In that Day – 25 November 2021, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

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N that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.” (Zephaniah 3:11)

 

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ND I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  (Rev 21:3-4)

 

In that Day

 

In that Day, O Lord, we shall see thy Face

And our work shall cease and we from our labors rest 

On Mt Olive’s brow, and in that Holy Place…

Shall thy people stand with no offending hand to Oppress.

 

In that Day, O Lord, shall we be washed and clean,

And our sins shall be blotted out from your Book of Life.

And all tongues and tribes that, have been Redeemed,

From all nations shall take leave of this worldly strife.

 

I have seen your Face in the morning Calm.

I have felt your touch upon my heart in moments dark.

And I know your Love to be a healing Balm

That brings joy song to a hurting heart.

 

So dear Lord of Life, in That Day to come,

Let your righteousness shine brighter than the Morning Star.

We shall see your Glory gleaming as the Noon Day Sun,

And our tears shall fall no more as rain from an earthen Jar.

 

That Day will bring us all our hearts could dare to dream 

For we shall stand among your Chosen Ones in Robes of White

And drink the healing waters from God’s flowing Stream.

In That Day shall all your Word be brought to Glistering Light. 

 

In That Day….In That Day…O Lord

Shall our feet trod  the clouds of Heaven’s peaceful Port

And our Days will be a Joy without pain or sword

As we gather in the walls of your Celestial Court. 

 

Jerry Ogles, © 2009[1]

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[1] I do not copyright my material to prevent its free copy and sharing with others, but to protect my own rights to its future use. If you think worthwhile, share freely.

Courage of Conviction – 24 November 2021, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

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HERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.   (John 3:1-8) 

 

The annals of history are filled with heroic actions of otherwise very common men being compelled to higher purpose by faith in God. Two such men are the subject of this devotion today – Peter, a fisherman; and Nicodemus, a Pharisee. Though the social status of these two may contrast greatly, yet, they both came to faith from a state of ignorance into the fulness of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Let us consider the Pharisee, Nicodemus, first. Nicodemus was a renowned religious leader in Jerusalem and a member of the religious elite of the Sanhedrin. He had much to lose in warming up to Jesus Christ, especially in a public way. He had heard and witnessed the teachings and miracles of the Lord, and he had also observed the Lord’s courageous cleansing of the Temple. Nicodemus was no fool. He would not risk all on a whim, but there was something about Jesus that gnawed at the imagination of Nicodemus – he must know more. So, Nicodemus comes at night to inquire further of Jesus. He came in darkness in order to avoid the prying eyes of his fellow Jewish friends. He came in darkness as do all who come to Christ – out of darkness into the Light of His Love. Am I presuming too much in my claim of the motive of Nicodemus in coming at night? I think not. I believe the Scriptures themselves give abundant evidence of the fact. 

 

First of all, John introduces Nicodemus by clearly stating he came at night. Every time John mentions Nicodemus in his Gospel, he describes him as the one who came by night, so that must have been a significant point for John. In each appearance, Nicodemus gains courage based on increasing faith.

 

In John 7 Nicodemus is found defending Jesus from the attempts of the Pharisees to have him crucified: “Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) 51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?   (John 7:50-51) He was then accused of being a Galilean for defending Jesus by the other Pharisees. 

 

            At last, we see Nicodemus, no longer careful of being accused of being a disciple of Jesus, going publicly with Joseph of Arimathaea to claim the body of our Lord. “38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.    (John 19:38-40) Nicodemus came first in doubt, and finally in full faith.

 

            Our next example is that of Peter, a stone off the Rock which is Christ. He never failed of courage while the Lord was by his side. He even struck off the ear of one of the guards of the High Priest who came to arrest Jesus in the Garden at Gethsemane. He was a fisherman of strength and courage. He never failed of courage while the Lord was by his side. But when separated from the Lord, Peter’s courage failed him shamefully. Peter was fearful of his fate if he was found to be a disciple of Jesus. On the three occasions that he was so charged, Peter denied the Lord three times. On the last denial, the Lord Jesus turned at looked Peter straight in the eye. “And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:61-62)  Peter wept for three days until the Angel of the Lord told the women to go and tell the disciples of His rising from the grave, and the Angel then stipulated only one by name – PETER! This was intended to ameliorate the fevered hurt and shame of Peter.

 

            How about you, friend? Do you have the courage of your own convictions to stand up in the face of trial

The Way of Cain – 23 November 2021, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

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OE unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. ¹²  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; ¹³  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. ¹⁴  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 
¹⁵  To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. ¹⁶  These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.   (Jude 1:11-16)

 

            If you have believed that the ways of Cain passed with his demise, you would be mistaken since his ways and wickedness have only been magnified by the passage of time. His means of destroying that which is morally commendable have only changed in technical sophistication. Cain was the firstborn following the Fall of Adam and Eve. We are not told how much time interceded between his birth and that of his brother Abel; but Abel was a prophet and Cain was a murderer much more affected by the Serpent than Abel. In a rage of jealousy, Cain murdered his brother Abel.

