The Bread of Angels

Sometimes ‘mid scenes of deepest gloom,

Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,^{^[1]}

1. The Food and the Fall

The fact that food played a major part in the fall is seldom looked at. We only see that Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and overlook how they were tempted by their basic appetites. These appetites, coupled with deception, led to their fall. Food was an important factor utilized in the fall. The evil serpent who chose not to feed on God’s goodness now wanted the same for humanity.

[Gen 3:6 ^[2]] When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

It was their appetites that were manipulated and tempted. It is these same appetites that keep us from experiencing the real fullness of God. The flesh cannot satisfy the spirit or please God. [Rom 8:8] Even amongst Christians, the spiritual life is seldom demonstrated in word and deed. Only the Lord Jesus did so perfectly when he was on earth. Only he truly did God’s will.

[Jhn 4:34] “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Oh, manna waffles, Manna burgers, Manna bagels,

Fillet of manna, Manna patty, BaManna bread! ^{^[3]}

2. Feeding the Israelites

When they were in the wilderness, the Israelites were fed directly by God. They ate manna[4] for forty years. Being human, it was not always palatable to them. The late Keith Green once sang, “And in the morning it’s manna hotcakes, we snack on manna all day, and we sure had a winner last night for dinner, flaming manna soufflé.”^[5] They had free food forty years, and their clothes did not wear out.

photo credit: https://flic.kr/p/Vj1cSA

[Psa 78: 25] Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.
[Jhn 6:31] Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’
[Deu 8:4] Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.

…“I will rain down bread from heaven for you. [Exo 16:4] “Bread from heaven” not “bread from outer space” nor “bread on asteroids”; rather it fits Biblical three-tier cosmology. So where is Heaven then? Bible says it’s above us. [Exo 20:4; Deu 4:39; Deu 5:8; Jos 2:11; 1Ki 8:23]

The Israelites were in the school of God, even if they did not like it. God humbled them to teach them to depend on him alone and not grumble, as some did. “Well we once complained for something new to munch, the ground opened up and had some of us for lunch.” ^[6] [Num 16:32]

[Num 11:6] But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

The care and nurturing of Israel was God’s priority for forty years because he loved them.

[Neh 9:20] You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.
[Isa 63:9b] In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

It was kept in the Ark of the Covenant as a testimony to God’s faithfulness.

[Heb 9:4] …This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

The Lord wanted full dependence on him for their own good, and obtaining this was a process- it did not happen overnight. We live in a presumptuous age of instant and pseudo-spirituality, of only being right with God, having all the answers, which equals doctrinal arrogance. We need to learn that we have not arrived and that we are in the process.

[Deu 8:3,] He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

“O, welcome, all ye noble saints of old, As now before your very eyes unfold

The wonders all so long ago foretold. God and man at table are sat down.”^{^[7]}

3. Heavenly to Earthly Bread

There is a paradoxical element of the manna. While it is heavenly, it is not. Coming from heaven to earth, it translates. That which is of heaven is not of earth, and that which is of the earth is not heavenly. It does not stay in the same heavenly state, yet it is. “Moreover, the paradisal dew motif is noteworthy since it is present in another pseudepigraphal account of celestial nourishment attested in Joseph and Aseneth

16:14, in which the angels’ food is said to be made from the dew from the paradise of God: ‘For this comb is (full of the) spirit of life. And the bees of the paradise of delight have made this from the dew of the roses of life that are in the paradise of God. And all the angels of God eat of it and all the chosen of God and all the sons of the Most High, because this is a comb of life, and everyone who eats of it will not die for ever (and) ever’.” ^[8]

[Psa 78:24] he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.
[Exo 16:31] The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

The bread of angels became the bread of the Israelites. They had to feed on it continually. Just enough was given daily, not less, not more, and no one lacked! Is it not like that with us that the Lord gives us just enough?

photo credit: https://flic.kr/p/Vj1cSA

[Exo 16:18b] Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

This trust had to be built up, it was a process. The needs of the Israelites varied according to family size, etc. Today also we depend on the Lord to supply our needs according to our varying situations. It is not “cookie cutter Christianity.” The Lord graciously always gives just enough. “Give us today our daily bread.^[9] Not weekly, not monthly, but do we look for it daily? Unlike us, there is no favoritism with God. “Thank God, He doesn’t measure out grace in teaspoons.”[10] However, there were limitations to the bread of angels. It only lasted a day or two. It did not give eternal life. It was still heavenly bread, but not as it was when it left heaven. The earthly realm brings decay. Blessings are specific in purpose, take them when they come. Or are we not satisfied but complain about what he gives us?

