I don’t believe that God is into feeding his kids leftovers. But we see in the the scriptures that sometimes these very kids the Israelites preferred leftovers over God’s best or something that wasn’t even on menu. When God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of the land of Egypt to free them from four hundred years of slavery he intended to feed them with what was called “Manna.” This manna or bread from heaven was described as being like horfrost, a pale substance, white in color and tasting like wafers made with honey.
The rules for gathering manna were quite simple. An Omer of manna was to be gathered per person 6 of the seven days per week. On the sixth day a double portion would be gathered so they could rest on the Sabbath day. Also; they were not to keep leftovers as the manna would stink and become wormy.
Now an Omer is a unit of measurement that can be best described as 2-3 liters or in ancient Israelites terms the volume of 43.2 chicken eggs. Whether the container that the Israelites used was a fired clay vessel with a lid or a basket I do not know but lean towards the concept that it was a clay vessel based on 2 Corinthians 4:7 where it states; “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Now why do I compare this manna to the treasure the Apostle Paul speaks of? Because Jesus compares himself to manna in John 6:51 stating; “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Also; we pray in the Our Father prayer for God to “Give us this day our daily bread.”
This is the pattern found in ancient Israel that still applies today to the gentiles, to gather the manna of Jesus Christ in the vessel of our lives or hearts. An Omer or measure to be gathered, received daily. I believe this manna refers to God’s grace, the fullness of his Holy Spirit gathered through prayer, intimacy and time in his Word. This grace enables us to run the race with joy. If we try to live on yesterday’s or last months prayer time, Word revelations or teaching, we find that like the Israelites manna it becomes wormy and stinks. We need fresh manna daily of time spent with Jesus so that like the apostle Paul we can say; “I have been crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I. but Christ liveth in me: and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Let us not be like the Israelites who kindled the Lord’s anger by wanting flesh to eat and not being satisfied with the manna the Lord was providing. So the Lord provided them quail for one month along with the manna but he was not pleased as stated in Numbers 11:20; “But even a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
So the Israelites ran with their nets to catch the quail now driven by a strong wind from the sea just to satisfy their murmuring, crying and complaining. But God’s anger was kindled and a great plague resulted killing approximately 23,000 in the camp. Do we kindle God’s anger when we are not satisfied with the manna he provided us in Jesus Christ and we cast our nets elsewhere? Perhaps.
Yes, we serve a God of love but he is also a God of justice, a holy God. But let us not forget the manna he provides through grace in his son Jesus Christ. Let us not desire the hype, the sensationalism the world provides even in some churches chasing after it like quail with our nets but rather fill the vessel daily with intimacy with the living manna Jesus Christ.