 

            Cain was a sinful man of the flesh. He did not treat the most important concerns of his soul with any regard whatsoever. He knew that only the shedding of blood could be offered as a proper sacrifice to the Lord, yet he brought no blood offering and, instead, shed innocent blood. Even now doth the blood of Abel cry from the dust of the earth and shall be, in due course, satisfied. In time, Adam and Eve had another son of righteousness who would be the agent whereby a righteous stock could be preserved in the earth. Noah came in that line in the process of many years. The bloodline of Cain perished in the flood, but not the spiritual wickedness in the hearts of men.

 

            If we look around us today, we may look in the brothels and bars of the world for an example of the Way of Cain being demonstrated in the human race. Though there may be ample examples found there, there may be other, more profound examples right in front of our noses. Turn your televisions to the evangelist channels and there may find among the rarely righteous ministers, many like unto Cain. How so? The introductory text gives the simple answer: …they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward. They preach with one objective in mind – MONEY! The Scriptures call this ministering for filthy lucre. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:  Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.  (Titus 1:10-11) Naturally, a man given to full-time work in the ministry (not simply Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights), may require some benefit to cover living expenses, but not the lucrative salaries we observe among the large church ministries. Amazing, the Latin root word for Lucrative is ‘Lucre.’ It means to gain advantage for profit. If we follow the money, we shall turn up a devil somewhere in the mix.

 

         These Cainish ministers may appear very sophisticated and well-grounded in Scripture, but do not judge them by appearance, but by fruits. They are much like the clouds that arise on the horizon promising rain in the desert wastes, but they form too late to produce water and dissipate with the coming sunset. Their promise was false and adds to the hopelessness of the perishing life of the desert. They are as trees without fruit, or whose fruit withers soon after the blossom. They may sway large multitudes of people whose lives return to the same morbid sins of the past once cultivated by these deceivers. Twice dead is a final deadness. We all must die sooner or later, but for the righteous, the second death has no power: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.  (Revelation 2:11)

 

            The Way of Cain is the way of the falling star or meteorite. It has no set orbit. It is not limited by the same forces that maintain order in the Universe. It finally burns itself out in the atmosphere of some other well-directed heavenly body. It may wander the Universe for millennia until it encounters the atmospheric friction of another heavenly body. Once it is burned out, it is fated for eternal darkness in the ether of space.

 

            Beware of the Way of Cain. To follow the false prophets is to share in their destinies. Your will become like unto those you follow: These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

Thanksgiving Day 2021

25 November 2021, Anno Domini

 

Thanksgiving Day

2021

 

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 COME, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

^2. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

 ³  For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. ⁴  In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. ⁵  The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶  O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

⁷  For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

 ⁸  Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: ⁹  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.

 ¹⁰  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 

¹¹  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. (Psalm 95:1-11)

 

            It would be a mighty presumption on my part to expect to make a better explanation of our means and purposes of THANKSGIVING than that presented in God’s Word above. But in this Psalm is presented a very useful approach to rendering thanks to our Lord. The first manner of expressing Godly Thanksgiving is with song. We are not singing to impress any audience, but we sing “unto the Lord.” Once again, I remind you that this is the aim and purpose of the classic hymns of the Church. They embody true biblical doctrine and they return all the glory to God. Nothing can lift the despondent soul more than the singing of the blessed old hymns. I know from experience!

 

            In our Thanksgiving, we acknowledge the Lord as the very ROCK of our salvation. We should never come before the Lord WITHOUT a spirit of Thanksgiving for we owe Him our all. There is not power – no little gods, no potentate, no totalitarian power, that can measure up to the Almighty power of our God. He raises up rulers and he dethrones them. He determines the end of all things. There are no mysteries that escape His certain knowledge – even those of the hidden chambers of the heart.

 

            We do not come before the Lord with irreverence. We do not scream and shout at Him. He is not deaf to hear our petitions even when not spoken. We come before His Excellency on bended knee. We are less than sheep compared to this great Sovereign who deigns to be our Shepherd. Never utter a lamentation against the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He does all things well.

 

          I fear the Lord has grieved with this generation in America for forty years as well. We have denounced the Power on High, we have elevated evil as good, and demeaned that which is good as evil. We have advanced depraved men and women to roles of leadership in our nation for which we shall soon pay in deprivations unmentionable. We must soon turn from our wicked ways and behold that One on the cross who died that we might truly be free. We are not judged simply by whom we exalt to leadership over us, but for our individual heart conditions. To turn the nation back to God, we must individually repent and be thankful for the opportunity. 

