Christ in Exodus: The Bread of Heaven

The book of Exodus is so rich in illustrations, or types, of Jesus Christ, it was hard for me to decide which one to write about today.  But as I have said so many times, God uses our everyday circumstances to show Himself to us and to speak to us.  We can hear and see His direction if we choose to open our hearts to Him and listen.  Last week while I was babysitting, my grandsons asked me to read to them from chapter 16 of Exodus.  Just a coincidence?  I don’t think so!  I won’t re-print the entire chapter here, but I will ask you to read it for yourself when you can.

The story told in chapter 16 takes place just after Moses led the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21), through the Red Sea on dry land (Exodus 14:22), into the wilderness (Exodus 15:22).  They had grumbled to Moses because there was no fresh water to drink, but God miraculously cleansed the bitter waters of Marah so that they would have plenty of sweet water (Exodus 15:24-25).  So after seeing all these things that God had done for them, when we get to chapter 16, instead of seeing a grateful, thankful people, we again see grumbling and a lack of faith.  This story takes place only six weeks after they left Egypt.  They had so little faith that they were ready to turn back to the slavery that they had so recently escaped.  Are we sometimes like that?  Do we take for granted all that God does to provide for us?  Do we forget to thank Him for what He has already done and trust Him for what He will do today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next?  Or do we grumble, as though He has no idea about what we need?

God knew that the Israelites could not possibly bring with them out of Egypt enough food to sustain them until they arrived at the Promised Land. He was not surprised when the bread that they had brought with them out of Egypt had been used up.  He had a plan all along.  But His plan was not JUST to feed them physically, but also to test their faith.  “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to 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 they will walk in my law or not.’” (Exodus 16:4, English Standard Version).  The people were told to gather each day enough of this bread (manna) to satisfy their needs for that day.  But on the sixth day they should gather two days portion, so that on the seventh day they would have plenty of bread without having to gather it that day.  They were commanded to honor the Sabbath by not working on that day. 

So here we have the illustration of Christ as The Bread of Heaven.  In John, chapter 6, we read the story of how Jesus fed the 5,000, miraculously multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish, and still having 12 baskets full of leftovers!  This miracle came on the heels of Jesus healing so many people that multitudes of people were following Him.  He and His disciples had tried to escape the throngs of people by going into the outlying areas where they thought they could get some rest, but the people continued to follow Him, even though they had not brought anything to eat.  Just like the people in Exodus, they were following, but unlike them, they had faith in the One who led them.  They had seen His miracles and expected to see more.

But the religious leaders of the day were unconvinced, even knowing the many prophecies that told them about Jesus, even after seeing all the wonderful miracles He had done.  They were more concerned about their traditions and about their powerful positions.  They did not make the correlation between what they were taught by their history and what was being fulfilled right in front of their eyes!  

Jesus addressed their unbelief when used this illustration in John 6:32, 48-51 (English Standard Version) where it is written, “Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true Bread from Heaven . . . I am the Bread of Life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever. And the Bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’”

The people following Moses were told to observe the Sabbath, not to work gathering bread that day.  We are told in Genesis that God established the Sabbath because his work of creation was finished, completed on the sixth day.  God did not rest on the seventh day because He was tired, but His work came to rest, it ended, it was complete.  In the same way, and for the same reason, Jesus said on the cross, “‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30, English Standard Version).  When we “honor the Sabbath and keep it holy,” we are acknowledging that Christ has completed the work of salvation.  There is nothing more to be done.  We cannot add anything to what Christ did for us on the cross.  When He gave up His flesh for us, He took the punishment for our sins so that we could eat the Bread of Life and live eternally in harmony with Him.

Are you living in expectation of God’s miracles in your life, or do you grumble, forgetting what He has already done for you.  Do you feast on the Bread of Heaven, trusting Him and His work on the cross to cleanse you from all your sins, or are you trusting in your own rituals, traditions, or intellect like the religious leaders that Jesus reprimanded?

I hope that this week you will join me in this prayer of praise and thanksgiving, a praise that Moses and the people of Israel sang to God after he brought them through the Red Sea.  It is found in Exodus 15:2 (Amplified Bible):  “The Lord is my Strength and my Song, and He has become my Salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”