1, we know that Jesus is the Word. Jesus also declared that He was the bread of life.

There are many lessons that can be derived from the provision of manna. To me, the most important one is that God’s Word is our daily bread. Jesus taught us to pray,

“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

How can we receive our daily bread (sustenance) if we are not in the Word? Do we grumble and complain, as the Israelites did, tired of the manna and wanting something else? God’s Word is our guide. It will sustain us in every situation.

The Psalmist wrote,

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Psalm 119:18 KJV

“I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
 I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:15-16 NIV

With Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Evgeni Tcherkasski on Unsplash

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