The Manna Principle

          One of the most fundamental truths taught in the Bible can be found in the way God provided manna for Israel during their forty-year journey through the wilderness.

Exodus 16:4-5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. ⁵ And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

          The Purpose of the manna was not just to provide food for God’s people, but primarily to test them in their faith and obedience.

          For forty years God fed Israel supernaturally in the wilderness by daily raining down a fine bread-like substance from Heaven. It fell to the Earth every night for six days during the week. It fell in the form of tiny white specs and tasted like wafers with honey.

          The Israelites were commanded to collect about a half gallon of manna per person, per day. On the sixth day, they were to collect a double portion because no manna fell on the sabbath day. Any leftover manna would stink and breed worms, so they could not live off the manna from yesterday. It must be gathered daily according to God’s specific instructions and a double portion for the sabbath.

          What is this strange story telling us about our Christian life today? Every story, every interaction, and every encounter with God we see in the Old Testament is for our instruction in the New. Everything from Genesis to Revelation points to Christ and Christian living.

Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 

          The word “manna,” means; “What is it?” That is what the Israelites said when they first saw it laying on the ground. Manna is a type of the Word of God.

Israel didn’t understand the purpose of manna much like the modern Church does not understand the purpose and significance of the Word of God. Israel did not just disobey God’s instructions concerning the manna, they complained about it continually. They did not appreciate the fact that God was demonstrating His love, care, and commitment to them daily through this breadlike substance that fell from Heaven.

Had Israel obeyed God concerning His instructions about the manna they would not have wandered in the wilderness for forty years and died there without ever reaching the promised land.

Christians behold God’s written word today and say the same thing in their hearts, “what is it? I don’t understand it. It’s boring. I have heard that before. Give me something else to eat. I’m tired of eating the same old manna every day.” Not understanding that this is the very thing that gives spiritual life and health to the believer.

Despising the written Word hinders us from hearing the spoken Word when the Holy Spirit speaks to us in the “still small voice.” It also hinders us from having an intimate relationship with Christ, the living Word.

Not properly appreciating the written Word leads us to seek the leavened bread of entertaining teachers and preachers that make us feel good instead of transforming us unto His image. It causes us to have itchy ears and perpetuates a self-deception that disqualifies us from the blessings of the kingdom of God.

Some would say, “I don’t despise God’s word!” Thinking that despising means to hate. Yet despising in biblical terms means to lightly esteem, to treat contemptible, or to not honor properly. God takes this personally.

When we do not properly honor the Lord’s Word, we are treating Him with contempt. We are despising the Lord. It is a heinous act of unbelief and brings serious consequences.

If we desire our old lifestyle as the Israelites did, or we just mingle bits of the old lifestyle into our Christian walk to make it more comfortable and less challenging, we are in the same boat as they were. We must lay down our old life to embrace the new life promised us in Christ Jesus.

John 12:24-26 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. ²⁵ He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

God was not pleased with the generation of Israel that was delivered from Egypt. They continued to complain and desire to turn back to their old lives despite the supernatural demonstration of God’s love that they experienced daily. This brought about judgment so severe that God would not allow them to enter into the Promise Land. God was forced to let that unbelieving generation die first before He led His people into the promised land.

Despising the Word of God still hinders us from receiving His promises in our lives today. He will not reward unbelief. Those that honor Him will be honored, and those that despise Him will be lightly esteemed. It doesn’t mean we are not loved, and it doesn’t mean we won’t be provided for, it just means our heart is not right and we are filled with unbelief. It also means that we are at risk of disqualifying ourselves from the fullness of God’s blessing in our lives.

Just because we have a promise from God and can quote the scriptures and make good confessions does not mean we will receive any of the promises of God if our heart is not right before Him.

What does Israel’s story of manna tell us about the living Word of God we have in the New Testament?

Eat my Flesh – the New Testament manna

          One of the most controversial messages that Jesus preached was at the synagogue at Capernaum, recorded in John chapter 6. In His message, Jesus declared Himself to be “the bread of life which came down from Heaven.” He told those listening that unless they ate His flesh and drank His blood they had no life in them. This caused many of His disciples to stop following Him. He even asked His ministry team, (the chosen 12 disciples) if they wanted to leave as well.

John 6:48-58 I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. ⁵⁰ This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

⁵² The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. ⁵⁶ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

          All those listening took Jesus’ words literally, but He was speaking by the Spirit and referring to spiritual things. So, what does it mean to “eat His flesh?”

          We must go back to the first chapter of John to understand exactly what Jesus is talking about. In the first few verses of the gospel of John, we see that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God. If we jump down to verse 14, we see that the Word became flesh.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

          Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. The written Word is here to test us, try us, purify our hearts and renew our minds. The main purpose of God’s word is to test us, to see if we will eat His flesh and drink His blood so that we too can become the Word, made flesh.

A “word” is a written or verbal expression of an idea that creates images in the minds of those that hear it. We use words to communicate with each other and share our ideas, feelings, thoughts, and intentions. Jesus is called the living Word because He is the expression of God, His thoughts, His feelings, and His intentions. A perfect representation of the Father. It is only through eating the bread from heaven, The Word of life,  that the image of God is restored to mankind.

          We are blessed in this generation to have the written Word of God recorded and put into many easily accessible formats. The Greek word translated as “Word” in this text is “logos.” Logos is not merely the written word, as many of us have been taught, but it is the divine expression of God Himself, the communication of His nature and will. It is the absolute truth that supersedes all other things expressed by words and has the creative power to change the very nature of things exposed to it.

Everything in creation is subject to the truth of God’s Word and everything in creation must eventually align itself to that Word or bow to it. We have yet to grasp the reality of just how powerful, and significant the written word is.