[Ex 16:20] However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
[Phl 4:12b] I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

“you would be fed with the finest of wheat;

with honey from the rock, I would satisfy you.” [Psa 81:16]

4. Wisdom of Solomon^[11]

Here another facet is given. Did the manna still maintain some dynamic element? “The writer of the book of Wisdom clearly respects the Hebrew biblical tradition. However, he moves forward and from the idea of manna as the bread from heaven and nourishment of the angels he introduces some new ideas into the biblical tradition, for instance, that manna is the food of immortality… [ambrosia ]. This concept is new for the Hebrew Bible but is not new for other Jewish and Christian sources. The other new idea introduced in the book of Wisdom is the miracle of taste. It consists of the flexibility and mutability of the taste of manna, which, actually, can adapt itself to every taste. Until then, manna was understood as food given to satisfy people. Only in the Book of Wisdom, however, the manna is described as a dynamic element capable of modifying itself, and it is stated that the miracle of the taste does not come from the subjective sensation of the receiver, yet the objective quality of the gift, which underlines the sweetness, tenderness of the giver – God.”^[12]

Wisdom of Solomon 16:20 “Instead of these things, you gave your people angels’ food to eat, and you provided ready-to-eat bread for them from heaven without toil, having the virtue of every pleasant flavor, and agreeable to every taste. 17:25 Therefore at that time also, converting itself into all forms, it ministered to your all-nourishing bounty, according to the desire of those who had need, 26 that your children, whom you loved, O Lord, might learn that it is not the growth of crops that nourishes a man, but that your word preserves those who trust you. 19:21 On the contrary, flames didn’t consume flesh of perishable creatures that walked among them, neither did they melt the crystalline grains of ambrosial food that were melted easily.” It makes sense that for the Israelites to eat the same food for forty years it would have some versatility to it. Taste buds varied, even as do ours. It was a massive undertaking, yet the Lord took care of them even at an individual level.

[Deu 32:9, 13] For the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. …. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, 13 He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag,

“I know a man in Christ who….was caught up to the third heaven.”^{^[13]}

5. Enoch Raptured

We know Enoch to have walked with God, who took him. Is it not to walk with God also to sit and dine with him? Sure, Enoch did that too and more. We are naïve to imagine that God took him just to play the harp. He was the first to ascend to heaven and the book of 1 Enoch reveals why he was taken and his assignment from God.

[Gen 5:24] Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. …..1 Enoch 12:1 Before these things, Enoch was taken;
[Heb 11:5] By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

He was no more, on earth that is, but he still existed. To be “like the angels” [Mat 22:30] as Christ said takes transformation. “From 2 Enoch, one learns that the light proceeding from the divine Face causes dramatic changes in Enoch’s appearance. His body endures irreversible transformations as it becomes covered with the divine light. In this account, the luminous body of a newly born celestial citizen is literally “nourished” by the luminosity of the divine form.”^[14] This is the transforming power of the presence of God, the bread of angels in its purest sense. Enoch’s calling was very special, again “he did not experience death.”

2 Enoch 22 “…And the LORD said to Michael, “Go, and extract Enoch from |his| earthly clothing. And anoint him with my delightful oil, and put him into the clothes of my glory.” •And so Michael did, just as the LORD had said to him. He anointed me and clothed me. And the appearance of that oil is greater than the greatest light, and its ointment is like sweet dew, and its fragrance myrrh; and it is like the rays of the glittering sun. •And I looked at myself, and I had become like one of his glorious ones, and there was no observable difference.”

[photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/9304183235]

Upon a secret journey, I met a holy man^{^[15]}

6, A Taste of Heaven

In contrast to the Israelites, we find that when Moses (with Joshua Exo 24:13) went up to the holy mountain (Horeb aka Sinai) he didn’t eat. Why? Because he didn’t need to as he was sustained by the very presence of God and his glory. The hidden manna of heaven. He was so sustained that he did not eat or drink earthly food, which is humanly impossible.

[Deu 9:9] When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water.

Notice there’s no mention that he was hungry or weak when he came down with the tablets. I mean how heavy were they?

