Raining Bread from Heaven

There is a strong link between manna and the law of Moses. Anciently, the children of Israel believed manna to be a representation of God's law, particularly the law of Moses. Jesus expounds on this idea in His Bread of Life sermon.

Let's look at some scriptures linking manna with the law of Moses. When manna was introduced to the Israelites, the Lord said the following:

"Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no" (Exodus 16:4). Obedience to God's law is equated with manna, symbolically raining down from heaven.

Also, in another reference, the Lord says,

"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live" (Deuteronomy 8:3).

The rain itself also represents revelation coming down from heaven. The Lord said, "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass" (Deuteronomy 32:2). Doctrinal truth descends upon us, "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (2 Nephi 28:30).

 

This is particularly relevant with revelation received through the Holy Ghost. As dew descends from above, it cannot be seen until it rests upon the grass. Likewise, spiritual truths are not seen with natural eyes, but can be felt and discerned through the Spirit. The Spirit is a source of nourishment for each of us.

In another Old Testament passage, Israel is likened to the lilies of the field. The Lord promises, "I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily" (Hosea 14:5).

The same holds true in modern times, as the Lord speaks of virtue by saying, "The doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven" (D&C 121:45).

Jesus Is the Bread of Life

We know we are not saved by the law of Moses. The Book of Mormon teaches, "Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given" (2 Nephi 25:27).

Jesus emphasized the same principle by comparing manna to the "deadness of the law." In the Bread of Life sermon He said, 

"Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead."

"I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35,49).

The Joseph Smith Translation of John, chapter 1 gives an important insight:

"For the law was after a carnal commandment, to the administration of death; but the gospel was after the power of an endless life, through Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father" (JST, John 1:18).

I am grateful for the greatest of all gifts--the gift of eternal life, which comes only in and through Jesus Christ.