Exodus 16:19, 20: “And Moses said, let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.”
There is an amazing truth in this temptation. We know that the manna represents God’s Word. The manna also represents Jesus Christ.
John 6:32-35: “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believed on me shall never thirst.”
We see three important truths in these words of Jesus.
1. Jesus is the true bread
2. Jesus came down from Heaven
3. Jesus gives life to the world
God told the Israeliltes that if manna was left over until the following morning, it would breed worms and stink. It was disobedience to leave it till the next morning.
The manna, which is a type of God’s Word and Jesus Christ Himself, was miraculously provided from Heaven And it was not to be left over until the next day. How much more should Jesus Christ, the true Bread that came down for Heaven and who gives life to the world not be LEFT OVER BREAD. He is not “take it or leave it” bread.
We cannot be casual about Jesus Christ, our Bread of Life. Jesus, the true Bread, must be eaten of every day.
Matthew 4:4: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but be every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
Jesus Christ is the Bread of God’s presence. The shewbread in the temple was called “the bread of the Presence” (1 Samuel 21:6 (NASB).
The question that amazes me is this: how is it possible that the manna which came down from Heaven, if left over until the following morning, bred worms and stank? Who wants to eat bread that has worms wriggling around in it and stinks? What do we learn from this?
We must not allow Jesus Christ to be stale, left over bread which we don’t eat until we feel like it. When Jesus called His disciples to follow him “They immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him” (Matthew 4:22).
Luke 9:57-62 tells us about different men who wanted to follow Jesus wherever He went. But one said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.” Another said, “Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.”
What was Jesus’ answer: “No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The word of Christ, if it is not received with instant obedience has the power to destroy us. We become stale, and in a sense, we allow worms of disobedience and disrespect for God’s Word to breed in us. We also begin to stink of staleness and mustiness.
Jesus Christ is FRESH BREAD. He is PRESENCE BREAD. He is the FRAGRANT BREAD of Song of Solomon 4:11-16.
If we desire to be fresh, we must eat fresh bread, not left over bread.
As fathers and mothers, we must be fresh bread to our children. We must teach them to daily partake of God’s Word. Yesterday’s revelations of God were for yesterday. We must get fresh revelation of God for each new day.
If we don’t eat fresh manna, we will spiritually stink, to ourselves as well as to others.
1 Samuel 15:22, 23: “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity an idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”
King Saul, through disobedience, began to stink of human reasoning.
Let’s be those who reveal the fragrance of the freshness of God’s presence upon our lives each new day.
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell