TEXT: Exodus 16:1-17:7

SUBJECT: Christ in the Old Testament #6: Bread and Water

Today, with God’s blessing, we’ll proceed in our study of Christ in the Old Testament. Last time, we saw Him in the Passover. There, He played two roles: The Avenger of Divine Justice and the Innocent Victim thereof. What a mystery! The One who destroyed God’s enemies in Egypt, chose to die with them.

Now, we move on a few weeks from Passover. The People have already seen the power and grace of God on display. He parted the Red Sea for their escape and then drowned Pharaoh’s army to confirm it. For the first time in 430 years, the People of God were free. Free from the slavery of Egypt and free to serve the Lord.

And that’s where we find them today—celebrating the saving works of God! Or, do we? No we don’t. We find them in another mess.

Some of the mess was not of their own doing. The Promised Land did not border Egypt, but was hundreds of miles away. And between the two was a wilderness.

A wilderness is a wilderness because it cannot support human life. At least not much of it. A few shepherds had eked out a living over the years, but Israel numbered 600,000 men along with their families and livestock. The wilderness lacked the two things we can’t do without for long: food and water.

It didn’t take the people long to discover this—and to bring it up to Moses.

You cannot excuse the People’s impatience and unbelief, but you must understand it. The need was real and urgent. If Moses (or God) didn’t do something about it—soon—they would die in the wilderness.

The Lord knew this, of course, and acted. He sent Manna from heaven and Water from a rock. The Manna fell six days a week for the next forty years. The Water was given as the need for it arose.

Israel’s extremity was God’s opportunity. When the People could not live with God’s grace, He gave it to them—all they needed and all free of charge.

This points to Christ. When does He come to us? When we’re on top of the world? No. Because we don’t want Him then; we don’t seem to need Him when everything’s coming up roses.

He comes to us when we feel our need for Him. Not a vague need or a slight feeling of dependence. He comes to us when we’ve got nowhere else to go! One night the Lord and His friends were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small boat. The wind kicked up and the men—scared to death—roused Him, saying.

That’s when He came to the disciples, to Israel…and to us. When we’re desperate. He makes the promise in many places, of course, but one in particular I remind you of: Deuteronomy 32:36,

Here, the word, "judge" doesn’t mean "to put on trial" or "to condemn". It means "to rescue" or "to avenge us on our enemies". When does the Lord come to save His people? When we’re on top? No, but at Rock Bottom.

This means:

No one is too needy for Christ. No one is too lost to be saved. No one is too sinful to be forgiven. The opposite, though, is often true: Most people are not needy enough for Christ; they’re too good to be saved or have committed too few sins to be forgiven.

They don’t need Christ. Why should they? They’re young and healthy and smart and successful. They’ve got family and friends who love them, colleagues who respect them, and every hope for the future.

But what happens when these things are lost? Do you think everyone gets old—but you? Or that only you will stay healthy forever? Or that your family and friends will always be there for you? Or that your future holds no unhappy surprises?

If you feel this way, I envy you—sort of. "Ignorance is bliss!"

But mostly, I feel sorry for you. That success has so blinded you that you can’t feel your need of Christ. I can only hope you’ll wake up. Before it’s too late. And please don’t equate "too late" with death only. Death is "too late", of course, but not the only form of it. The Prophets, the Apostles, and the Lord Himself warned that God can—and does—harden sinners in their unbelief. And if He does that, then what will you do?

In the book, Pilgrim’s Progress, there’s a scene I’ll never forget: a poor man locked in an Iron Cage of Despair. He got there by presuming on God and mocking the offered mercies. He never got out. No one does.

The Gospel comes to us when we feel our need of it; when we’re hopeless.

What’s true of the sinner is also true of the believer and the Church. When we don’t feel our need for Christ, we don’t have Him. The church in Laodicea was so well off they didn’t need Him. And didn’t have Him, Revelation 3:17,

A second church, in Smyrna, was much worse-off to the human eye, but the Lord knew better,

The exhausted, persecuted, and poverty-stricken church was better off than the rich and safe church was. Why? Because the latter felt it’s need of Christ. And we are never richer, stronger, or wiser than when we have none of the above in ourselves—and find them in Christ.

Why? Because in our weakness, Christ’s power is "made perfect".

