Manna from heaven

https://odb.org/MY/2023/07/07/chocolate-snowflake

Most of us are familiar with the story from the bible of the LORD feeding the nearly 2 million Israelites (men, women, and children) in the wilderness. They were fed with manna from heaven, and this lasted throughout their journey there of 40 years! As long as they were on the sojourn, God provided the manna. It finally ceased when they reached settled land, which was Canaan, the Promised Land. At a certain time, there was also quail for meat, but it was only for a limited period (some postulate it was only for about a year).

The manna from heaven appeared in the morning and would only last for the day. It appeared every single day except the 7th day, and there was a double portion on the 6th day. Thus, the manna that arrived on the 6th day could last one extra day. The manna was the carbohydrate provision by God for the Israelites to give them strength, and I would think consumable by their livestock. Thus, their livestock provided them with protein from their milk. Water for everyone came from the places that Moses had used his staff. It was a complete ecosystem of sustenance until they reached settled land, where they could then till the land. The whole ecosystem out in the desert was a miracle, besides the floating cloud in the day and the ball of fire by night. It was supposed to only last for 40 days but ended up for 40 years! In other words, the whole miracle was perpetuated daily for years by God for the Israelites, His chosen people!

How the LORD related to Israel is a picture of how He relates to us as the spiritual Israel. In this sense, we stand secure knowing that, like He fed the Israelites, the LORD will feed His people. We know that if we are His children, we will never go hungry. The LORD will provide for our basic needs, symbolised by the water, manna from heaven, and the quail. God will, in His special way, sustain us to live and to carry on living this life. The same way that He had liberated the Israelites from bondage and then made sure they were fed, He would do the same for us even as He had freed us from the clutches of sin.

When Jesus came onto the scene, He identified Himself as the bread of life. Jesus will thus provide for us not only physical food but also spiritual food for eternity. He is both the source of living waters and the bread of life as one day the Tree of Life will be accessible to us again as children of God. The bread of life will be there for our lifetime and beyond, not just for 40 years. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only way to the Father, He is the Word and the everlasting manna from heaven! His love and provision are steadfast and are renewed every morning like dew. Hold on tight and put our complete trust in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour!