"And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of
the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is
between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after
their departure out of the land of Egypt." (Chap. xvi. 1.) Here we
find Israel in a very marked and interesting position. It is still the
wilderness, no doubt, but it is a most important and significant stage
thereof, namely, "between Elim and Sinai." The former was the place
where they had so recently experienced the refreshing springs of
divine ministry; the latter was the place where they entirely got off
the ground of free and sovereign grace, and placed themselves under a
covenant of works. These facts render "the wilderness of Sin" a
singularly interesting portion of Israel's journey. Its features and
influences are as strongly marked as those of any point in their whole
career. They are here seen as the subjects of the same grace which had
brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and therefore all their
murmurings are instantly met by divine supplies. When God acts in the
display of His grace, there is no hindrance. The streams of blessing
which emanate from Him, flow onward without interruption. It is only
when man puts himself under law that he forfeits everything; for then
God must allow him to prove how much he can claim on the ground of his
own works.
When God visited and redeemed His people, and brought them forth out
of the land of Egypt, it assuredly was not for the purpose of
suffering them to die of hunger and thirst in the wilderness. They
should have known this. They ought to have trusted Him, and walked in
the confidence of that love which had so gloriously delivered them
from the horrors of Egyptian bondage. They should have remembered that
it was infinitely better to be in the desert with God than in the
brick-kilns with Pharaoh. But no; the human heart finds it immensely
difficult to give God credit for pure and perfect love. It has far
more confidence in Satan than God. Look, for a moment, at all the
sorrow and suffering, the misery and degradation, which man has
endured by reason of his having hearkened to the voice of Satan; and
yet he never gives utterance to a word of complaint of his service, or
of desire to escape from under his hand. He is not discontented with
Satan, or weary of serving him. Again and again he reaps bitter fruits
in those fields which Satan has thrown open to him, and yet again and
again he may be seen sowing the self-same seed, and undergoing the
self-same labors.
How different it is in reference to God! When we have set out to walk
in His ways, we are ready, at the earliest appearance of pressure or
trial, to murmur and rebel. Indeed, there is nothing in which we so
signally fail as in the cultivation of a confiding and thankful
spirit. Ten thousand mercies are forgotten in the presence of a single
trifling privation. We have been frankly forgiven all our sins,
"accepted in the Beloved," made heirs of God and joint-heirs with
Christ, the expectants of eternal glory, and, in addition to all, our
path through the desert is strewed with countless mercies; and yet let
but a cloud the size of a man's hand appear on the horizon, and we at
once forget the rich mercies of the past in view of this single cloud,
which, after all, may only "break in blessings on our head." The
thought of this should humble us deeply in the presence of God. How
unlike we are in this, as in every other respect, to our blessed
Exemplar! Look at Him--the true Israel in the wilderness--surrounded
by wild beasts, and fasting forty days. How did He carry Himself? Did
He murmur? did He complain of His lot? did He wish Himself in other
circumstances? Ah, no. God was the portion of His cup and the lot of
His inheritance (Ps. xvi.); and, therefore, when the tempter
approached and offered Him the necessaries, the glories, the
distinctions, and the honors of this life, He refused them all, and
tenaciously held fast the position of absolute dependence upon God and
implicit obedience to His word. He would only take bread from God, and
glory from Him likewise.
Very different was it with Israel after the flesh! No sooner did they
feel the pressure of hunger than "they murmured against Moses and
Aaron in the wilderness." They seemed to have actually lost the sense
of having been delivered by the hand of Jehovah, for they said, "_Ye_
have brought us forth into this wilderness." And again, in chapter
xvii, "the people murmured against Moses, and said, 'Wherefore is this
that _thou_ hast brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our
children and our cattle with thirst?'" Thus did they, on every
occasion, evince a fretful, murmuring spirit, and prove how little
they realized the presence and the hand of their almighty and
infinitely gracious Deliverer.
Now, nothing is more dishonoring to God than the manifestation of a
complaining spirit on the part of those that belong to Him. The
apostle gives it as a special mark of Gentile corruption that, "when
they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, _neither were
thankful_." Then follows the practical result of this unthankful
spirit,--"They became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
heart was darkened." (Rom. i. 21.) The heart that ceases to retain a
thankful sense of God's goodness will speedily become "dark." Thus
Israel lost the sense of being in God's hands; and this led, as might
be expected, to still thicker darkness, for we find them, further on
in their history, saying, "Wherefore hath the Lord brought us into
this land, _to fall by the sword_, that our wives and our children
shall be a prey?" (Numb. xiv. 3.) Such is the line along which a soul
out of communion will travel. It first loses the sense of being in
God's hands for good, and finally begins to deem itself in His hands
for evil. Melancholy progress this!
