Scripture Reading: Exo. 16:4-5, 13b-15, 31-36; Num. 11:6-9 16:4Then Jehovah said to Moses, I will now rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My law. 5And on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily. 16:13b…and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14And when the layer of dew lifted, there upon the surface of the wilderness were fine round flakes, fine as the frost on the earth. 15And 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, It is the bread which Jehovah has given you to eat. 16:31And the house of Israel called its name manna, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers made with honey. 32And Moses said, This is what Jehovah has commanded, Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out from the land of Egypt. 33And Moses said to Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before Jehovah, to be kept throughout your generations. 34As Jehovah commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. 35And the children of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to inhabitable land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.

Ⅰ　

The deep truth in Exodus 16 is that God wants to change our diet to a diet of Christ as the real manna sent by God the Father for God's chosen people to live by Christ—John 6:31-35, 48-51, 57-58:

A　

The open manna is manna which we have not eaten, whereas the hidden manna refers to manna which we have eaten, digested, and assimilated—Rev. 2:17; Matt. 4:4; Jer. 15:16; cf. Lev. 11:3-4.

B　

"Do not think that it is impossible for you to be an overcomer. You can become an overcomer by enjoying Christ as manna. Eat the open manna, and Christ will become the hidden manna. This hidden manna will constitute you into an overcomer" (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 459-460).

C　

Whatever we eat of Christ to be our reconstituting element and our supply to make us God's dwelling place in this universe will be an eternal memorial—Exo. 16:16, 32.

D　

Just as the manna in the golden pot was the focal point of God's dwelling place, so Christ as the manna eaten by us is the focal point of God's building today—Heb. 9:3-4; Eph. 4:16; Col. 2:19.

Ⅱ　

The unique food we take for our sustenance, strength, and satisfaction must be Christ, and the one unique ministry in the New Testament conveys Christ as the unique food for God's people—Num. 11:5-6; cf. Acts 1:17, 25; 2 Cor. 4:1; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Cor. 3:6.

Ⅲ　

The characteristics of Christ as our unique food, our daily manna, become our characteristics for His magnification through our metabolic transformation as we continually enjoy Him—John 6:57; Phil. 1:20-21; cf. Gal. 6:17:

A　

Manna is a mystery—Exo. 16:15; Col. 2:2; Isa. 9:6; Eph. 3:4; John 3:8.

B　

Manna is a long-term miracle—Exo. 16:4; cf. Matt. 6:34.

C　

Manna is from heaven—Exo. 16:4; John 6:41.

D　

Manna comes with the dew—Exo. 16:13-14; Num. 11:9; Psa. 133:3; Lam. 3:22-23; Heb. 4:16; Psa. 110:3.

E　

Manna comes in the morning—Exo. 16:21; cf. S.S. 1:6b; 7:12; John 5:39-40; Rom. 6:4; 7:6.

F　

Manna is small—Exo. 16:14b; Luke 2:12; John 6:35; cf. Judg. 9:9, 11, 13; Matt. 13:31-32.

G　

Manna is fine—Exo. 16:14a; John 6:12.

H　

Manna is round—Exo. 16:14; John 8:58.

I　

Manna is white—Exo. 16:31; Psa. 12:6; 119; 140; 2 Cor. 11:3b.

J　

Manna is like frost—Exo. 16:14; Prov. 17:27.

K　

Manna is like coriander seed—Num. 11:7; Luke 8:11.

L　

Manna is solid—Num. 11:8; 2 Cor. 1:4; Eph. 6:18.

M　

Manna is new every morning, having no oldness—Exo. 16:20-21.

N　

Manna's appearance is like that of bdellium—Num. 11:7; Rev. 4:6, 8; Ezek. 1:18.

O　

Manna's taste is like that of fresh oil—Num. 11:8; Psa. 92:10.

P　

Manna's taste is like that of wafers made with honey—Exo. 16:31; Psa. 119:103.

Q　

Manna is good for making cakes—Num. 11:8; 1 Tim. 4:6.