The manna had to be gathered early or it melted away with the heat of the sun. No doubt there is a lesson for us in this. The way we can “gather the manna” now, is by reading the Word of God, which brings Christ before us. We ought to read it every morning, just as they gathered manna every morning. If we put it off until the cares of the day overtake us, like the rising sun in the wilderness, we will find that it is too late and we shall not get the same good from it. It will have “melted away” like the manna in the camp of Israel.
Gathering Manna
Perhaps some of our readers find that there is a great rush in the morning, getting ready for school or work, and you feel as though you do not have time. Let us urge you to take time to get this important food for your soul. You may not have time to read very much, but be sure to read some. The children of Israel did not all gather the same amount, but they gathered according to their eating, and those who measured it up with an omer, found that they had no lack. “He that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack” (ch. 16:18). The important thing for them was to gather it, and then measure it, and so the important thing for us is, first to read the Word, and then meditate upon it. They had to take the manna handful by handful and measure it into their omer, which is the equivalent of about five pints, and so if we take what we have read and apply it to our need for the day, we shall get the blessing, too.
No Left Overs
There is something else we should also notice here: they were especially commanded that none of it was to be left over until the next morning, except on the Sabbath. If they tried to keep it, which some of them did, it bred worms and had a horrible smell. This would show us that we cannot read two chapters today, and expect it to do for tomorrow as well. What we read today will not do for tomorrow any more than eating two dinners today would nourish our bodies for two days in the proper way. If we wish to be healthy, we need a dinner each day, and so we need a fresh portion each day from God’s precious Word. Just as the manna which was kept over developed an unpleasant smell, so there is nothing as dry and unpleasant as hearing a person speaking about some truth which he got hold of a long time ago, but which he is not in the good of at the present time.
The children of Israel could, however, keep the manna over for the Sabbath day. They were told to gather twice as much the day before, in order that they would have enough for the Sabbath, since the manna did not fall on the Sabbath. We will speak a little about the Sabbath and the first day of the week in the next chapter. To us the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day, and we should do our “gathering of the manna” during the week, perhaps more particularly the day before, so that we can enjoy what we have gathered as we meet around His table on the Lord’s Day. We can also use some of it during the remainder of the day in happy service for Him.
Further Meditation
1. Why was the manna not supposed to be saved for the next day?
2. The Israelites put the manna into an omer. How can we do something similar with our daily “feeding” on the Word of God?
3. Daily Light by S. Bagster provides an excellent collection of scriptures on a single theme arranged into brief meditations. It might make a nice accompaniment to your daily reading of God’s Word.