However, the people, being so far the subjects of grace, are provided
for; and our chapter furnishes the marvelous account of this
provision,--"Then said the Lord unto Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread
from heaven for you.'" They, when enveloped in the chilling cloud of
their unbelief, had said, "Would to God we had died by the hand of the
Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, and when we
did eat bread to the full." But now the word is, "Bread from heaven."
Blessed contrast! How amazing the difference between the flesh pots,
the leeks, onions, and garlic of Egypt, and this heavenly
manna--"angels' food"! The former belonged to earth, the latter to
heaven.
But then this heavenly food was, of necessity, a test of Israel's
condition, as we read, "That I may prove them, whether they will walk
in My law or no." It needed a heart weaned from Egypt's influences, to
be satisfied with or enjoy "bread from heaven." In point of fact, we
know that the people were not satisfied with it, but despised it,
pronounced it "light food," and lusted for flesh. Thus they proved how
little their hearts were delivered from Egypt, or disposed to walk in
God's law. "In their hearts they turned back again into Egypt." (Acts
vii. 39.) But instead of getting back thither, they were ultimately
carried away beyond Babylon. (Acts vii. 43.) This is a solemn and
salutary lesson for Christians. If those who are redeemed from this
present evil world do not walk with God in thankfulness of heart,
satisfied with His provision for the redeemed in the wilderness, they
are in danger of falling into the snare of Babylonish influences. This
is a serious consideration. It demands a heavenly taste to feed on
bread from heaven. Nature cannot relish such food; it will ever yearn
after Egypt, and therefore it must be kept down. It is our privilege,
as those who have been baptized unto Christ's death, and "risen again
through the faith of the operation of God," to feed upon Christ as
"the bread of life which came down from heaven." This is our
wilderness food--Christ as ministered by the Holy Ghost, through the
written Word; while, for our spiritual refreshment, the Holy Ghost has
come down as the precious fruit of the smitten Rock--Christ, as
smitten for us. Such is our rare portion in this desert world.
Now, it is obvious that, in order to enjoy such a portion as this, our
hearts must be weaned from everything in this present evil world--from
all that would address itself to us as natural men--as men alive in
the flesh. A worldly heart--a carnal mind, would neither find Christ
in the Word, nor enjoy Him if found. The manna was so pure and
delicate that it could not bear contact with earth. It fell upon the
dew (see Numb. xi. 9.), and had to be gathered ere the sun was up.
Each one, therefore, had to rise early and seek his daily portion. So
it is with the people of God now. The heavenly Manna must be gathered
fresh every morning. Yesterday's Manna will not do for to-day, nor
to-day's for to-morrow. We must feed upon Christ every day, with fresh
energy of the Spirit, else we shall cease to grow. Moreover, we must
make Christ our primary object. We must seek Him "_early_," before
"other things" have had time to take possession of our poor
susceptible hearts. Many of us, alas! fail in this, We give Christ a
secondary place, and the consequence is, we are left feeble and
barren. The enemy, ever watchful, takes advantage of our excessive
spiritual indolence to rob us of the blessedness and strength which
flow from feeding upon Christ. The new life in the believer can _only_
be nourished and sustained by Christ. "As the living Father hath sent
Me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth Me, even he shall live
by Me." (John vi. 57.)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the One who came down from
heaven to be His people's food, is ineffably precious to the renewed
soul; but, in order to enjoy Him thus, we need to realize ourselves as
in the wilderness, separated to God in the power of accomplished
redemption. If I am walking with God through the desert, I shall be
satisfied with the food which He provides, and that is, Christ as come
down from heaven. "The old corn of the land of Canaan" has its
antitype in _Christ ascended up_ on high, and seated in the glory. As
such, He is the proper food of those who, by faith, know themselves as
raised up together, and seated together in Him in the heavenlies. But
the Manna, that is, _Christ as come down_ from heaven, is for the
people of God in their wilderness life and experience. As a people
journeying down here, we need a Christ who also journeyed down here;
as a people seated in spirit up there, we have a Christ who is seated
up there. This may help to explain the difference between the manna
and the old corn of the land. It is not a question of redemption; that
we have in the blood of the cross, and there alone. It is simply the
provision which God has made for His people, according to their varied
attitudes, whether as actually toiling in the desert, or in spirit
taking possession of the heavenly inheritance.
What a striking picture is presented by Israel in the wilderness!
