Ⅳ
We need to see and experience the characteristics of Christ as our unique food, our daily manna, for our metabolic transformation:
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Manna is a mystery—Exo. 16:15; Col. 2:2; Isa. 9:6; Eph. 3:4; John 3:8:
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The Hebrew expression man hu, from which the word manna derives, means”What is it?”—Exo. 16:15.
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Just as we cannot analyze or explain manna, we cannot analyze or explain the Lord Jesus; to the people of the world, Christ is the real manna, the real”What is it?”
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Manna is a long-term miracle; manna was sent every morning, and it had to be gathered every morning; this indicates that we cannot store up the supply of Christ but that the experience of Christ as our life supply must be daily, morning by morning; as our food, Christ will last for eternity—vv. 4, 21; cf. Matt. 6:34.
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Manna is from heaven; on the one hand, the Lord Jesus is”the bread out of heaven”; on the other hand, He is”the bread of God,” the One who came down out of heaven to be our food—Exo. 16:4; John 6:32-33, 51.
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Manna comes with the dew, which signifies the Lord's refreshing and watering grace brought in by His fresh compassions; grace is God reaching us to refresh us and water us—Exo. 16:13-14; Num. 11:9; Psa. 133:3; Lam. 3:22-23; Heb. 4:16; Psa. 110:3.
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Manna comes in the morning, indicating that it gives us a new beginning through our living contact with the Lord—Exo. 16:21; cf. S. S. 1:6b; 7:12; John 5:39-40; Rom. 6:4; 7:6.
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Manna is small; Christ was born in a manger, and He was raised in the home of a carpenter in a small, despised town; this indicates that the Lord did not make a display of His greatness but preferred to be small in the eyes of man—Exo. 16:14b; Luke 2:12; John 6:35; cf. Judg. 9:9, 11, 13; Matt. 13:31-32.
Morning Nourishment
Exo. 16:21 And they gathered it morning by morning, each one according to his eating; and when the sun became hot, it melted.S. S. 7:12 Let us rise up early for the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, if the blossom is open, if the pomegranates are in bloom; there I will give you my love.
Rom. 6:4 …We might walk in newness of life.
Exodus 16:21 says that the children of Israel”gathered it morning by morning.” The fact that manna came in the morning indicates that it gives us a new beginning. Because the earth revolves on its axis daily, every day we have a new beginning, a new turn. We also have new beginnings monthly and yearly. Manna is not related to the yearly or monthly beginnings, but to a daily new beginning. If God sent the manna yearly, we could not survive. If manna were sent monthly, we would not be strengthened, sustained, and satisfied. Thank the Lord that He sends the manna daily.
In our spiritual experience we need these daily turns, these daily new beginnings. Sometimes at the end of the day I am eagerly awaiting the next morning and a new beginning. As I go to bed at night, I may say,”Lord, after resting tonight, I expect to have a new beginning with You in the morning.” Praise the Lord for every new day, for every new beginning! Manna always brings us such a new start. (Life-study of Exodus, p. 430)
Today's Reading
We may also say that every new beginning brings us fresh manna. If you expect to receive manna from the Lord, you need to pray,”Lord, I am ready for a new turn. I don't want to live the same way as in the past. I want to have a new beginning with You.” As you come to the Lord in the morning, are you willing to pray like this? If you tell Him that you are ready for a new start, you will experience the dew, and with the dew, the manna. However, if your desire is to relive the past, to live the same kind of life you did years ago, manna will not come to you. From my experience I can assure you that manna comes whenever you are willing to have a new beginning. In the morning let us come to the Lord and say,”Lord, I want a new beginning. I do not want to be the same as yesterday. I thank You, Lord, that in Your sovereignty and in Your economy, You offer us a new beginning every day of the year.” If you pray to the Lord in this way, eager for a new beginning, the manna will come in the morning with the dew.Daily we need to go on with the Lord. We should not only read the Bible, but also deal with the living person of Christ who dwells in us. As we read the words of the Scripture, we must contact this living person. Instead of being occupied with doctrines or methods, we should desperately seek the Lord Himself. If we pursue the Lord in this way, we shall have a new beginning with Him every morning.
Our time with the Lord in the morning should not be according to tradition or custom. The custom in some households is to rise early and then spend time reading the Bible. But it is possible to read the Word every morning without gathering any manna, for we may not have living contact with the Lord. The printed words in the Bible do not give us life. In John 5:39 and 40 the Lord Jesus said to the religionists,”You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that testify concerning Me. Yet you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” If we want to receive life, we must come to the Lord. To have life we must have Him.
As we seek the Lord for a new beginning and for the supply of manna, we need to turn to our spirit. However, it is easy for us to exercise the mind instead of the spirit. Because this is our tendency, it is a good habit to contact the Lord in the Word before we become occupied with the affairs of the day….The first thing we should do each morning is to come to the Lord in the Word and feed on Him. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 430-434)
Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msgs. 36-37