Exo 16:13-21 | KingComments | STEP | As God promised, so it happens. “He rained meat upon them like the dust, even winged fowl like the sand of the seas” ( ). God gives quails on two occasions to His people as meat to eat: here and in Numbers 11. They are birds that let themselves be carried away by the wind ( ) and are easy to catch. They are mentioned in connection with the manna ( ). The people first get the quails in the evening and then the manna the next morning. In the quails we can see the picture that we feed ourselves with the death of Another. The Lord Jesus speaks in John 6 in connection with the manna that we should not only eat His flesh, but also drink His blood ( ). It means that we are to contemplate frequently all that His death has accomplished. The manna represents Christ in His humiliation on earth, in His life on earth. We can only occupy ourselves with His life if we have first fed ourselves with His death, first have identified ourselves with Him as the One Who died for us. Some features of the manna as a picture of the Lord Jesus: 1. The origin is heaven: “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world” ( ); 2. the Giver is God: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” ( ); 3. What it looks like: ---a. white ( ) = pure, without sin: He “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth” ( ; ; ); ---b. small = small, humble: “For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no [stately] form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him” ( ; ); ---c. round = without beginning and end, eternal existence and perfect: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” ( ). 4. its use: ---a. sweet ( ) = pleasant taste: “O taste and see that the LORD is good” ( ; ; ); ---b. a free gift: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” ( ; ; ); ---c. accessible to everyone, most easily for children, because it lies on the ground: “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” ( ; ; ).

‏ Exodus 16:13-21

Quails and Manna

As God promised, so it happens. “He rained meat upon them like the dust, even winged fowl like the sand of the seas” (Psa 78:27). God gives quails on two occasions to His people as meat to eat: here and in Numbers 11. They are birds that let themselves be carried away by the wind (Num 11:31) and are easy to catch. They are mentioned in connection with the manna (Psa 105:40).

The people first get the quails in the evening and then the manna the next morning. In the quails we can see the picture that we feed ourselves with the death of Another. The Lord Jesus speaks in John 6 in connection with the manna that we should not only eat His flesh, but also drink His blood (Jn 6:51-56). It means that we are to contemplate frequently all that His death has accomplished.

The manna represents Christ in His humiliation on earth, in His life on earth. We can only occupy ourselves with His life if we have first fed ourselves with His death, first have identified ourselves with Him as the One Who died for us.

Some features of the manna as a picture of the Lord Jesus:

1. The origin is heaven: “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world” (Jn 6:33);

2. the Giver is God: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16);

3. What it looks like:

---a. white (Exo 16:31) = pure, without sin: He “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth” (1Pet 2:22; 2Cor 5:21; Heb 7:26);

---b. small = small, humble: “For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no [stately] form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him” (Isa 53:2; Phil 2:5-8);

---c. round = without beginning and end, eternal existence and perfect: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1).

4. its use:

---a. sweet (Exo 16:31) = pleasant taste: “O taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psa 34:8a; Psa 119:103; 1Pet 2:2-3);

---b. a free gift: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23; Jn 3:16; 2Cor 9:15);

---c. accessible to everyone, most easily for children, because it lies on the ground: “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Rev 22:17; Rom 10:6-10; Jn 3:16).

Gathering of the Manna

The manna is given by the LORD, but everyone must gather it. It is not put into anyone’s mouth. Everyone may gather as much of the manna as he wants. It depends on the appetite. Each portion gathered serves for one day. None of it can be saved until the next day. This means that there must be trust that the LORD will give it the next day. It is safer in God’s pantry than in the Israelite’s tent. It must also be gathered before the sun gets hot. That means that it must be gathered in the morning.

The spiritual application is this: Every believer feeds on the Lord Jesus by reading the Word to the extent that he is hungry. It is necessary to be busy with God’s Word every day. Preferably do it early in the morning, before all the hustle and bustle of the day comes and there is no more opportunity. The great example is the Lord Jesus Himself (Isa 50:4).

You can’t live on what you read yesterday. If you do, you will be living on old food. Then there is a great danger that only old experiences will be spoken of repeatedly, which is also boring for the listener. It is no longer fresh. It becomes knowledge that puffs one up. Pride is nourished, it belongs to man and that stinks.

Paul applies Exo 16:18 to the everyday life of the church: “But by way of equality— at this present time your abundance [being a supply] for their need, so that their abundance also may become [a supply] for your need, that there may be equality; as it is written, “He who [gathered] much did not have too much, and he who [gathered] little had no lack” (2Cor 8:13b-15). Here he learns a lesson from gathering the manna and says a few things about how we as Christians can materially care for each other.