[Deu 10:5a] Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made…

The divine sustenance of the presence and glory of God is the bread of angels. The leaders, like Moses, were nourished by this. They did not need to eat food or drink water because they were nourished by God’s presence. They “ate and drank” of God.

[Exo 24:9-11] Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.

They were sustained for the duration of time they were allowed in God’s presence, with Moses who was with God on the mountain forty days and forty nights, and this “mountain top experience” stayed with him even after he came back down.

Exodus Rabbah 3:1 attests “Thou wilt not eat nor drink, but wilt feast on the splendor of the Shekinah, as it is said: and Moses knew not that the skin of his face sent forth beams (Ex. XXXIV, 29). But Nadab and Abihu uncovered their heads and fed their eyes on the lustre of the Shechinah, as it is said: And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand; and they beheld God, and did eat and drink (ib. XXIV, 11).”^[16]

[Exo 34:35a] they saw that his face was radiant.

“And when you’ve made your secret journey, you will be a holy man”^{^[17]}

7. Elijah’s Journey

I have been fortunate to be able to do some great hikes in my life, from some trekking in the “hills” of Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh in India, to my backyard favorite, Yosemite. I have hiked up to Half Dome multiple times (4000-foot incline, 16 miles in about 11 hours). I would pack some nuts, health bars, and maybe a sandwich. Then I would take a few Gatorades. On my way up I would hide one or two of the drinks so I did not have extra weight going up, and I would have them when I needed them coming down. All this fuss for a one-day hike. In 1 Kings Elijah takes a forty-day hike! How much food and water did he carry? None!

[1Ki 19:5-9] Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

The heavenly manna was given to Elijah by the angel, who brought some for this special occasion. (Do angels always have it?) It says he traveled forty days and nights to Mount Horeb, about 6,500ft per Christian tradition (the same mountain Moses went up to). Surely the Shekinah was sustaining him on such a long journey. Humanly it would not be possible to do this otherwise without food and water. What a journey that must have been, yes much more than a hike.

How can this be you ask? Do we dismiss real spiritual elements in our “theology”? Especially the angelic realm and ministry gets overlooked at times. That many a man of God came into close contact with angels and even fellowshipped with them is overlooked. There are plenty of verses referring us to such but we take little interest or ignore the subject for the most part. It is fascinating, and much is to be learned there.

[Heb 13:2] Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Now let’s look at one of the greatest to host angels, even our father in faith.

“And on the days that followed, I listened to his words

I strained to understand him, I chased his thoughts like birds” ^{^[18]}

8. Abraham Friend of Angels

Abraham hosted angels and knew their fellowship [Gen 18:1-5] Was he returning a previous favor near the great trees of Mamre?! The Apocalypse of Abraham ^[19] includes a synoptic version of the story of Gen 15:10-18that goes into great detail. One interesting similarity here to the story of Moses and Elijah is the traveling to Mount Horeb, and fasting forty days and nights with divine sustenance. In the following passage, Abraham is nurtured by the angel.

Apocalypse of Abraham 12:1 And we went, the two of us alone together, forty days and nights. 12:2 And I ate no bread and drank no water because [my] food was to see the angel who was with me, and his speech with me was my drink. 12:3 And we came to the glorious God’s mountains—Horeb. 12:4 And I said to the angel, “Singer of the Eternal One, behold, I have no sacrifice with me, nor do I know a place for an altar on the mountain, so how shall I make the sacrifice?” 12:5 And he said, “Look behind you.” 12:6 And I looked behind me. And behold, all the prescribed sacrifices were following us: the calf, the she-goat, the ram, the turtledove, and the pigeon. 12:7 And the angel said to me, “Abraham!” And I said, “Here am I!” 12:8 And he said to me, “Slaughter and cut all this, putting together the two halves, one against the other. But do not cut the birds. 12:9 And give them [halves] to the two men whom I shall show you standing beside you, since they are the altar on the mountain, to offer sacrifice to the Eternal One. 12:10 The turtledove and the pigeon you will give me, and I shall ascend in order to show to you [the inhabited world] on the wings of two birds, in heaven and on the earth: the sea, and the abysses, and the depths, and the garden of Eden, and its rivers and the fullness of the inhabited world and round about it you will see everything.”13:1 And I did everything according to the angel’s command. And I gave to the angels who had come to us the divided parts of the animals. And the angel took the two birds. 13:2 And I waited for [the time of] the evening offering. 13:3 And an impure bird flew down on the carcasses, and I drove it away.