Christ came to Israel—not on their cultivated farms, bursting with milk and honey—but in the Wilderness, when they needed Him most.

The Lord came to them, first, as Bread. But not ordinary bread, the sort that milled from wheat or some other grain. He came to them as "Bread from Heaven"—that’s what He called it, at least. In another place, He called it "the food of angels" (Psalm 78:25).

But Israel had another name for it, "Manna". That means "What is it"? Well, not quite. What it really means is something you might hear from your kids at the table, "Ewwwww….gross….what’s that?"

It was the perfect food—nutritional, yummy, and free. But Israel didn’t like it much. Later they cried for meat—which God sent them—a plague to go with it!

But still—like it or not—the Manna fed the nation for forty years or hard life. No one ever ate better than they did.

The water was also given by God. At a place called both "Massah" and "Meribah", the People quarreled with the Lord and dared Him to provide water in the wilderness.

Which He did. God sent Moses to a Rock. In front of the whole nation, he struck it with his rod and "the water gushed out".

The Lord came through again. The people drank the water and forgot the One who gave it.

For a time. But later, the great works of God were remembered. On the Last Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the High Priest poured out water before the congregation. In seeing it come down, they were to remember what God had done for the nation long ago. And to celebrate His grace.

That was done for years and years and years. The devout Jew rejoiced in it. Yet it must have left him somewhat unsatisfied. For, although water is tasty and sustains human life, it doesn’t quench every thirst.

There’s a thirst in the soul that water can never satisfy.

The Ritual, therefore, not only looked back to what God did long before, but also forward, to what He would do in the future. One day—every holy Jew believed—God would quench the Deeper Thirst. That He would give us a Food and Drink that would leave us fully satisfied forever.

That was the Hope of Israel.

Was it justified? It was. About the year 30 A.D., a Man came to Israel. His family was poor, but He carried Himself with the dignity of a king. He never went to school, yet He taught mysteries hidden from the foundation of the world. He seemed weak, yet he performed miracles of stupendous power.

One day, on a mountain top, with nothing to eat but five biscuits and two sardines, that Man filled five thousand empty stomachs. The next day He explained it to them. Referring to the Manna given long ago, He said,

Some time later, the Man was in Jerusalem, for the closing ceremony of a Sacred Day. The High Priest poured out the water in remembrance of what God did in the Wilderness, and the Man once again spoke, this time at the top of His lungs,

If you put the two sayings together, you’ll see what He was getting at: Eating Him (unlike the Manna) satisfied you forever. Drinking Him (unlike the Water) would result in super-satisfaction, i.e., not only would you be full, but the fullness would flow out of you.

In other words: What the Manna and Water promised, this Man delivered!

This Man is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Everyone wants satisfaction. The Rolling Stones couldn’t "Get no Satisfaction". But they still "Tried and [they] tried and [they] tried, tried, tried, tried, tried".

Everything offers it—from religion to beer! But nothing gives it. Nothing but Christ. Believe me, other things have been thoroughly tried. Nobody had more than Solomon, yet he found it all "Vanity of vanity"—Emptiness of emptiness, futility of futility, nothingness of nothingness.

Since you were made for Christ, only He can satisfy you. Other things can paper over your needs for a time, but only He can meet them. Both now and forever.

This is not a "Christian Thing" (as though it works for us, but something else works for the Muslim or the Jew or the Atheist). It’s not a "Christian Thing"—it’s a True Thing—true for everyone, everywhere, at all times.

In the Gospel, God offers satisfaction. He offers it to everyone. But only in Christ. You can have it—right now. But you can only have it through faith in Christ.

How should you respond to the Bread of Heaven and the Water of Life? If you’re an unbeliever, you should take it through faith in Christ.

But if you already believe in Christ,

Never despise Him. The Israelites didn’t much like the Manna. Soon, they got sick and tired of it and demanded "something more". But there is nothing more Christ. You should always remember that. And be happy with Him—whatever else you may lack.

Positively, you should be content with Him, you should thank Him, and you should remember that your first taste of Christ will not be the last. The best of us have only nibbled on the Heavenly Food. One day, we’ll get into the Feast and stuff ourselves on the Full Meal.

Look forward to that in faith, hope, and charity. And the Love of God be with you all. Amen.