Message 39
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 16:13-15, 31-36; Heb. 9:4; Rev. 2:17
In Exo. 16:33 we see that an omer full of manna was placed in a pot and laid up before the Lord to be kept for future generations. Hebrews 9:4 speaks of “the golden pot that had the manna.” Thus, the hidden manna was in a golden pot. The manna concealed in the golden pot signifies that our life is hidden with Christ in God. In Col. 3:3 Paul tells us that our “life has been hidden with Christ in God.” The Christ hidden in God is the manna hidden in the golden pot.
In the Bible gold signifies the divine nature. According to 2 Pet. 1:4, we are partakers of this divine nature. Only the nature of God, the divine nature, can preserve Christ as our hidden manna. Praise the Lord that within us we have a golden pot; that is, we have the divine nature. We cannot preserve Christ in our mind or emotion. We can preserve Him only in the divine nature which we have within us through regeneration. Actually, the divine nature within us is God Himself. The manna in the golden pot indicates that the very Christ whom we enjoy as our life supply is preserved in the divine nature which is now in our inmost being. Christ is our special portion of food hidden in the divine nature. When we touch the divine nature, the golden pot, we enjoy Christ as the manna hidden within it.
The golden pot with the hidden manna was inside the ark of the testimony in the Holy of Holies (Heb. 9:3-4). Most of us realize that the ark typifies Christ. Christ as the manna is preserved in the divine nature, and the divine nature is in Christ typified by the ark. This Christ is in our spirit, which in our experience is the Holy of Holies.
Once again we see that this is difficult to understand doctrinally. However, if we apply this picture of the manna, the golden pot, and the ark to our spiritual experience, we shall be able to understand it. We all can testify that we surely have enjoyed Christ. We have also seen that the Christ whom we enjoy becomes the Christ we preserve. We enjoy one omer of manna, and we also preserve one omer. The Christ we enjoy is preserved in the divine nature that is within us. This divine nature is altogether in Christ, the reality of the ark. Moreover, Christ is in our spirit. As we remain in the spirit, we contact Christ. In the Christ we contact is the divine nature which preserves the Christ we enjoy as the hidden manna.
Our spirit is for the church, in the church, and with the church. The church is composed not with our body or soul, but with our spirit. Ephesians 2:22 tells us that God’s dwelling place is in our spirit. We may even say that our spirit mingled with the divine Spirit is the church. When we enjoy Christ, we preserve Him in the divine nature which is in Christ who is in turn in our spirit. Since our spirit is for the church, with the church, and in the church, in experience we are actually God’s tabernacle today.
In 16:34 we read that Aaron laid up the pot with an omer of manna “before the Testimony, to be kept.” Some translators of the Bible consider that the testimony here refers to the ark. We strongly disagree with this interpretation. In the Old Testament the testimony does not refer to the ark; it refers to the law of God, the Ten Commandments. The ark was called the ark of the testimony because the two tablets of the law were placed within the ark. Furthermore, the tabernacle was called the tabernacle of the testimony because it contained the testimony in the ark. Hence, the ark was the ark of the testimony, and the tabernacle was the tabernacle of the testimony. Within the ark in the tabernacle was God’s testimony, the law. If we say that the testimony in 16:34 refers to the ark, then the golden pot with the hidden manna must have been outside the ark, for this verse tells us that the pot was placed before the testimony. But by reading the Scriptures carefully, we shall see that the golden pot was within the ark along with “Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant” (Heb. 9:4). The golden pot must have been placed directly in front of the two tablets within the ark.
This picture of the golden pot before the tables of the testimony indicates that the manna concealed in the pot corresponds to the Ten Commandments. This means that manna corresponds to God’s law. The manna contained in God’s nature corresponds to God’s testimony, which describes the nature of God and testifies concerning it. The law is a testimony of what God is. As we have pointed out a number of times, the law testifies that God is holy and righteous, and that He is light and love. These four attributes are the main aspects of the description of God’s nature afforded by the law. God’s nature is holy and righteous, and God Himself is light and love. The Ten Commandments describe these attributes and testify of them. The fact that the manna hidden in the golden pot was placed before the testimony indicates that manna corresponds to God’s testimony and meets its requirements.
We need to apply this to our Christian experience. The revelation in the Bible indicates that as regenerated ones we have God’s testimony within us. We have the law of life (Rom. 8:2), and we have a conscience. In our experience we have learned that our efforts in the natural life to fulfill God’s requirements always end in failure. There is nothing in the natural life which corresponds to God’s testimony. However, when we partake of manna as our life supply, the manna we eat becomes the hidden manna. This hidden manna, preserved in the divine nature within us, corresponds to the law of life and meets its requirements. In the words of Romans 8:4, the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in those who walk according to spirit.