There are many spiritual dimensions to this. Abraham is fed and carried along by the angel yet he also enters into spiritual warfare but stood fast and the covenant was made of which we are all beneficiaries. The Apocalypse further elaborates on this spiritual battle. Was this the darkness that came over him?

[Gen 15:12] As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. [Mat 19:30]

9. Scapegoat Reversal

13:4 And the impure bird spoke to me and said, “What are you doing, Abraham, on the holy heights, where no one eats or drinks, nor is there upon them food of men. But these will all be consumed by fire and they will burn you up. 13:5 Leave the man who is with you and flee! Since if you ascend to the height, they will destroy you.” 13:6 And it came to pass when I saw the bird speaking I said to the angel, “What is this, my lord?” And he said, “This is iniquity, this is Azazel!” 13:7 And he said to him, “Reproach is on you, Azazel! Since Abraham’s portion is in heaven, and yours is on earth, 13:8 Since you have chosen it and desired it to be the dwelling place of your impurity. Therefore the Eternal Lord, the Mighty One, has made you a dweller on earth. 13:9 And because of you [there is] the wholly-evil spirit of the lie, and because of you [there are] wrath and trials on the generations of impious men. 13:10 Since the Eternal Mighty God did not send the righteous, in their bodies, to be in your hand, in order to affirm through them the righteous life and the destruction of impiety. 13:11 Hear, adviser! Be shamed by me, since you have been appointed to tempt not to all the righteous! 13:12 Depart from this man! 13:13 You cannot deceive him, because he is the enemy of you and of those who follow you and who love what you desire. 13:14 For behold, the garment which in heaven was formerly yours has been set aside for him, and the corruption which was on him has gone over to you.”

The principle of the Kingdom of Christ is being applied here is the great reversal; that the exalted will be humbled, the first will be last, the least will be the greatest, the humble exalted, the proud humbled; Luke 18:14; Mat 19:30; Luke 22:26. Note: the biblical connection to Azazel is found in Leviticus 16:8, 10, 26. The Hebrew word is 5799 [e] la·‘ă·zā·zêl. (Translated: the scapegoat). Do you see the “Bible canon” or “rule” pointed? He is also one of the chiefs of the fallen Angels in 1 Enoch 1–36, also called The Book of the Watchers. In fact, he may be the main protagonist of the fall of the angels and the fall of man. The malnourishment of these gods is the nourishment of the saints. Azazel was too “a wicked and lazy servant….

[Mat 25:28, 30 NASB] ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ … 30 “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth…

Outer darkness is also referred to in 1 Enoch 10:4 To Raphael he said, “Go, Raphael, and bind Azazel) hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness; And make an opening in the wilderness that is in Doudael. 5 Throw him there, and lay beneath him sharp and jagged stones. And cover him with darkness, and let him dwell there for an exceedingly long time. Cover up his face, and let him not see the light. ^[20] This is the place of Azazel and all the gods who followed him. In the end, they lose. They will starve.

[Zep 2:11 NASB] The LORD will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his [own] place.
[Eze 28:18-19] By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. 19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’ “
[Pro 10:3] The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

The “angels who sinned”^[21] of 2 Pet 2:4 will be judged. They gave up heaven to displace God, but it all backfired on them. “After God cast Uzza and Azazel down from their holy place, they went astray after the womenfolk and seduced the world also. It may seem strange that being angels they were able to abide upon the earth. The truth is, however, that when they were cast down the celestial light which used to sustain them left them and they were changed to another grade through the influence of the air of this world. Similarly, the manna which came down for the Israelites in the wilderness originated in the celestial dew from the most recondite spot, and at first, its light would radiate to all worlds and the “field of apples,” and the heavenly angels drew sustenance from it, but when it approached the earth it became materialized through the influence of the air of this world and lost its brightness, becoming only like “coriander seed.” —Zohar III.208a

[Num 11:7] The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin.

In chapters, 15-18 Abraham is taken by the angels to the very throne room of God through the very sacrifice he prepared. 15:1 And it came to pass that when the sun was setting, and behold, a smoke like that of a furnace, and the angels who had the divided parts of the sacrifice ascended from the top of the furnace of smoke. 15:2 And the angel took me with his right hand and set me on the right-wing of the pigeon and he himself sat on the left-wing of the turtledove since they both were neither slaughtered nor divided. 15:3 And he carried me up to the edge of the fiery flame. 15:4 And we ascended like great winds to the heaven which was fixed on the expanses….

