After the glory of the Lord appeared to the people, He sent them the meat they wanted. He sent quails (16:13; Num. 11:31) to satisfy their lust in eating (16:12; Num. 11:18, 32), to show them His sufficiency and to discipline them with His anger (Num. 11:19-20, 33-34).
In Exodus 16 the Lord did not deal with the people in a harsh way. But when they murmured and complained again in Numbers 11, the Lord said through Moses, “Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; but even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised Jehovah which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?” (vv. 19-20, Heb.). According to verse 33, “Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague.” He then called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah, which means the graves of lust (v. 34).
Many Christians have experienced such a thing in a spiritual way. The Lord satisfied their lusts by giving them what they desired. Then, spiritually speaking, He came in to smite them, and they suffered spiritual death. The more these ones enjoy the “quails,” the more they are smitten. For a long period of time, perhaps for years, they remain deadened in the spirit.
Only after so many things had happened to the children of Israel did the Lord send manna to them. This indicates that manna is not given in a simple way. Many Christians, however, hold the mistaken concept that manna comes easily. Actually, we can enjoy manna only when certain conditions are met. This is the reason that, although one verse is devoted to the experience at Elim, two chapters cover the experience of the manna.
The experience of Christ as the heavenly manna is not as simple as many Christians may suppose. The children of Israel did not enjoy manna as soon as they crossed the Red Sea. Rather, they had to have the experiences at Marah and Elim. Then when their flesh had been exposed and they were disciplined by the Lord, the manna came. It is the same with us in our experience with the Lord. Christ as the heavenly manna comes to us in this way.
Many saints have the practice of spending time with the Lord early in the morning. However, sometimes no manna is gathered during these early morning times. The reason for the shortage of manna is that the conditions for the giving of manna are not fulfilled. Exodus 16 and Numbers 11 reveal that manna is given only when a number of conditions have been met. This shows that in our Christian walk we need to reach a certain point before manna can be sent to us. This is a basic principle. Manna is given only after our flesh has been exposed due to the shortage of the inner life supply. It is given when we recognize our need for something more than the twelve springs at Elim. We need manna; we need Christ as our heavenly life supply.
When the children of Israel murmured at Marah and the Lord showed Moses the healing tree, the Lord did not deal with the people. On the contrary, the tree was cast into the water, and the bitter waters became sweet. But in Exodus 16 the Lord told Moses to say to the people that He had heard their murmurings and that He would appear to them in His glory. The Lord was somewhat displeased with them, and He disciplined them. After this discipline had been carried out, the manna was sent.
Let us consider briefly the way manna is sent (16:13-14; Num. 11:9). Manna is always sent in the morning. It is significant, however, that the quails which satisfied the lust of the people came in the evening. Manna comes to refresh us at the beginning of the day. Because it is sent in the morning, it causes us to have a new beginning.
Secondly, manna comes with the dew. Numbers 11:9 says, “And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.” In Exodus 15 and 16 we see three types of water: the waters at Marah, the twelve springs at Elim, and the dew in the wilderness. We need to experience all three kinds of water. We need the water that has been changed from bitter to sweet, we need the water flowing from the twelve springs, and we need the water that comes as dew. Actually, I treasure the dew much more than the water that flows from the springs.
When some hear this, they may remind me that there will be no dew in the New Jerusalem, only the flowing of the river of water of life (Rev. 22:1). The reason there will be no dew in the New Jerusalem is that dew comes during the cool of the night, and there will be no night in the New Jerusalem. As we have pointed out, in our experience with the Lord we presently have both day and night. After the night has passed, we need the dew, which is the Lord Himself, to water us softly and gently. Because we still must pass through many nights, many situations filled with darkness, we need the refreshing dew to water us. Morning by morning, the Lord’s grace descends upon us as the fresh dew.
If we would enjoy manna during our time with the Lord in the morning, we must experience Him as the dew. Manna does not come alone; it always comes with the dew. In fact, the dew comes first and serves as the base for the sending of the manna. Manna does not come with the water that has been changed from bitter to sweet, nor with the water flowing from the twelve springs. It comes with the dew. Whenever we have the dew, we have manna also. This means that when we experience the Lord’s refreshing and watering grace, we also receive Him as our heavenly life supply.
Do not take this word about the dew as a doctrine, but receive it as a word that corresponds to your experience. Even the younger ones among us can testify that such a word matches their experience. At Elim we experience the water flowing from the twelve springs, but we do not have the dew. As soon as we move on from Elim, we sense a dryness within. This indicates that we need to experience the morning dew, the dew that is the foundation for the giving of the manna.
Numbers 11:9 also indicates that the manna comes around the camp. The camp refers to the arrangement of God’s people into an army. This indicates that the nourishment of manna is also for God’s people, as an army, to fight the battle for God’s interests on earth.
In forthcoming messages we shall have much more to say about manna. The main point of this message is that after we have a wonderful and exciting experience at Elim, we discover that the flesh is still with us. The exposure of the flesh is the result of being undernourished. This indicates our need to have our hunger satisfied by being filled with Christ day by day. Whenever we are not filled with Him, our flesh with its lust will appear again.