Friday, May 5, 2006

Bread from Heaven in the Wilderness of Sin


"Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you;" (Exo. 16:4a)

The children of Israel traveled to the Wilderness of Sin (a real geographical location south of Elim, where they probably were a month ago). They came out of Egypt by the great deliverance of walking on dry ground through the Red Sea. Now they were complacent, perhaps having the opportunity to see Egypt from a far, they longed for their former lifestyle, even under bondage. The LORD heard their murmurings and meets their need yet again. He supplies them with bread in the morning and meat (quails) at night. They called this bread "Manna." We are given a description of this bread and its taste in verse 31. Furthermore, the LORD instructed Moses to keep some "Manna" in a pot for a memorial and later it was placed in the Ark of the Covenant.
We too are in a 'Wilderness of Sin.' In fact we are born in sin. And unless we partake of that 'bread from heaven' we cannot survive. Ultimately, we would die in our sin and face the LORD as our Judge. In John 6 Jesus declares Himself to be the true bread from heaven. Verse 35 says: "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." These sayings in John 6 were too heavy even for those who initially began to follow Jesus. "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him" (verse 66). So they turned their backs from the bread of life, the only supply that could sustain eternal life. They chose to return to their 'wilderness of sin.' They lost their souls. Have you partaken yet of the bread of life, Jesus Christ? I pray before it is too late, that today if you have not yet trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ that you would do so.

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