[Gen 15:17-18a] When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants, I give this land…

For I was hungry and you (Lord) gave me something to eat,^{^[22]}

10, True Nourishment in the Lord Jesus Christ

In contrast to Abraham, Moses, and Elijah, the Lord Jesus did not go to a mountain but a desolate place, and was physically hungry (though he probably drank water) while his Spirit was nourished. Satan tested him, angels ministered to him.

[Mar 1:13] and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels nourished him spiritually.

The marvel of the humility of the Lord Jesus to go hungry, yet he feeds us. When he came it was fully realized the bread that comes down from heaven. The absolute Shekinah glory, veiled on earth. The Lord humbled himself from all self-sustaining to a simple man. He brought us the fullness of heavenly bread to earth. “The manna was given to the Israelites, when they were least concerned about the blessings of God, and put a greater value on the good things of Egypt, and had again tempted God. Christ came into the world when it was most corrupted, and offered his spiritual blessings, at a time when the very best could scarce ascend above earthly and carnal things.—Israel did not know the manna when it was first given, though promised by Moses. Though Christ was so often promised by Moses and all the holy prophets and described to the life, yet when he came into the world, the world knew him not, John 1:10.” ^[23]

[Jhn 6:32, 35] Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. … 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (See also 1Co 10:3-4)

The Lord sought to break bread with his disciples one last time and waits when he can do so again in his kingdom.

[Luk 22:15-16] And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 … I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

Do we long to sit with him? The bread of life and the spring of water welling up to eternal life [John 4]. We must revive that desire. He only can fill our spiritual hunger and thirst. This is available to us all at this present time. Those of us who have partaken of Christ sometimes still hunger and thirst, and our sin nature tries to fulfill but fails miserably. Only Christ can do that and will do so in all his fullness one day. The hidden manna is now available for all.

[Isa 55:1-2] “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [Mat 9:36]

Christ for the world we sing; the world to Christ we bring

with loving zeal: the poor and them that mourn, the faint and overborne,

sin-sick and sorrow worn, whom Christ doth heal. ^{^[24]}

11, Feed My Sheep (Mat 15:21-23; 25-28 Mar 7:24-30)

[picture credit: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/unswb8f2 T he Canaanite (or Syrophoenician) woman asks Christ to cure her possessed daughter; she points to a dog, to which she compares herself. Etching by P. del Po after Annibale Carracci. 1560-1609 ]

The Gentile woman came to be “fed” by Christ the bread of life. She had a huge burden of a demon-possessed daughter; we can only imagine how bad that was. Maybe she heard of the Jewish Christ feeding the multitudes and the healing of the demoniac. “If only I can get to him, surely he will ‘feed’ me too and heal my daughter.” Her grit and determination to reach the only one who could help her were not to be stopped. She had sought cures from others to no avail, even other gods and they had all failed her miserably. Yet now she’s met with unfriendly disciples, and the Lord appears reluctant, but is he? He had spoken to the Samaritan woman at the well and the whole city believed on him, John 4. “(He) has already delivered, in Mark 5:1-20, the Gerasene demoniac in the Gentile region of the Decapolis. In Mark 7:15-19, Jesus declared all foods clean. Which has massive ramifications about the ceremonial law and the distinction between Jews and Gentiles… If you look back in Mark 6, you have the feeding of the 5,000. And if you look ahead in Mark 8, you have the feeding of the 4,000. And Mark 6:51-53 is hugely important… The same thing will happen again in Mark 8:14-21. They had forgotten to take bread. They did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. He was giving orders to them saying, “Watch out, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus said, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not understand? Do you have a hardened heart?” So the story is in between two feedings of thousands, with bread, that the disciples did not understand. ^[25]

[Mar 7:24a] Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon…

She must have heard the story of the prophet Elijah who was also fed by a poor woman with nothing to give (and he raised her son from the dead!^{^[26]} 1Ki 17:7-24 ) That woman was also a Gentile from Zarephath^[27] which is the same vicinity Jesus was in. Why was Christ there? You will notice that Elijah went to the woman and she gave out her poverty and despair, and the Lord multiplied for her, her son, and Elijah! She knew she was unworthy too, but obeyed. [1Ki 17:18]

[1Ki 17:9, 14] “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” … 14 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’ “

Now surely the Syrophoenician knew of this and came as a Gentile sinner “dog” before Christ. Yes, she was content for just crumbs from the master’s table, for she knew who she was approaching would not withhold. She said, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” [Mat 15:27] Now this despised Gentile woman, ‘disturbing’ the disciples and the Lord with her stubbornness, wholly won the heart of the Lord. Both were blessed. He purposely shunned, but now praises her. Her daughter was healed. She was fed the bread of life, not crumbs.

