Fresh bread

One of life’s greatest simple pleasures, without a doubt, is enjoying a piece of fresh bread. The smell, the taste and the way it melts in your mouth – it just really is pleasant! On the other hand, one of the more disgusting things you can do is to bite into a piece of bread only to find that it has gone bad, and that your mouth is full of mold! What is very interesting is that these two experiences, one an absolute delight to the senses and the other a sure way to produce a gag reaction, can both result from eating the same loaf of bread a few days apart! This illustrates a very important truth about the Word of God.

In Exodus 17, after the Israelites grumbled because of their hunger, God responded by giving them “bread from heaven” in the form of manna – a small, white, seed-like substance that covered the ground after the morning dew had evaporated. The manna served as flour, from which the Israelites were able to bake bread. For over 40 years, the entire time they spent in the wilderness, they lived off the manna, and the bread items they made from it.

But also in Exodus 17, God gave the Israelites specific instructions regarding the manna. First, He said that that the men were to go out to gather it – each man gathering as much as he needed for his entire household. (Verse 16-17) Second, He said they were to gather it in the morning, before the day “grew hot” at which time it would melt. (Verse 21) Third, God said that they were not to keep any of the manna that they had gathered until the following day, or it would spoil, stink, and breed worms! (Verses 19-20) And fourth, God specified that on the 6^th day they were to gather enough for two days, because there would not be any manna on the ground on the Sabbath day. (Verses 22-29)

In John 6:48-51 Jesus referring to himself, “The word of God” as the true manna – the “living bread that came down out of heaven… so that one may eat of it and not die”

There are many direct parallels between the word of God and the manna. Perhaps the most important is that, just like the manna was the Israelites sole means of physical sustenance, the Word of God is our sole means of spiritual sustenance. Without it, our spirits will wither away, just like a physical body that experiences starvation.

There is also a powerful application to us as men to gathering this true manna for our families – thereby serving as the priest of our home. Furthermore, there is application to us gathering the Living Bread of God’s word both in the morning, before the “sun is hot” (See Proverbs 8:17, Mark 4:6,17) and every morning (see Proverbs 8:34).

As a result of our spiritual laziness, we tend to want to gather a bunch at a time and then eat off that for a while. This is about as effective as exercising all day one day, and then not exercising again for weeks or even months! And what’s worse, when we do this we are risking the “living bread” of fresh revelation turning into the “dead letter” that not only has a bad taste and odor but that actually brings death!

I think there is also application in the principle of not gathering bread on the Sabbath. By God’s command, the Levites were to prepare fresh bread every Sabbath to place in the tabernacle. (Leviticus 24:5-8, 1 Chronicles 9:32) In the same way, pastors today have the responsibility of preparing fresh loaves of the “Living Bread” each week for their flocks, giving the heads of homes a chance to rest and “come eat of the bread” someone else has prepared for them.

If you are not currently in the habit of daily gathering the “Living Bread,” I hope this article has encouraged you to begin. I know you’ll enjoy the pleasure of fresh bread!