 

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or the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (1 Peter 4:17-18)

 

A Happy & Blessed Thanksgiving!

Jerry L. Ogles

Presiding Bishop

 

One Lonely Grave in Moab – 22 November 2021, Anno Domini

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ND Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, 2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, 3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. 4 And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. 5 ¶So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth–peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 7 ¶And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 8 ¶And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 9 ¶And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. 10 ¶And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, 12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.  (Deuteronomy 34:1-12)

 

            There was not a prophet like unto Moses until the coming of John the Baptist; yet, Moses was prohibited by the Lord from entering the Land of Promise to which Moses had led the Children of Israel for those forty years of wandering in the Wilderness. However, Moses was not perfect. He failed to glorify the Lord in striking the Rock of Horeb from which flowed forth the abundant streams of water. It is for this reason that the Lord forbade Moses from entering the Land of Promise. He would be allowed to view Canaan from the heights of Mount Nebo beyond Jordan Waters, but not allowed to enter even though, Moses was a prophet of the Lord and possessed all the authority and inspiration of a prophet. By laying his hands of the Lord’s blessing upon Joshua, the warrior who would lead the Children across Jordan Waters, Joshua was imbued with the fulness of the spirit of wisdom, - so, Moses was a prophet of the Lord from the day of His calling before the Burning Bush until he passed the torch to Joshua. No minister or prophet is perfect in his own right, but rather by the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord knows we are weak and feeble.

 

            We see that Moses was led up to the slopes of Nebo and the peak of Mount Pisgah to view the Holy Land before sleeping with his fathers. Moses died on the Mount possessing all his natural strength until the last breath. The Lord buried Moses in the Valley of Moab. No man knows his gravesite. Why did the Lord do so? It is because the Lord did not desire that the grave of Moses would become a site of idol worship akin to the Golden Calf of Sinai. It was a very lonely grave, indeed, even in the land of the enemies of Israel (Moab).

 

            Do you feel Christian sorrow for poor Moses? As a young child of elementary school age, I would read this account with unbelief God would treat Moses in such a manner. Of course, I was looking with the eyes of the world and not with the mature spirit. With further study and understanding of Holy Scripture, I was amazed at the grace and mercy of God in His dealing with Moses. This is born out in revelations of Moses in the New Testament Gospels. 

 

            We see that Moses died on a mountain beyond Jordan. When next do we see Moses. Is it in a lonely grave in Moab that we next see Moses? Not at all! It is on another Mountain, near the source of the Jordan River – perhaps Mount Hermon – a truly high mountain for the area. The Roman church claims the site was Mount Tabor well south of Galilee, but that is not likely since Mount Hermon is located near the very area at which Christ was teaching at the time.

 

            We see Moses next on that Mount of Transfiguration in glorified body with Elijah and the Lord. This demonstrates that only the body of Moses was buried in the Valley of Moab – His spirit ascended to God who gave it. It is of particular interest that the prophets Elijah and Moses appeared together with the Lord. 

 

            Moses was a prophet to whom the Lord gave the Ten Commandments. He represents, in all of the Old Testament, the Law of God imparted to him on Mount Sinai. Elijah represents all the prophets and prophecies of the coming Redeemer. So we have, pictured on the Mount of Transfiguration, the fulness of the Law and Prophets all of which point to our Lord Jesus Christ.  17 ¶Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. The Law bears the same weight as the Prophecies since our Lord Jesus Christ satisfied the terms of the Law in our salvation. In reality, we were saved under the terms of the Law.

The Door of the Tabernacle – 21 November 2021, Anno Domini

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ND  thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. 3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. 4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.          (Exodus 27:1-4)

 

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ND it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy. (Exodus 29:3b)

 

 

The Word of God is designed for the simplest understanding. Theologians love to devise terms that are beyond the understanding of the laity to grasp, but if they would simply render those terms in plain language, then even a child would understand. The Children of Israel were in the wilderness and many lacked understanding of fancy words and meanings;

 

            If a three-year-old asks his father for the meaning of a magnetic compass, the father would not describe the principles of the earth’s magnetic fields in explanation. He would likely take out a paper and pencil and draw a compass and explain what the compass needle always pointed toward. God has given us the Tabernacle of the Wilderness, full of word pictures, to reveal mysteries theretofore unknown to them (and to us).

 

            Due to the depth of meaning of each article in the Tabernacle, I will only cover one feature of the Tabernacle, and that very lightly. For a more in-depth understanding, I suggest you read the account in Exodus in full.

