Manna as a Type of Christ

The manna that God sent from heaven is also a type of Christ, so let's examine the Scriptures and see what this teaches us about Him.

Historical Background

Gathering manna in the wilderness

First, a quick bit of historical context would help, which I assume many people will be very familiar with. Moses had led the children of Israel out of Egypt and after crossing the Red Sea they entered the wilderness of Sin. While they were there, all the people began to grumble against Moses and Aaron that they wished they had died in Egypt where they once had all the food they wanted, including pots of meat and bread until they were full, but now they were suffering hunger in the wilderness. The Lord heard their grumbling and instructed Moses on how to respond to the people.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.'" (Exo 16:4-5).

And again, "When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it." (Num 11:9)

So the Scripture says the Lord promised to rain bread from heaven, which He did for them from that time until just before they entered the Promised Land (Ex 16:35). He sent a layer of dew each morning, which became fine, thin flakes on the ground once it had evaporated. It was as fine as frost on the ground, so it must have been quite delicate.

Manna is described as being as
fine as frost on the ground

"When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 'It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.'" (Exo 16:14-15)

The Hebrew word for "manna" means a "what-ness", taken from their question, "What is it?" 

"This is what the LORD has commanded, 'Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.'" The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat." (Exo 16:16-18)

The apostle Paul alluded to this when he said, "As it is written: 'The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.'" (2 Cor 8:15, NIV).

Moreover, they were not allowed to save any for the following day, but when some of them did so, it was full of maggots and began to smell (Ex 16:20). This was the original concept of getting their daily bread each day for that day only. After gathering the manna each morning, whatever they left on the ground would melt in the sun's heat.

"They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt. Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, then he said to them, 'This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.' So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it." (Exo 16:21-24).

Manna is described as something
similar to coriander seed

As it says, they would gather twice as much as they needed on the sixth day in order to have enough for the Sabbath day, and they would cook it, so that it would not spoil, and so that they would be able to eat it on the Sabbath without having to go out gathering it on the day of rest.

The Lord commanded that they keep some of the manna for future generations.

Then Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded, 'Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'" Moses said to Aaron, 'Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations.' As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony, to be kept." (Exo 16:32-34)

It's amazing that this manna did not spoil, which God commanded to be kept in a golden jar as a memorial to show how He fed the Israelites in the wilderness. It was placed before the ark of the covenant where it was to be kept, and the apostle says it was kept inside the ark (Heb 9:4).

Did you ever wonder what it tasted like? Scripture says, "The house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey.  (Exo 16:31)

Manna is described as having the appearance of
bdellium.

"Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium." (Num 11:7). It was like a seed and looked like bdellium (pictured left), which is a fragrant resin produced by a number of trees related to myrrh, used in perfumes. But it was thin and flaky.

The Bible tells us how they prepared it, too. "The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil." (Num 11:8)

As time went on, year after year, the Israelites grew weary of eating manna all the time and they grumbled about it. "We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna." (Num 11:5-6). But God fed them with manna for forty years in the wilderness, until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.  (Exo 16:35)

Manna was a Type of Christ

Then thousands of years later during Jesus' ministry, the Jews said to Him, "'Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "He gave them bread out of heaven to eat."' (Joh 6:31)

Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.' Then they said to Him, 'Lord, always give us this bread.' Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.'" (Joh 6:32-35)

First, the Lord taught them that Moses did not give them the bread from heaven, but the heavenly Father gave it to them. Then the Lord actually declared Himself to be the Bread of God, which He defined as that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Just as the manna came down from heaven and sustained the lives of the Hebrews in their wilderness journey, Christ came down from heaven and gives life to the world, so that we would not perish.

After He said that, the people asked Him to always give them that bread, to which He replied that He is the Bread of Life, who will keep those who come to Him from hungering and those who believe in Him from thirsting. But they didn't receive that, and took offense at what He said.

"Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, 'I am the bread that came down out of heaven.'" (Joh 6:41).

Nevertheless, He didn't walk back His words or try to appease them. Instead, he repeated, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life." (Joh 6:47-48). Based on this passage, we know for certain that the manna was a type of Christ.

He said, "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." (Joh 6:49-51).

"Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”" (Jn 6:52, NIV). The Lord's response to them was a major revelation for all mankind:

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever." (Joh 6:53-58).

The Process of Gathering Manna
Consider for a moment what it was like for the Israelites to go out and gather manna every morning, six days a week. Since it was fine, thin, flaky, and delicate, and since it was located on the ground on the desert sand and rocks, those who gathered it would have had to get down on their knees. They had to gather it little by little into their baskets until they had enough for their households. Since they may have collected some sand with the manna, they may have had to sift it to remove the sand. This process would require patience to do even one time, but it would require endurance to do it every day for forty years.

Other Important Facts About Manna
The reason God did this was to humble the Israelites with hunger and feed them with something completely unfamiliar to them or their fathers, in order to teach them that man does not live on bread alone, but on every Word from the Lord's mouth.

"He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.  (Deu 8:3)

"In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.  (Deu 8:16)

"He rained down manna upon them to eat And gave them food from heaven." (Psa 78:24)

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it."  (Rev 2:17)

Side by Side Comparison
Let's do a quick side-by-side comparison of the manna and Christ.

