280 tremendous cabbages, cauliflower, and other vegetables are on display in the mar kets o f Cairo. It was too much o f the good things o f this world that made the Israel ites murmur against God. Outline and Exposition I. T he M urmuring of the P eople (1-3). Following the cloud that went before them, the people left the wells and palms at Eiim, and came into the wilderness of Sin between Elim and Sinai. The fact that the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night was still with them should have re minded them that God was still with them and that whatever conditions they might meet would be controlled by Him. He was the One who had taken them from the land o f bondage, who had delivered them from their taskmasters, who had opened the Red Sea before them, and who had destroyed their enemies. But they had short mem ories. It is in the memory that we are be trayed into murmuring against God and His ways. Their murmuring was foolishness, in view of the circumstances from which they had been delivered. It was not true that they had “ sat by the flesh pots,” but they had stooped under their burdens and the lash of the taskmasters. It was not true that they had come from a time “when we did eat bread to the full,” but they had suf fered hunger and distress in the land of Egypt. And it was not true that they had been brought into the wilderness merely for the purpose o f being destroyed by hun ger. They would yet perish in that wil derness ; but alas, it would be because of their unbelief and their incurable rebellion against God, o f which this murmuring was but a sign. This murmuring was really blasphemy because, while directed against Moses and Aaron, it was actually against God. Moses and Aaron were merely His agents. These two had nothing to do with bringing the people out o f Egypt. It was God who had done this. But not seeing God, they turned to His servants and blamed them for what they thought was their plight. Likewise, we today turn too easily against God, and complain when circumstances do not suit us, or when experiences which we do not understand fall to our lot. W e have as short memories as had these people of Is rael. W e know better because “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God” (Rom. 8:28). But we do not make use of what we know. The people of Israel were called of God according to His purpose, and He would see that all things worked together for their good. But because o f present condi tions, they did not understand; therefore, they murmured. We should be content to know, even though we do not understand. If we cannot be simply content with know ing, then, like Israel, we shall murmur against the Lord. II. T he P rovision by G od (4, S, 14, 15). The provision was made in order to prove them (v. 4 ). It was a test to show whether or not they were ready to walk in God’s ways. The event proved they were not ready. They were told to gather a portion each day, sufficient for that day, and on the sixth day to gather enough for two days, as no manna would fall on the seventh day. Contrary to these plain direc tions, some o f the people attempted to gather more than enough for each day’s needs; but when they did so, except on the
T h e
K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
June 1932
BLACKBOARD LESSON
ed believer feeds on a living Christ, as found in the Word o f God, and finds the joy o f the Lord for his strength and the service o f the Lord for his delight. III. T he C ontinuity of I t (35). For forty years, this multitude o f about 2,000,000 fed upon the manna, until they came to Canaan, and then fed upon the “old corn in the land.” The manna is a type o f Christ in humiliation, the “old corn” a type o f Him risen and in the glory. W e now feed upon the latter. The critics, who would discount the miraculous ele ment in the giving o f the manna, advance the idea that it was merely an exudation from certain shrubs growing in the wil derness. This appears utterly foolish in the light o f the extended period over which this heavenly food was given and the mul titude who were sustained by it. Lesson Questions Vs. 1-3. Can you give the main events from the crossing o f the Red Sea to the giving o f the manna? What was the cause of the people’s complaint? Was it a complaint against their leaders or against God Himself? Vs. 4, 5. What was the main purpose in the giving o f the manna? In what quan tities were the people to gather the food that God provided? In what way might the people prepare the manna for food (cf. Num. 11:8)? Vs. 14y 15. Where in the New Testa ment does our Lord apply the truth o f this passage to Himself? Point out as many ways as you can in which the manna is a type o f Christ. V. 35. For how long did the children of Israel partake of the manna? Typically, how long must the child o f God feed up on Christ? Golden Text Illustration Out of the last years of the life o f Haydn, the matchless musician, comes an incident o f gripping interest and stirring power; and whenever I think o f the thoughtless ingratitude o f mankind to the Giver o f every good thing and every per fect gift, this story o f the renowned com poser o f the oratorio known as “ Creation” comes into my mind. In the Music Hall at Vienna in the year 1808, a rendition o f this production was being given by a number o f celebrated artists, assisted by an equally celebrated orchestra and a great chorus of well trained singers. Haydn himself was there, having been brought into the hall in a wheel chair. The performance began, and as it proceeded from line to line, it carried the audience into a transport of almost irrepressible enthusiasm. As the passage, “and there was light” was reached, and the chorus and orchestra burst forth in full power, the vast assembly, keyed to a higher pitch by the presence of the vener able author, could no longer restrain itself. In the midst o f the tumult, the enrap tured throng by one spontaneous impulse leaped to its feet. The aged composed was seen struggling in an effort to rise from his wheel chair; upon his feet, with the rap turous applause o f the people ringing in his ears, he motioned for a moment o f si lence, and lifting his hand high toward heaven, he cried with all the strength he could muster, “ No, no, not from me, but from thence comes all.” When he had so cried out, giving to God the glory and the praise, he fell back in his chair weakened and exhausted, and
sixth day, they found that the manna turned sour and stank when kept over night. Here is a miracle within a miracle. When the sixth day’s portion was gath ered, it remained fresh and sweet, accept able for food on the seventh day, but the same amount gathered at any other time, and kept over, became unfit to eat the next day. The manna came down upon the dew, and when the dew was gone, it lay upon the ground ready to be gathered. Being mirac ulously provided and different from any food of which they had any knowledge, the people knew not what it was, and there fore called it “manna” which means “ what is it?” The very name by which the peo ple called it should silence the critics’ fool ish argument that it was something pro duced in the natural order of things. In John 6:22-59, our Lord Jesus refers to this incident and applies the manna to Himself, declaring that He is the “true bread from heaven.” The manna is, then, a type o f our Lord Jesus and should be studied as such. In the wilderness, without partaking of this manna, there could be no life, but there was life in it for all who ate o f it. Jesus Christ is the Source o f true life. He came from God as a miraculous Gift and must be personally appropriated by the in dividual. Without this individual taking of Christ, there is no life—whatever else a man may possess. “ He that hath the Son hath life, he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12). As the manna was a mysterious food, and none of the people knew how it came or what it was, so the life in Christ is mysterious, but each individual may appropriate it for himself. The manna had to be eaten day by day. Morning by morning, the daily portion was to be gathered. It was not to be stored up, but eaten the same day it was given. It was abundant—always enough and to spare for every one. So Christ is the only Support of life, but He must be daily ap propriated. There is sufficiency in Him for every need o f the Christian. The people were taught that their entire dependence was to be upon the manna for their satisfaction of life. So Christ is the only Satisfaction of life for the Christian. Only as we are diligent in the use o f the Scriptures, finding Christ therein and feed ing upon Him, will we know true satisfac tion. W e cannot feed our souls upon or dinances, religious services, doctrines, and so forth, however true and important these may be, but only upon the Lord Jesus Christ. The formal professor of religion feeds upon the dry ashes o f men’s ideas, and he wonders what the Christian means by the joy o f the Lord; the backslider feeds on the husks that swine eat, until he comes to himself and returns to his father’s house; fanatics feed on special doctrines, and then wonder why they never come to soul satisfaction; but the instruct
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