Egypt was behind them, Canaan before them, and the sand of the desert
around them; while they themselves were called to look up to heaven
for their daily supply. The wilderness afforded not one blade of grass
nor one drop of water for the Israel of God. In Jehovah alone was
their portion. Most touching illustration of God's pilgrim people in
this wilderness world! They have nothing here. Their life, being
heavenly, can only be sustained by heavenly things. Though _in_ the
world, they are not _of_ it, for Christ has chosen them out of it. As
a heaven-born people, they are on their way to their birth-place, and
sustained by food sent from thence. Theirs is an upward and onward
course. The glory leads _only_ thus. It is utterly vain to cast the
eye backward in the direction of Egypt; not a ray of the glory can
there be discerned. "They looked _toward the wilderness_, and behold
the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud." Jehovah's chariot was in
the wilderness, and all who desired companionship with Him should be
there likewise; and if there, the heavenly manna should be their food,
and that alone.
True, this manna was strange sustenance, such as an Egyptian could
never understand, appreciate, or live upon; but those who had been
"baptized in the cloud and in the sea" could, if walking in
consistency with that significant baptism, enjoy and be nourished by
it. Thus is it now in the case of the true believer. The worldling
cannot understand how he lives. Both his life and that which sustains
it lie entirely beyond the range of nature's keenest vision. Christ is
his life, and on Christ he lives. He feeds, by faith, upon the
powerful attractions of One who, though being "God over all, blessed
forever," "took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men." (Phil. ii. 7.) He traces Him from the bosom of the
Father to the cross, and from the cross to the throne, and finds Him,
in every stage of His journey, and in every attitude of His life, to
be most precious food for his new man. All around, though, in fact,
Egypt, is morally a waste howling wilderness, affording nothing for
the renewed mind; and just in proportion as the Christian finds any
material to feed upon must his spiritual man be hindered in his
progress. The only provision which God has made is the heavenly Manna,
and on this the true believer should ever feed.
It is truly deplorable to find Christians seeking after the things of
this world. It proves, very distinctly, that they are "loathing" the
heavenly Manna, and esteeming it "light food;" they are ministering to
that which they ought to mortify. The activities of the new life will
ever show themselves in connection with the subjugation of "the old
man with his deeds;" and the more that is accomplished, the more will
we desire to feed upon the "Bread which strengthens man's heart." As
in nature, the more we exercise, the better the appetite, so in grace,
the more our renewed faculties are called into play, the more we feel
the need of feeding, each day, upon Christ. It is one thing to know
that we have life in Christ, together with full forgiveness and
acceptance before God, and it is quite another to be in habitual
communion with Him--feeding upon Him by faith--making Him the
exclusive food of our souls. Very many profess to have found pardon
and peace in Jesus, who, in reality, are feeding upon a variety of
things which have no connection with Him. They feed their minds with
the newspapers and the varied frivolous and vapid literature of the
day. Will they find Christ there? Is it by such instrumentality that
the Holy Ghost ministers Christ to the soul? Are these the pure
dew-drops on which the heavenly Manna descends for the sustenance of
God's redeemed in the desert? Alas! no; they are the gross materials
in which the carnal mind delights. How, then, can a true Christian
live upon such? We know, by the teaching of God's Word, that he
carries about with him two natures; and it may be asked, Which of the
two is it that feeds upon the world's news and the world's
literature?--Is it the old, or the new? There can be but one reply.
Well, then, which of the two am I desirous of cherishing? Assuredly my
conduct will afford the truest answer to this inquiry. If I sincerely
desire to grow in the divine life--if my one grand object is to be
assimilated and devoted to Christ--if I am earnestly breathing after
an extension of God's kingdom _within_, I shall, without doubt, seek
continually that character of nourishment which is designed of God to
promote my spiritual growth. This is plain. A man's acts are always
the truest index of his desires and purposes. Hence, if I find a
professing Christian neglecting his Bible, yet finding abundance of
time--yea, some of his choicest hours--for the newspaper, I can be at
no loss to decide as to the true condition of his soul. I am sure he
cannot be spiritual--cannot be feeding upon, living for, or witnessing
to, Christ.
If an Israelite neglected to gather, in the freshness of the morning
hour, his daily portion of the divinely appointed food, he would
speedily have become lacking in strength for his journey. Thus is it
with us. We must make Christ the paramount object of our soul's
pursuit, else our spiritual life will inevitably decline. We cannot
even feed upon feelings and experiences connected with Christ, for
they, inasmuch as they are fluctuating, cannot form our spiritual
nourishment. It was Christ yesterday, and it must be Christ to-day,
and Christ forever. Moreover, it will not do to feed partly on Christ
and partly on other things. As in the matter of _life_ it is Christ
_alone_, so in the matter of _living_ it must be Christ _alone_. As we
cannot mingle any thing with that which _imparts_ life, so neither can
we mingle any thing with that which _sustains_ it.