The tables of the covenant in the ark indicate that God’s testimony is in Christ. This testimony makes demands upon us and requires certain things of us. In ourselves we cannot fulfill these demands and requirements, for we have nothing in us which corresponds to God’s testimony. But when we take Christ into us as our food and as our life supply, the hidden Christ, Christ as the hidden manna, brings us into line with God’s testimony. In other words, the Christ preserved within us causes us to correspond to God’s testimony.
We have seen that according to 16:34 the pot with the manna was “laid up before the Testimony.” Many versions capitalize the word testimony. If the testimony denotes the ark, then the golden pot with the hidden manna was outside the ark. But Hebrews 9:4 says plainly that the golden pot with the manna was in the ark. Therefore, the testimony in 16:34 must not refer to the ark, but to the tablets of the law which were in the ark. How significant this is when viewed in the light of our experience! The Christ we enjoy today is not outside of us, corresponding to God’s law. On the contrary, the Christ we enjoy is within us. Furthermore, this inward Christ corresponds to the law, which is also within us. We praise the Lord for the law of life within us. This law makes demands. But we have Christ as the inward, hidden manna to correspond to God’s testimony and to fulfill its demands. The Christ we eat and assimilate causes us to agree with the inner law of life. Therefore, we have three crucial items: the food, the testimony, and the correspondence of the food to the testimony. Hallelujah for the manna hidden in the divine nature, corresponding to the demands of the inner law of life! Because of this marvelous correspondence, we can be free from all struggle, strife, and fighting within. We can be at peace. On the one hand, we have the law with its demands; on the other hand, we have Christ as our life supply which corresponds to the law. As a result, we can be at peace.
At this point we need to be reminded that this experience is related to the church and takes place in the church. We have seen that the church is today’s tabernacle. Within the church as God’s tabernacle, God’s dwelling place, we have three inward matters: the hidden manna, the testimony, and the corresponding peace. As we experience these things in the tabernacle, we serve God, and God accepts our service. Furthermore, this is the place of God’s speaking, the place of His oracle.
The various aspects of the experience of the hidden manna are beyond human utterance. It is better that we do not say too much concerning them. It is sufficient simply to have a map to guide us in our spiritual experience. As we read this map, we shall understand our experience and know where we are regarding the hidden manna.
According to Revelation 2:17, the hidden manna is for the overcomers. The open manna was for the enjoyment of the Lord’s people in a public way; the hidden manna is a special portion reserved for His overcoming seekers who overcome the degradation of the worldly church. While the church goes the way of the world, these overcomers come forward to abide in the presence of God in the Holy of Holies, where they enjoy the hidden Christ as a special portion for their daily supply.
Every proper priest is an overcomer. Do not think that it is impossible for you to be an overcomer. You can become an overcomer by enjoying Christ as manna. Eat the open manna, and Christ will become the hidden manna. This hidden manna will constitute you into an overcomer. It will also fulfill the requirements of the inner law of life and bring you into peace. As a result, you will be an overcomer according to Revelation 2:17.
According to the Old Testament, the children of Israel ate manna in the wilderness for a period of forty years. But sixteen hundred years later the Lord Jesus spoke to the church in Pergamos, and to all the seven churches in Asia, concerning the hidden manna. After all these centuries, the Lord brought His people back to manna. God’s intention is that all the churches eat the manna. However, in the churches we should not eat simply the open manna, but should also eat the hidden manna, which makes us priests and overcomers.
By eating the hidden manna we shall receive a white stone (Rev. 2:17). In the Bible a stone signifies building material. If we eat of the hidden manna, we shall become priests and overcomers. Eventually, the hidden manna will transform us into stones for the building of God’s dwelling place.
In ancient times the eating of manna was related to the building of the tabernacle as God’s dwelling place. Today the eating of Christ as the hidden manna is also related to the building of God’s dwelling place. The Bible consistently reveals that eating manna is for the building up of God’s dwelling place.
Our understanding of the hidden manna is limited by our experience. I cannot minister more regarding this than I have experienced. At least we have seen that today we are eating Christ and preserving Him. Simultaneously, He is transforming us into priests and overcomers. He is also making us white stones for the building of God’s dwelling place in spirit.
Many Christians today are seeking miracles without realizing that all these points related to manna are genuine miracles. While many seek superficial miracles, we enjoy the deeper miracles found in manna. Day by day we are eating Christ and enjoying Him. Is this not a miracle? If the eating of manna by the children of Israel was a miracle, surely our eating of Christ today is also a miracle. Regarding manna, there is miracle upon miracle.