Manna	Christ
"It is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven." (Jn 6:32)	"The bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven." (Jn 6:33)
Came down each day as dew in the morning on the ground. (Ex 16:13).	Came down from heaven to earth and seemed to be very common and lowly. He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Phil 2:7, NIV)
Evaporated and became fine, thin flakes. It was fine as frost on the ground. (Ex 16:14)	His appearance was ordinary, and nothing spectacular. "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself." (Phil 2:8, NIV) "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." (Is 53:2b, NIV)
Had to be gathered for each household daily.	Gives us each day our daily bread as we pray for it. Meets with us personally, as we each seek Him daily for ourselves and our households.
The people wondered "What is it?" (Ex 16:15)	"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize Him." (Jn 1:10, NIV)
Satisfied the people's hunger.	"He who comes to Me will not hunger..." (Jn 6:35)
They were not allowed to save any for the following day, or else it would spoil.	We must seek Him daily and keep it fresh, not rely on old, moldy experiences we've had with Him in the past.
Miraculous provision.	Miraculous Savior.
They grumbled about the manna (Num 11:6)	They grumbled about Jesus, because He said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven." (Joh 6:41)
Something completely unfamiliar to them or their fathers.	Completely unfamiliar to them, a man coming down from heaven.
To humble them and test them. (Deu 8:16)	It is humbling and is a test for people to believe in Jesus for eternal life. In fact, it is a stumbling block for some people, because it is so offensive to them.
To teach them that man does not live on bread alone, but on every Word from the Lord's mouth. (Dt 8:3)	He teaches us not to seek after food that spoils but for food that lasts forever, which only Jesus can give you. "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (Jn 6:27, NIV) Jesus is the Word. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Jn 1:1,14)
To do good for them in the end.	God grants eternal life to those who come to Jesus and believe in Him. "He who believes has eternal life." (Jn 6:47) "To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna..." (Rev 2:17)
The bread they ate was food from heaven called manna. (Ps 78:24). It was bread from heaven.	"I am the living bread that came down out of heaven..." (Jn 6:51). "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink." (Jn 6:55).
They ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. (Jn 6:49)	"This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die...if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." (Joh 6:49-51).
Kept the people from dying of starvation.	"Gives life to the world," so that those who come to Him and believe in Him would not perish (Jn 6:33, NIV). "...unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves." (Jn 6:53). "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (Jn 6:54). "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever." (Joh 6:56-58).

Conclusion
In our study of the manna, we have seen that this bread from heaven is a type of Christ. Almost every aspect of it is symbolic, pointing us to Him as the Bread of Life. We examined the manna itself, which was required to sustain human life in the wilderness for forty years, as the Israelites journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land. We also examined how each household had to gather some of the manna each day and bring it home.

We learned that it had to be gathered in fresh daily while they were down on their knees in the morning, which teaches us that we must have a daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. If they had gathered it once a week, as some people do each week on Sundays only, then the manna would have become spoiled with maggots and they would not have been able to eat it. It would not even last overnight until morning, let alone a whole week. You cannot meet with Jesus just once a week, or every few days, but must seek the Lord daily for yourself, as the Israelites did each morning.

We also saw that the manna God commanded to be kept in a gold jar and stored with the Ark of the Covenant was a type of Christ. Since the ark signifies the presence of the Lord, this teaches us that the bread of life we must gather each day through our relationship with Christ is found in His presence. Amazingly that manna that was kept in obedience to God's command did not spoil, but remained as a memorial for future generations to see how God fed His people in the wilderness.

We learned that God gave the Israelites the manna to humble them, test them, and teach them that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the Lord's mouth. And we understand from this that Jesus is the Living Word that we must eat so that we may have life. That's why we should read the Word of God daily and ask Him to speak to us through it. We must not grow weary of reading the Scriptures over and over again, but always pray and trust the Lord to give us something fresh.

Since the manna was so small and delicate, and would require such patience each day to gather it in, not to mention faithfulness and endurance to do that daily for forty years, that teaches us that our daily walk with Jesus also requires patience, faithfulness, and endurance. We gather our bread of life from Him little by little, which may sometimes be almost imperceptible, but the nuggets he gives us do in fact sustain us and our households.

We looked at how they prepared the manna in various ways, then how they ate it to satisfy their hunger. Each aspect of the manna teaches us about Christ as the only One who can save us from dying. It teaches us that we must come to Him, believe in Him, eat His flesh, drink His blood, accept Him as our own Lord and Savior, and abide in Him in order to have eternal life. It teaches us that unless we do so, then we have no life in ourselves.

This is a hard teaching for some people to accept, and many Jews grumbled at the Lord because of it. Many disciples stopped following Him after He said that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood (Jn 6:66). Don't let that happen to you, but accept His true words of life, so that you may not perish but have eternal life.

When I began this study, I didn't have much to say about it, and I thought it was going to be brief, but it was like the dehydrated food that we used to eat in the Army, which would expand after we soaked it in water. The rich truths found in the manna as a type of Christ open up and become expansive as we meditate on them and soak them for a while.

Through this study, we have expanded upon these mysteries that the Lord has disclosed to us, so that we may know and trust Christ more. I trust this has helped to accomplish that very goal in your life as you have read this article. May our prayer be, "Bread of Heaven feed me till I want no more." I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image of "Gathering Manna" taken from Lutheran Coalition for Renewal, may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only. Other images in the public domain from Wikipedia.

Author's note:  Also see The Glorified Lamb of God, The Typology of the Tabernacle, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, Moses as a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, and The Mysteries of the Faith. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.