It is quite true that, in spirit, and by faith, we can even now feed
upon a risen and glorified Christ, ascended up to heaven in virtue of
accomplished redemption, as prefigured by "the old corn of the land."
(See Joshua v.) And not only so, but we know that when God's redeemed
shall have entered upon those fields of glory, rest, and immortality
which lie beyond the Jordan, they shall, in actual fact, be done with
wilderness food; but they will not be done with Christ, nor with the
remembrance of that which constitutes the specific nourishment of
their desert life.
Israel were never to forget, amid the milk and honey of the land of
Canaan, that which had sustained them during their forty years'
sojourn in the wilderness. "This is the thing which the Lord
commandeth: 'Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that
they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness,
when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.'... As the Lord
commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the testimony, to be
kept." (Ver. 32-34.) Most precious memorial of the faithfulness of
God! He did not suffer them to die of hunger, as their foolish hearts
had unbelievingly anticipated. He rained bread from heaven for them,
fed them with angels' food, watched over them with all the tenderness
of a nurse, bore with them, carried them on eagles' wings, and, had
they only continued on the proper ground of grace, He would have put
them in eternal possession of all the promises made to their fathers.
The pot of manna, therefore, containing, as it did, a man's daily
portion, and laid up before the Lord, furnishes a volume of truth.
There was no worm therein, nor aught of taint. It was the record of
Jehovah's faithfulness in providing for those whom He had redeemed out
of the hand of the enemy.
Not so, however, when man hoarded it up for himself. Then the symptoms
of corruptibility soon made their appearance. We cannot, if entering
into the truth and reality of our position, hoard up. It is our
privilege, day by day, to enter into the preciousness of Christ, as
the One who came down from heaven to give life unto the world. But if
any, in forgetfulness of this, should be found hoarding up for
to-morrow, that is, laying up truth beyond his present need, instead
of turning it to profit in the way of renewing strength, it will
surely become corrupt. This is a salutary lesson for us. It is a
deeply solemn thing to learn truth; for there is not a principle which
we profess to have learnt which we shall not have to prove
practically. God will not have us theorists. One often trembles to
hear persons make high professions and use expressions of intense
devotedness, whether in prayer or otherwise, lest, when the hour of
trial comes, there may not be the needed spiritual power to carry out
what the lips have uttered.
There is a great danger of the intellect's outstripping the conscience
and the affections. Hence it is that so many seem, at first, to make
such rapid progress up to a certain point; but there they stop short
and appear to retrograde. Like an Israelite gathering up more manna
than he required for one day's food. He might appear to be
accumulating the heavenly food far more diligently than others; yet
every particle beyond the day's supply was not only useless, but far
worse than useless, inasmuch as it "bred worms." Thus is it with the
Christian. He must _use_ what he gets,--he must feed upon Christ as a
matter of actual need, and the need is brought out in actual service.
The character and ways of God, the preciousness and beauty of Christ,
and the living depths of the Word, are only unfolded to faith and
need. It is as we use what we receive that more will be given. The
path of the believer is to be a practical one; and here it is that so
many of us come short. It will often be found that those who get on
most rapidly in theory are the slowest in the practical and
experimental elements, because it is more a work of intellect than of
heart and conscience. We should ever remember that Christianity is not
a set of opinions, a system of dogmas, or a number of views; it is
pre-eminently a living reality,--a personal, practical, powerful
thing, telling itself out in all the scenes and circumstances of daily
life, shedding its hallowed influence over the entire character and
course, and imparting its heavenly tone to every relationship which
one may be called of God to fill. In a word, it is that which flows
from being associated and occupied with Christ. This is Christianity.
There may be clear views, correct notions, sound principles, without
any fellowship with Jesus; but an orthodox creed without Christ will
prove a cold, barren, dead thing.
Christian reader, see carefully to it that you are not only saved by
Christ, but also living on Him. Make Him the daily portion of your
soul. Seek Him "_early_," seek him "_only_." When any thing solicits
your attention, ask the question, Will this bring Christ to my heart?
Will it unfold Him to my affections, or draw me near to His Person? If
not, reject it at once: yes, reject it, though it present itself under
the most specious appearance and with the most commanding authority.
