The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Kingdom of God Is at Hand, #8

And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. (Exodus 16:15)

The relationship between manna (food) and the law of God is seen in the New Testament.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. (John 6:32,33)

Man can keep the eternal moral law of God only as the Lord Jesus, the Bread of God, is formed in him. As we eat the flesh of Christ and drink His blood, His Substance, Virtue, and Life are formed in us. In this manner, the Torah of God, God's law, is engraved in our mind and heart. Then we keep the eternal moral law of God by nature.

Man can live uprightly only as he has dry ground (Christ born in him) to stand on, and the Word of God (Christ) to feed on continually.

Sinners often make resolutions to "do better," to stop this behavior or that behavior. But they soon fall back into their old habits. The reason is, they have no "dry ground" on which to stand and walk. They may attempt to stand and do what is right but the ground under their feet is marshy. They have little strength to support their purpose.

Saved man receives dry ground to stand on and Divine food to eat.

Abraham looked for a city that has foundations.

The earth is that on which mankind walks. Before the waters under the heaven were gathered into one place there was no earth on which to walk or from which vegetation could grow. There must be earth before the food of the material creation can be brought into being.

The manna stopped falling when the Israelites came to the land of promise. They could not grow food in the wilderness but lived by a miracle. They were given angel's food, the corn of Heaven. When they came to the "dry ground" of their inheritance they were able to grow food.

And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full. (Psalms 78:24,25)

And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. (Joshua 5:12)

The Scriptures have much to say about uprightness, about righteous behavior. With the exception of the presentation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the subject of upright behavior, of adherence to the eternal moral law of God, may be the main topic of the Scriptures. Satan has stung mankind in the heel so people cannot walk uprightly.

To be continued.