John 6:32 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. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
This passage of scripture teaches us that the spiritual bread which is Christ is of indispensable value to the Christian, and is necessary for us to avoid soul hunger and thirst. In the passage the reference was made to the giving of the manna to the Hebrews in the days of Moses, and we observe in the context that the Jews had erroneously credited him with the miraculous bread. But Christ sought to correct this error, and showed that the giving of the literal bread was a symbol of the more important spiritual bread, of which God desires that we all should partake. The way in which the manna was given, and the instructions for its use must then be closely observed, for the spiritual overtones of those instructions still have great meaning for us today.
First of all, the manna was given in the wee hours of the morning, and when the sun arose and waxed hot it melted. Let's read:
Exodus 16:14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna"... 21 And"... "when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
In the early hours of the morning, when every other voice is hushed, is the best time to partake of the bread of life, where we can concentrate on Christ and commune with Him in a quiet and undisturbed manner. But for us to wait until the hustle and bustle of everyday life has crept upon us, to now try and squeeze in some time with God is counterproductive, for then we are not giving Him the best of our attention or energies, hence the reason why the psalmist says he will seek God early in the morning.
When we wait to do our devotions at the time when work and business are calling, then our attention becomes divided, and like the literal manna which evaporated as the sun waxed hot, so the word of God evaporates like the dew, and we are left with soul hunger throughout the day. Now, there are those who work the night shift, and in some cases it is literally impossible to seek God at this time, however, in such cases careful provision should be made, in which we can set aside quality time to commune with Christ, for eating the bread of life daily is the only way that spiritual life can be sustained.
Another instruction given concerning the manna is that everyone was to eat for himself, and nothing was to be left until the following morning. This means that one person could not eat for another, for just like it is with our temporal food, each individual needs nutrition for himself. The habit of waiting for others to regurgitate that which they have digested is not the method recommended in the scriptures, for each of us need a fresh daily supply of the living bread, in order that spiritual health may be maintained. Then again, one day's supply cannot suffice for the next, for in the Christian life we need fresh renewals of grace every day, in order to stay the course with Christ. Let's read:
Exodus 16:16 This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating".... 19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
The eating of the Living Bread means that time must be spent daily in the study of God's word, in prayer and supplication, and in communion with Him, so that He can direct us in the ways of His choosing. In the life of Christ there were no plans made for the following day, but instead He sought His Father's face every morning so that God's will for that day would be made known. This is what is meant by being led by The Spirit of God, for when we are in tune with Him, through imbibing the written and Living word, then He is able to guide us with wisdom and discretion in the ways of His choosing.
Thus, as we feed on Christ, spiritual maturity, sound judgment, spiritual discernment and faithful service will characterize our ongoing relationship with God, and He gives to us a stability and sense of purpose that is not easily disturbed by adverse circumstances that cause upsets in others. Grace and strength for today is all that is promised, and if we consistently feed on The Living bread, we will be enabled to grow from strength to strength, and to live victoriously through the power of The indwelling Christ.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to look to Christ each day for sustenance and strength, for He has promised that all who wait upon Him daily will be fortified to run the Christian race over the long haul. Let's read:
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!