Even the amount of our daily portion of manna is miraculous. No matter how diligent, or even greedy, we may be in gathering manna, we eventually end up with just one omer. Realizing this will cause us to be at peace and to live one day at a time. Do not try to save up manna for tomorrow. Instead, live by the Lord’s miraculous provision today. What you enjoy of Christ will be what is preserved with Christ in the divine nature. This takes place altogether in our spirit and is related to the church. The Christ we enjoy in the church is hidden in God and preserved in the nature of God. The measure of Christ we preserve in the golden pot is in the ark and corresponds to God’s law. All this is in the Holy of Holies, which is in the tabernacle.
Those who are greedy may try to store up manna for tomorrow. But the manna you save in this way will not feed you the next day. Instead, it will breed worms. It is strange, however, that the omer of manna preserved in the golden pot does not spoil or become rotten. It remains forever.
In 16:21 we are also told that when the sun became hot, the manna melted. On the one hand, manna could be ground, beaten, and boiled. On the other hand, it melted when left out in the hot sun. However, the omer of manna preserved in the golden pot did not melt. This is a further indication of the miraculous nature of the provision of manna.
God’s intention is to give each of us an omer of manna, whether we collect more or less. The amount of manna we receive depends on God, not on us. The measure is in His hand. Furthermore, in the eating of manna, we eventually are able to eat just one omer. This indicates that the amount of manna we eat is not according to our appetite, but according to the Lord’s arrangement.
When some hear that the gathering and eating of manna are according to God, not according to us, they may say, “There is no reason for us to go out to gather manna. Whether we gather it or not, the Lord will have mercy on us.” However, if this is our attitude, the Lord will not have mercy on us. We must do our part to gather manna. All the rest is up to Him. No matter how much we collect, we shall receive one omer. Likewise, no matter how much we can eat, we shall eventually take in just one omer. Do not think that by eating greedily you can partake of more manna.
All the different aspects of manna are miraculous. The whole story of God’s sending the manna is a miracle that cannot be explained by our natural understanding. On the sixth day the children of Israel collected a double portion in order to have a supply for the Sabbath day. In this case the extra portion did not breed worms. Surely this is according to God. Furthermore, we have seen that the manna in the golden pot did not spoil or melt. This reveals that the experience of manna is not according to man’s regulation. God is the One who determines how manna should be gathered, eaten, and preserved. If we try to store up manna, it will breed worms. But if God tells us to collect a portion for two days, the manna will remain fresh. Then if God requires us to preserve an omer in a golden pot, that portion of manna will remain forever.
Concerning manna, the regulations are not according to our natural concept. This indicates that the enjoyment of Christ is not according to man’s way or estimation. Our enjoyment of Christ must be according to God. The way to enjoy Christ wholly depends on God’s regulations. Although we cannot fully express this in words, we can appreciate it according to our experience.
We may be greedy even in our seeking after the Lord. This is especially true of young people, who do not like to be limited. Nevertheless, the greedy ones need to be scaled down by God. We may collect a great deal of manna, but God will regulate us and reduce us to the proper measure. This does not imply, however, that we should be lazy. Furthermore, we should not try to balance ourselves or measure ourselves. We should simply allow the heavenly measure to balance us. No matter how greedy we may be in gathering manna, eventually we shall be the same as others, and we shall not receive more than they receive. It does not work to try to adjust ourselves. The greedy ones will never be lazy, and the lazy ones will never be greedy. To try to change ourselves is just religious endeavor. We should simply seek the Lord. What we receive of Him will be a miracle according to His mercy. No matter how much manna we may collect, after the manna has been measured out, we each shall have one omer.
When they hear that whether we gather more or less we shall each receive an omer of manna, some may say, “Then we should not try to do anything.” If it is possible for you to cease all that you are doing, I encourage you to stop your activity. Actually, however, everything depends on the Lord.
The point regarding the fact that God balances us may not be clear to all the saints. Manna itself is a miracle, and the dealing with manna is also a miracle. Everything related to manna is miraculous. The way it was sent was miraculous, and the way of balancing according to the heavenly measure is also miraculous. It is difficult for us to understand why after collecting so much manna we still receive just one omer. In the same principle, it is also difficult to understand why those who collect less than an omer also receive one omer. All this is miraculous.
