WORD STUDY – CAREFULLY PORTION OUT מנה
Psalm 78:24-25: “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 78:30-31: “ They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat [was] yet in their mouths, (31) The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen [men] of Israel.”
The context of these passages relates to the story of the children of Israel when they got sick of eating manna and they called out to God for more meat in their diet. God said: “You want meat, I’ll give you meat but don’t come belly aching to me.” What the children of Israel did not know that we know today is that dead birds become filled with nasty germs if left in the sun too long and if you eat it you will get sick and maybe even die.
But wait a minute, this influx of quail came for God so it had to be ok, right? God wants you to prosper, eat, eat, enjoy. Many did eat and many died. But they ate in their lust and while the meat was still in their mouths they fell victim to the hidden world of microbes (verses 30-31). Yet there were those who knew and were able to discern that God does answer prayer even if you pray in your lust. But they also knew that if they prayed in their own lust they could suffer consequences even if it comes from God. You can pray for a specific job and God will answer that prayer, but if you prayed in your own lust, you may find that job will eat away at you with the microbes of stress, time, and peace of mind. The old saying: “Be careful what you pray for, is more true than we realize as clearly shown in this passage.”
For those who were spiritually able to discern they knew what the manna was all about, that is that it was more, much more than physical nourishment. The word manna is the same word in Hebrew as in English. It is just a transliteration. It comes from a Semitic root word m’n which is an interrogative for “who” “what” “where” “when” “whosoever” etc. In Exodus 16:15 it was called manhu which means “whatness,” or “what is this.” The word manna, however, from its Semitic origins means to be numbered, or portioned out. Whatever it was, it was to be carefully portioned out. If you didn’t you ended up with spoiled manna the next morning.
Now we must carefully note that it is the people who called it m’n. God called it something else. In Exodus 16 He calls it lechem shamayim bread of heaven. This is the rare time the word shamayim does not have the definite article. This was not manufactured in the sky. The syntax of Psalms 78:25 would suggest it was not the food that angels eat but food that the angels personally carried from heaven and laid out for the people every morning. God not provided food for his children he had angels serving as waitresses and waiters. Note this was to eat. This is in a qal participle. It was to be eaten right away at the moment they found it.
Else where God calls this the corn of heaven. The word corn is degan which is a metonymy for bread (use of a word for another related word ie, bottle for strong drink). So why did God refer to this as corn or degan? Those who saw this as the degan of heaven meditated on the word degan and considered its secondary use which means a portal. A portal to what? God’s lovingkindness. These are the people who never tired of the manna or wished for the cucumbers of Egypt or tons of meat. They were eating of the lovingkindness of God and everytime they ate, they felt God’s pleasure. The Talmud teaches that manna was the perfect food and the body absorbed it entirely so there was no need to stop and go behind yon tree. This was a great move sanitation wise with a couple million people. People understood that it was the healthiest food when used according to God’s direction.
The word bread has a numerical value of 78. They ate the bread of heaven three times a day. The numerical value of YHWH is 26. 26X3=78. Three times a day the entered the heart of God and brought him pleasure. My grandfather suffered from ulcers and could not eat what everyone else ate at family gatherings. But I remember my father saying that it didn’t matter to grandpa if he could not eat, he just loved to be with his family and watch them eat. So to with God, as the people ate the manna they reflected on this miracle of God and sort of had breakfast, lunch and dinner with God.
Sometimes God will not answer your prayer because He knows you are not ready for it. Do you really want that candy apple red Porsche to drive little children to Sunday School on Sunday or to just satisfy your own lustful desires? If you accept God’s gift out of lust you are likely to misuse that gift like the people did with the quail and ended up deathly sick. That gift from God might just end up being a curse.
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