Did you know that the word manna in the Hebrew literally means – What is it? The first time the children of Israel saw it they turned to each other and said, It is manna: for they wist not what it was.
You can imagine waking up and going outside and seeing all of these small round things laying all over the ground that you have never seen before. Of course, you would be asking… what is this?
Mose tells them what it is… This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. (Ex 16:15)
And amazingly the name stuck and the question what is it? became the proper name of the food of heaven and has been known as manna ever since.
So picture this… all of Israel was there witnessing something that had come down from heaven and manifest itself on earth and they turn to one another saying… What is this?
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Reminds me of the day of Pentecost!
- Point 1: All of the children of Israel in that area were there… Acts 2:5 – And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
- Point 2: Just like when the Israelites saw the manna from heaven for the first time and they turned to each other and asked what is it? So too when they heard speaking in tongues for the first time… And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? (Acts 2:12)
- Point 3: Just as Moses explained to them what it was – therefore bread from heaven. So too did Peter explain what speaking in tongues was…
- But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: …But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.
So in Exodus 16:14 – And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
All they knew there was a small round thing laying on the ground. They didn’t know what it was. They didn’t know it was the food they could eat. They could see it but had no understanding what it was or what they could do with it – hence the name Manna.
Until Mose said to them… This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. (Ex 16:15)
And then he gave instructions about it in Exodus Chapter 16…
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.
- Let no man leave of it till the morning.
- Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
- See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.
So it was in Acts Chapter 2
Verse 4 – And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Verse 6 – Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded.
Just as the Israelites were confounded by the small round thing now they are confounded by speaking in tongues. All they knew was that people were speaking in tongues.
They didn’t know what it was. They didn’t know it was the Holy Spirit they could also have. They could hear it but had no understanding of what it was or what they could do with it – just like the Manna.
Until Peter explains it and gives them instructions in Acts Chapter 2 just like Moses did about the Manna.
- Be this known unto you, and hearken to my words.
- This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel
- And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh
- And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy
- And your young men shall see visions
- And your old men shall dream dreams
- And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy
- And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Then Peter goes on to preach Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost is sent from heaven…
- Verse 33 – Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear
We Know That Jesus Declared Himself To Be The Manna From Heaven!
In John 6 we read…
- 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.
- The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
- I am that bread of life.
- Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
- I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
It’s Like Jesus (The Bread) Is Distributing Pieces Of Himself (Holy Ghost – Manna From Heaven)
So Jesus, the bread of heaven, is sending the Holy Ghost from heaven. Just like he distributed the loaves and fishes he is now distributing the Holy Ghost to whoever asks.
We partake of the bread of heaven and the Holy Ghost is Jesus distributing that bread…
- The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (1 Cor 10:16)
- For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. (1 Cor 10:17)
In summary, there are two big events that the children of Israel were confounded by and blessed with once it was explained to them what it meant and what they could do.
- The manna indeed got its name from the question what is it?
- Speaking in tongues led to the same question – what meaneth this?
- The manna was something they could eat, gave them nourishment, helped them to live.
- Speaking in tongues was pointing to the Holy Spirit, who provides nourishment, and enlivens us.
John 6:53 – Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Receiving the Holy Spirit sent from heaven is how you do this.
You may also be interested in… Be Led By The Spirit (Be The Children Of God Who Above The Law) and Search The Old Testament Scriptures For They Testify Of Jesus