          The Word (logos) was first spoken (Rhema) so it could be recorded. It was recorded so it could be continually heard and spoken, so it could be eaten and digested.

          If we abide in the Word, the Word will become flesh in our lives. As we read and listen to the Word of God it is ingested by the heart. Once it is ingested, it will then be digested by our understanding as we are renewed in the spirit of our mind.

The Word is still becoming Flesh

God’s Word still becomes flesh as we abide in it. It is important to understand this because it is referring to our divine purpose and the revealing of God’s divine mystery.

Notice that after the Word became flesh, we then beheld His glory. Glory, in this sense, means any made seen expression or made know attributes of God. It means that the Word becoming flesh results in God’s glory being seen and known to all.

Colossians 1:26-27 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. ²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

          Christ in us is the Father’s hope of making Himself seen and known to the world through His chosen people. We are the hope of His glory being revealed. This is one of the gospel’s great mysteries.

Christ in us, the hope of making God seen and known.

          Israel remained bound by a slave’s mentality. They were not able to embrace their identity as chosen sons, partly because they despised the manna. Instead of being thankful for daily provision, they complained about it, not realizing that God was meeting them every day, trying to penetrate their hardened hearts by revealing His goodness and faithfulness. They refused to believe and obey.

If we despise God’s written Word today, we will not have the knowledge, understanding, or strength to believe and obey Him either. It is only by abiding in the truth of His Word that we will be freed from the bondage of sin consciousness.

John 8:31-32Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

          The Christian life must be marked by abiding in the truth of the Word of God. Only then can we truly say we are His disciples. Only then will the glory of our freedom in Christ be revealed to the world.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

          Do we truly understand the power of the living Word? Where is God’s Word on our priority list? Are we abiding in the Word or just incorporating portions of it into our lives where we think we need it?

          What are the three most important things in your life right now? The spouse and kids? The career? Hobbies? Financial security? All these things are important, but if the Word of God is not above all of them on the priority list, you cannot love and steward those things to your highest potential.

          God has designed us in a way that requires dependence upon Him to reach our full potential and highest expression in this life. He has called us to partner with Him in this glorious journey. Our participation must be founded on what He has said and believe it to be true. The life of God that we experience on this journey is directly related to how much we abide in His Word.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Jesus said when tempted by the devil, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

          The life of God comes from the Word of God. Not listening to preachers and teachers, those are for our equipping. Not reading books from our favorite Christian authors, watching Christian TV, or listening to Christian radio. Those are all leavened bread and should be viewed as supplements to the spiritual food of God’s Word. We can survive off those things, but we cannot thrive. The life of God comes from the unleavened bread of His pure Word. It can be acquired no other way.

Just like a newborn baby will cry for the life-giving milk every few hours, we should hunger for God’s Holy Word.

 1 Peter 2:2-3  as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

          The Word of God should be the joy and rejoicing of our hearts. It is the bread from Heaven that gives life and strength to fight the spiritual warfare we are in. If we are not fully engaged with God’s Word we are incapable of fully engaging the enemy in spiritual warfare.

Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

Maintaining an Awareness of God

          Have you looked back on your life and realized that there were times that you felt closer to God than others? The anointing was stronger, God seemed to be moving more in your life and you were noticeably more focused on Him? I have experienced this myself and questioned God about it. His answer was simple, yet profound. He said: “At those times you were more aware of Me, more conscious of Me.”

          I began to see the importance of maintaining a “God Awareness.” Furthermore, I realized that the responsibility of maintaining that awareness fell to me. With that realization I began to think about what produces and awareness of God and what pulls me out of that awareness.

          2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The principle is this: “WE BECOME WHAT WE BEHOLD.”

Matthew 6:22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, (single, clear) your whole body will be full of light. 

          What we continually look at has a profound effect on our lives. We must be particular about what we allow ourselves to behold. Our perspective determines the amount of light we have, how bright we shine, and how full of light we really are.

Presence vs. Principle

          Another trick the enemy uses is to get us to substitute knowing God, for knowing about God.

1 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

          The word “knowledge” in the above verse indicates an intimate knowledge that unites you with the object or person it is talking about. It indicates a personal experience with instead of merely knowing about. There is a huge difference.

          If we read a biography on the life of any given person, we can acquire a great deal of knowledge about that person, but unless we actually spend time with the person, we can’t honestly say that we know them.

          As a people, Christians have been duped into believing that knowledge of God’s word is the equivalent of knowing Him personally. We understand the principles and grasp the concepts of faith but we don’t really know God because we don’t spend time in intimacy with Him. Talking to Him, asking questions, listening for His response, being still before Him and quietly meditating on who He are all roads that lead to intimacy with Him. We can’t begin to wrap our head around who He is by only reading His word. We must also spend time in the light of His presence. Both are needed to mature, and both are needed to effectively live and walk by faith.

          We learn the principles of God’s amazing Word and then we try to live by these principles in our own strength. If we spend as much time with God as we do learning about God our awareness of His abiding presence will produce a walk of faith that keeps us living and abiding in holiness. Instant obedience becomes natural and resisting temptation becomes effortless.

          If Jesus appeared to us physically, and was with us every minute of every day, would we have a problem resisting sin? Would we have a problem obeying His word? We would be so acutely aware of our every action and word  that we would only do and say those things that pleased Him. This is how Jesus lived His life. He set the example for us to follow.

John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 

John 8:28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

John 12:49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.

          The more time we spend alone with our Heavenly Father, the more awareness of His presence we will walk in throughout our day.

          Awareness of God births the character of God, the nature of God, and the faith of God within us. Awareness of His abiding presence makes us more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading. Awareness of God helps us to see others how God sees them and therefore opens the door for us to minister Christ to them more effectively.

Thank you for visiting truthpressure.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you.

JC