The Bible does not tell us that manna melted after the children of Israel brought it back to their tents. However, if it was left in the open air, it melted when the sun became hot. Perhaps the temperature in the tents was higher than the temperature outside. Nevertheless, the manna melted when left in the open air, but it did not melt in the tents of the Israelites. This shows that the whole experience of manna is not according to the natural or scientific concept. Furthermore, it is not according to man’s arrangement. The children of Israel had to collect, enjoy, and keep manna according to God and according to His regulations. The same is true of us with respect to the experience of Christ as our life supply.
We have seen that the manna preserved in the golden pot remained for generations without spoiling or melting. The principle here, as with everything else related to manna, is that manna was a miraculous provision from the Lord. This miracle, moreover, was not short-lived. The sending of manna was a long-term miracle which continued for about forty years. Morning after morning, the manna came in a miraculous way. No matter where the children of Israel were in their travels, manna came each morning. The sending of manna was not confined to a certain place. Although the manna in the wilderness was a long-lasting miracle, it was not as lasting as Christ is to us. As our food, Christ will last for eternity. Partaking of Christ is a miracle. It is not according to the natural concept, and it cannot be understood by scientific investigation.
If you do not believe that partaking of Christ is a miracle, I would ask you why among the vast number of today’s Christians you hunger after Christ and so many others do not. Is this not a miracle? Why do you partake of Christ when others have no appetite for Him? Among children in the same family, some have a heart for Christ and others are indifferent. A group of Christians may hear the same messages and receive the same spiritual truth, but some seek the Lord and others do not. This is a further indication that our partaking of Christ is miraculous.
The tabernacle in the Old Testament portrays spiritual experience. In the tabernacle there was the Holy of Holies. Within the Holy of Holies was the ark, and in the ark was a golden pot containing manna. All this is a picture of our experience. In the Holy of Holies, our spirit, we have Christ, the ark of God. Within Christ there is the golden pot, the divine nature, preserving the Christ we have enjoyed. This picture reveals that the hidden manna is preserved in the depths of our being, in the Christ hidden and held in the divine nature. This hidden and preserved Christ will be a memorial for eternity.
If we are asked where the hidden manna is today, we should not simply say that it is in our spirit. We must go on to say that the hidden manna is in the golden pot, that the golden pot is in the ark, and that the ark is in the Holy of Holies. This is a picture of our enjoyment of Christ.
The Bible is a wonderful book. After the children of Israel had begun to eat manna, God commanded them to preserve an omer of manna in a golden pot and to place this pot in the ark of testimony. God’s intention here is to portray our experience of Christ. Certain Christian teachers do not interpret the picture this way because their view of things is objective. According to their interpretation, the Holy of Holies refers to heaven. If their interpretation is accurate, then the golden pot containing the hidden manna is far away from us. This interpretation covers only the heavenly aspect, not the aspect of spiritual experience. To care for the aspect of experience, we need to interpret the picture in a subjective way. According to this point of view, the Holy of Holies refers to our spirit. Where is the hidden manna today? It is in the divine nature within our spirit. If we have the genuine experience of Christ, we shall appreciate Christ and enjoy Him in the divine nature within our spirit.
We today are God’s tabernacle. As the tabernacle, we have the ark, Christ, in our spirit. We have pointed out again and again that the golden pot is in the ark and that the manna is in the golden pot. In our experience we enjoy three precious things: the ark, the golden pot, and the manna. How subjective is Christ as the hidden manna! He is the manna we have taken in and enjoyed. This manna will be preserved as a memorial for eternity. What you enjoy of Christ will be preserved in the divine nature for eternity. I believe that when we enter into eternity we shall become more clear concerning this.
The picture of the preserving of the manna in the golden pot is related to our experience of Christ. Because many Christians do not grasp the significance of this picture, they only realize that manna is good for food. They have no idea that the manna we enjoy is to be preserved as a memorial in the divine nature within us. We thank the Lord for the picture at the end of Exodus 16. This picture portrays the experience of Christ as manna. If we eat Christ as manna, the manna we eat will be preserved in the divine nature within us. This hidden manna is a memorial of Christ as the supply to God’s people for the building of God’s dwelling place. Such a memorial will be a remembrance for eternity. Everything else may change, but our experience of Christ will remain for eternity. What we enjoy of Christ today will become a memorial in the future. Whatever we eat of Him will be preserved in the divine nature as an eternal memorial. This is the significance of the picture at the end of chapter sixteen.
We should not follow those Bible teachers who interpret this picture only in an objective way. We need to understand this picture in a subjective way according to our experience. If we view the portrait of the preserving of manna in this way, we shall see that we are the tabernacle and that the contents of the tabernacle are within us. The ark and the testimony, the law of life, are within us. Furthermore the golden pot with the manna is in us as a memorial for eternity.