 

            If a man is traveling to a great fortress, what is the most important design feature he will seek first? Will it not be the DOOR of the fortress (for the walls will be impregnable). Doors are of great significance in the Bible. Once the Ark was completed, what was the most important design feature? Was it not the DOOR. Remember Noah went into the Ark, and the animals went in unto Noah – and who closed the DOOR? Was it Noah? No, it was God. Why? Because only God has the prerogative to close the door of salvation on mankind.

 

            What is the most important point of a sheepfold, the DOOR of the Sheepfold, and that DOOR represents Christ! Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7) Christ is the GATE of salvation and the WAY into Heaven. Every place of security has a gate or Door.

 

            The Door of the Tabernacle was on the East side – the same as the rising of the Sun of Righteousness. (Malachi 4:2).

 

            There was a cost established to enter the Tabernacle. What was it?  It was a blood offering to be offered on the Brazen Altar just inside the Door. No man could pass into the Tabernacle proper without that blood sacrifice being offered. That DOOR and that ALTAR represented the Lord Jesus Christ. Every man brought his offering, and the offering was sacrificed on the Brazen Altar before the Priests would intercede in prayer for his petitions through the High Priest. There would be no other approach to God than through this Gate and this Altar. 

 

            Nothing has changed from the Wilderness days until today – except in substance. All the symbols remain constant, but their substance has been made more absolute and clear. The Brazen Altar has been made flesh for us. It is Jesus Christ that the Altar represented. Before we can come to God, we must come by way of Christ, and we do so without any blood sacrifice other than that once-and-for-all sacrifice of our Lord at Mount Calvary. 

 

            Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  (John 14:6)

 

            Just as the world sought vainly for the Door of Noah’s Ark when the fountains of the deep were broken up and the water descended, so shall those who have rejected Christ on the last Trump seek vainly for the Door of the Great Ark of Salvation that is Christ.

Hidden Manna – 20 November 2021, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

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E that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Rev 2:17)

 

            Though the above verse from the Revelation of Jesus Christ may sound a bit arcane to casual reader, it need not be. It is pregnant with meaning and substance which will be revealed in our further devotion today.

 

            You will recall that God sent down manna from heaven to the Children of Israel who were famishing in the wilderness. They raised their murmuring voices against Moses and Aaron (but indirectly against the Lord).

 

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HEN the Children of Israel saw the Manna, they asked Moses what it was? Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.  (Ex 16:10-21)

 

            This Manna of the Exodus was the physical bread God sent down from Heaven, but it was more descriptive of that spiritual Bread of Life that God would send down from Heaven some 1450 years later – the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ came at a time when the world was famishing for the spiritual food that nourishes the soul of man. The world was in a Wilderness of Sin much like that Wilderness of Sin mentioned in Exodus. (Ex 16:1) The physical provisions of the Old Testament point to those spiritual provisions granted in the New.

 

            Let us examine the characteristics of this Manna of Exodus:

 

1. Like our Lord Jesus Christ, it came from the Father in Heaven and was prepared in Heaven.

2. It came as a free gift of grace just as the very Author of Grace came down and died as our Redeemer. It was given to all who would receive it – rich, poor, men, women, children, and rulers. The Manna that descended was covered (or hidden) by the dew. The Dew of the Holy Spirit unveils Christ to us. “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (Eph 3:16-17)

3. Manna did not come to the Children of Israel while they were yet in bondage in Egypt (a type for sin) just as Christ comes to none who desire to remain in bondage to sin.

4. It came in small form just as Jesus came as a Babe in the Manger.

5. It was white which also represents the purity of Jesus Christ.

6. It distilled as silently as the dew representing the characteristics of the Holy Ghost.

7. It was just enough for the daily Bread of the people which Jesus is to us. We cannot horde up measures of the Holy Spirit for future times, but must be fed the Bread (Word of God) daily. An old sermon is just as dead and full of worms as old manna.

8. It came early, even before the Sun, just as we are to seek the Father’s favor and love. (Psalms 63:1)

9. The Manna of the wilderness required gathering just as the Word of God requires daily study.

 

Now, the Manna that comes down from Heaven as the Bread of Life is no mystery to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see; but it is a mystery to those who stop their ears and cover their eyes. Fish that live for centuries in darkness grow scales over the eyes for lack of use. So are many who cannot, or will not, see the wonders of God and His Creation. “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. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 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.” (John 6:32-35)

            

Are your eyes and ears open to the Mann from Heaven?

            

Not only do you need to gather it daily (in reading and diligent study), but also to consume it to make it a part of your whole being and life. Just as we need daily physical bread for our bodily sustenance, so do we need spiritual bread for the sustenance of our souls.