If your honest purpose be to get on in the divine life, to progress in
spirituality, to cultivate personal acquaintance with Christ, then
challenge your heart solemnly and faithfully as to this. Make Christ
your habitual food. Go, gather the Manna that falls on the dew-drops,
and feed upon it with an appetite sharpened by a diligent walk with
God through the desert. May the rich grace of God the Holy Ghost
abundantly strengthen you in all this![9]
[9] My reader will find it profitable to turn to the sixth of John,
and prayerfully meditate upon it, in connection with the subject of
the manna. The passover being near, Jesus feeds the multitude, and
then takes His departure to a mountain, there to be alone. From thence
He comes to the relief of His distressed people tossed upon the
troubled waters. After this, He unfolds the doctrine of His Person and
work, and declares how He was to give His flesh for the life of the
world, and that none could have life save by eating His flesh and
drinking His blood. Finally, He speaks of Himself as ascending up
where He was before and of the quickening power of the Holy Ghost. It
is, indeed, a rich and copious chapter, in which the spiritual reader
will find a vast fund of truth for the comfort and edification of his
soul.
There is one point more in our chapter which we shall notice, namely,
the institution of the Sabbath, in its connection with the manna and
Israel's position as here set forth. From the second chapter of
Genesis down to the chapter now before us, we find no mention made of
this institution. This is remarkable. Abel's sacrifice, Enoch's walk
with God, Noah's preaching, Abraham's call, together with the detailed
history of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, are all presented; but there is
no allusion to the Sabbath until we find Israel recognized as a people
in relationship and consequent responsibility to Jehovah. The Sabbath
was interrupted in Eden; and here we find it again instituted for
Israel in the wilderness. But, alas! man has no heart for God's rest.
And it came to pass that "there went out some of the people on the
seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto
Moses, 'How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws? 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.'" (Ver.
27-29.) God would have His people enjoying sweet repose with Himself.
He would give them rest, food, and refreshment, even in the
wilderness. But man's heart is not disposed to rest with God. The
people could remember and speak of the time when they "_sat_ by the
flesh pots" in Egypt, but they could not appreciate the blessedness of
sitting in their tents, enjoying with God "the rest of the holy
Sabbath," feeding upon the heavenly manna.
And, be it remarked, that the Sabbath is here presented as a matter of
gift.--"The Lord hath _given_ you the Sabbath." Further on in this
book we shall find it put in the form of a law, with a curse and a
judgment attached to it in the case of disobedience. But whether
fallen man gets a privilege or a law, a blessing or a curse, it is all
alike. His _nature_ is bad. He can neither rest with nor work for God.
If God works and makes a rest for him, he will not keep it; and if God
tells him to work, he will not do it. Such is man. He has no heart for
God. He can make use of the name of the Sabbath as a something to
exalt himself, or as the badge of his own religiousness; but when we
turn to Exodus xvi, we find that he cannot prize _God's_ Sabbath as a
_gift_, and when we turn to Numbers xv. 32-36, we find he cannot keep
it as a _law_.
Now, we know that the Sabbath, as well as the manna, was a type. In
itself, it was a real blessing--a sweet mercy from the hand of a
loving and gracious God, who would relieve the toil and travail of a
sin-stricken earth by the refreshment of one day of rest out of the
seven. Whatever way we look at the institution of the Sabbath, we must
see it to be pregnant with richest mercy,--whether we view it in
reference to man or to the animal creation. And, albeit, that
Christians observe the first day of the week--the Lord's day--and
attach to it its proper principles, yet is the gracious providence
equally observable, nor would any mind at all governed by right
feelings, seek, for a moment, to interfere with such a signal mercy.
"The Sabbath was made for man;" and although man never has kept it,
according to the divine thought about it, that does not detract from
the grace which shines in the appointment of it, nor divest it of its
deep significancy as a type of that eternal rest which remains for the
people of God, or as a shadow of that substance which faith now enjoys
in the Person and work of a risen Christ.
Let not the reader therefore suppose that in any thing which has been
or may be stated in these pages the object is to touch, in the
slightest degree, the merciful provision of one day's rest for man and
the animal creation, much less to interfere with the distinct place
which the Lord's day occupies in the New Testament. Nothing is further
from the writer's thoughts. As a man he values the former, and as a
Christian he rejoices in the latter, far too deeply to admit of his
penning or uttering a single syllable which would interfere with
either the one or the other. He would only ask the reader to weigh,
with a dispassionate mind, in the balance of Holy Scripture, every
line and every statement, and not form any harsh judgment beforehand.
This subject will come before us again, in our further meditations, if
the Lord will. May we learn to value more the rest which our God has
provided for us in Christ, and while enjoying Him as our rest, may we
feed upon Him as the "hidden Manna," laid up, in the power of
resurrection, in the inner sanctuary,--the record of what God has
accomplished, on our behalf, by coming down into this world, in His
infinite grace, in order that we might be before Him according to the
perfectness of Christ, and feed on His unsearchable riches forever.