When God’s people escaped from Egypt, they entered the barren desert, where they were completely dependent upon God alone. They needed God to provide water, food, shelter, and protection. They had entered into a life that was God-focused.
The world was a barren place, and food was scarce at best. Then God revealed His provision of manna. God called it the bread from heaven. Each morning, the dew would fall, and this bread from heaven would be there when the dew lifted. They looked at it with curiosity. Look at Exodus 16:15-16
15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.
16 This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’”
They called it manna, which means ‘what is it’. It was something unknown to anyone outside of God’s provision. When the sun rose, the mana would melt away. It was designed to only provide the provision of one day. The people were instructed not to keep it overnight, for it could only be used that day. Those who failed to follow this instruction ended up with a mess. It would decay, and worms would invade, making a smelly mess.
As always, the events of the Old Testament point to Christ, and were living word-pictures that apply to the church today. Jesus made it clear that manna was a picture of Himself, which is the true bread that came from heaven. John 1 tells us that Jesus is the word of God, and Jesus explains that He is the bread of life. We must take in this bread in order to have a thriving spiritual life on a daily basis. When teaching His disciples to pray, part of that prayer was, “Give us day by day our daily bread.” (Luke 11:3)
Manna is our daily bread we receive from taking in His word. God designed the Christian life to be a continual feeding on His word and life. When we try to live on yesterday’s mana, we aren’t renewed. The worms of this life and the corruption around us seeps into our minds, attitudes, and actions because yesterday’s mana cannot refresh today’s experiences. Ephesians 4:22-23 tells us that our flesh has to be continually put off because it affects our conduct, and that we must be renewed in the spirit of our minds. The Bible also tells us that we are renewed by the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
As we receive our daily word, we allow it to renew our minds by meditating and drawing from this bread of life, and then we are daily renewed. The world cannot corrupt the new manna. Our flesh can’t seep in if we are continually renewing the mind on a daily basis.
Jesus made an interesting promise to the church in Revelation 2:17. To the one who overcomes, He will give that person to eat of the hidden manna. There is a deeper revelation that God provides to those who live as overcomers. An overcomer is the one who learns how to depend upon God, and receives His power by surrendering day by day. Instead of allowing the corruption to creep in, they listen to the promise of the renewal of the Spirit, and applies this promise to their lives. One important part of this is to take a portion of the day, and giving it to spiritual growth, and through this, we are also receiving from the Lord. An overcomer is someone who recognizes this world as a spiritual desert, and depends wholly upon God’s provision. They look expectantly to God, and take time to gather daily manna so they can feed on His word.
As you grow into this truth, then you will begin to see the hidden manna – the depth of God’s word, that will begin transforming your understanding into an eternal perspective. There is so much God desires to pour into you, but most believers never experience God’s purpose beyond a superficial understanding.
God has invited you into the life of an overcomer, but that is only found as we seek Him. Seek, and you will find. That promise that has no end. The more you seek, the more you will discover. God has hidden His treasures for you to find. Once you value His word enough to seek it, treasures of faith abound. Never get to the point where you feel like you have figured it out. Each revelation of God’s truth is the foundation that is necessary in order to receive the next truth.
Those who don’t yet understand, look at the word and say, “What is it?” The word will always be mysterious until you begin to try it, then consume it, and then live as a seeker. Then you will begin finding the hidden manna, which also is new every morning.