Moshe answered them, “It is the bread which Adonai has given you to eat. Here is what Adonai has ordered: each man is to gather according to his appetite — each is to take an ‘omer per person for everyone in his tent.”-Exodus 16:15-16
Three million Israelites are hungry and worried about their diminishing food supply.
It’s been two months since they left Egypt and they’re starting to freak out.
They confront Moses asking him if he brought them out into the desert to starve.
Moses takes their complaint to God who tells him not to worry because He is going to rain down LECHEM from heaven.
LECHEM is the Hebrew word for bread.
Incidentally, we all know Yeshua was born in Bethlehem, right?
This word is actually BEIT-LECHEM.
BEIT means house.
So our Savior, the Bread from Heaven, was actually born at a location, called the “House of Bread”.
Man, this symbolism is so awesome, I’m about to pop a blood vessel.
Okay, you may be thinking ‘I thought the Hebrew word for bread here was MANNA’?
“MANNA” (or to be more accurate “MAN-HU”), just means “What is it?” because the Israelites had no idea what this strange white substance that had fallen from the sky really was.
Now when the Israelites went to gather their supply of MANNA or bread for the day a very strange and miraculous thing happened and it has baffled more than quite a few Bible scholars.
God instructed them that each person was to take one omer or about two quarts per person of manna into his tent.
However, the Scriptures tell us that in spite of God’s instructions, “some gathered more, some less”.
Yet, when they went back to their tents and opened up their omer-sized jars, we’re told EVERYONE HAD EXACTLY THE SAME AMOUNT.
The message here is both simple and powerful.
There is no need to horde in God’s economy.
God’s provision is endless.
Although everybody ended up with the same amount, each person was satisfied according to his appetite.
In fact, we can see from the instructions that the Israelites were to dispose of the remainder before the next morning, that everybody was more than satisfied.
But of course, human nature being the way it is, some people just couldn’t resist the urge to keep some for the next day.
Those who didn’t trust God and ignored his command found themselves left with rotten and probably stinkin’ inedible manna the next day.
Incidentally, the Lord issued out this same command during the Passover in Egypt.
The Israelites were to eat their fill of MATZAH and then throw away the rest before morning.
The importance of obedience is brought home here as well as the fact that a blessing from God can be ruined by man’s rebellion.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Do not store up for yourselves wealth here on earth,
where moths and rust destroy,
and burglars break in and steal.
Instead, store up for yourselves wealth in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys,
and burglars do not break in or steal.
For where your wealth is,
there your heart will be also.”
-Matthew 6:19-20
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