Manna From Heaven

Exodus 16:33

"And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations."

After the children of Israel left Elim, they came to the wilderness of Sin. In this wilderness they had no food to eat. There were no animals to kill for food, and if there were animals, they would not be sufficient enough to feed this large congregation.

When the children of Israel saw they had no food, they murmured to Moses about bringing them into the wilderness so they would die. Moses brought this problem to God, and He told him that He would send bread from Heaven. When the people woke up in the morning and saw the bread lying upon the dew, they called it manna.

God told Israel to only gather enough for the day, for it would not be good for the next day. Israel, not trusting God, tried to save some for the following day and found that it turned to worms. Here is the truth I want you to see. God told Moses to have Aaron take a pot and put manna in it and "lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generation." This same manna that spoiled was miraculously kept as a memorial for generations to come.

Manna is a type of the Word of God. In this story, you find that this manna from Heaven is like the Word of God to the Christian. There are four very valuable truths we learn from this manna as it compares to the Word of God.

First, God's Word is an inspired and preserved Word. The manna that was laid up before the Testimony never spoiled. God has preserved His Word for you in the King James Bible. His Word will continue to be preserved for every generation. This is important because His Word must be inspired and preserved if we are going to get the spiritual nutrition we need on a daily basis.

Second, God's Word is needed in your life on a daily basis. Just like the manna gathered by the people was only good for one day, what God feeds you today from His Word is not good for tomorrows needs. Yes, the truths will be good, but God has something special for you everyday in His Word if you will read It.

Third, God's Word is valuable to your life. Hebrews 9:4 shows us that Aaron put the manna in a "golden pot." Friend, God's Word is very valuable to your life. In God's Word are the instructions and wisdom you need to live. When you don't read His Word, you are missing out on some of the most valuable truths that can help your marriage, life, ministry and career. Don't miss the value of God's Word because you are too busy. Read It every day to find the gold you need for that day.

Fourth, God's Word will keep you close to God. Aaron laid the golden pot of manna before the Testimony in the tabernacle. Friend, you will never stay close to God without staying close to His Word. A person who only opens the pages of God's Word on Sunday will never realize the sweet presence of God in their life on a daily basis.

Don't miss the benefits that God has for you in His Word. Set time aside on a daily basis to read It. If you must start by reading a chapter a day, that is a start to a very priceless relationship. When you go to read God's Word, yield yourself to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to show you the gold you need for that day. You will find that once you start finding the gold from God's Word on a daily basis that you will have no problem continually mining those truths.