[Mat 15:28] Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
[Mar 7:29-30] Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

The Lord never shunned the Gentiles or lost, rather he embraced them. (He does not only feed us spiritually, but he is also there for all our needs.) It was the disciples whose hearts were hard toward the woman. Do we still care about a lost world or do we want to send them away as the disciples would her? It’s so easy to forget a hurting world around us. May we not harden our hearts towards people. Even in these uncertain times, we are responsible to the world around us before the Lord. Do we respond or do we fear the cost? While we eat at his table, let’s not forget them. Let’s give them the bread of life to eat, and not make excuses. Jesus said, “Go”! [Mt 28:19] There’s enough for everybody. Never underestimate. He supplies!

[Mar 6:37] But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

Go! Into the world and tell

All of creation he lives

He lives in the hearts of men

He said, “Go! Into the world and tell

All of creation he lives

He lives in the hearts of men

He’s the Messiah!^[28]

“To seek the sacred river Alph, To walk the caves of ice

To break my fast on honeydew, And drink the milk of Paradise”^{^[29]}

12. Hunger for God

What an amazing thought of being nourished by the divine. This is what we long for. To put aside the appetites of the flesh and desires of this world. Lord give us hunger for you. I quote from probably my all-time favorite sermon. It dates back to the ’70s. “Don’t delight in other things, Our God is a jealous God, he will not share his glory even with organizations that claim to be Spirit led, He will not share His glory with me. He will not share his glory with any preacher, with any healer, with any movement. That’s what we see in that chapter in John, when Jesus Christ said to the disciples, how can you believe? How can you believe? Which seek honor one of another and not the honor that cometh from God only? [Jhn 5:44 KJV]…In the midst of this dark world, religious confusion abounds. Religious superficiality has blinded the eyes of a multitude; a multitude of theology and theologians, and conventions and books have blinded us, have led us astray, and there’s one remnant in the midst of it all, there are a few who are hungry after God…. The real mark of a disciple, the real thing that is at the core of discipleship, the real thing that gets way beneath anything else I believe we’ve talked about up to now; the core of discipleship, the rock, the base, is hunger for God, the disciple above everything else, more than his loving because most of us as much as we want to, as much as we desire to, find ourselves so often not loving. But down beneath that is this faith factor, about a disciple that marks him as a disciple. He’s hungry for God”! ^[30]

[Mat 5:6] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

One-upmanship seems to be the mark of modern denominations. “We are more Bible based.” This theologian or that scholar has all the answers. “Only we have it right.” “Do as we do.” Such rigid thinking leads to legalism. Everybody is a know it all, nobody is a disciple who is still learning. To be Bible based is to be Christ rooted in God. To connect with him far outweighs Bible knowledge. Never try to substitute Christ, and fellowship with God. Our faith is not a competition of who knows or does more. A Bible gymnastics competition? Martha was busy while Mary sat with Christ. [Luk 10:38-42] “…only one thing is needed.”Sit at the table with the Lord and “eat and drink.” You will find nourishment at that time, anytime. Don’t let anything keep you from that. Life’s changes, missed opportunities, let downs, and setbacks. Personal sin and failure, or sin and failure of others. Life is full of ups and downs. It does not matter where you are, his table is prepared before you [Psa 23:5]. Humble yourself before him; confess, receive, and praise him.

[Jas 4:10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

[Psa 104:28] When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.

13. Hungry Birds

A couple of years ago I was doing some yard work and was going to trim back a Jasmine vine, which hung over a fence. As I started the electric trimmer, suddenly a bird dropped out to the ground and appeared to be saying something to me. I immediately stopped and realized she had a nest there. I said, “Okay, I won’t trim it.” Occasionally I would see “brown bird,” a California Towee,^[31] so I put out some bread once in a while. I had made a friend. Early last year the fence got knocked over by the wind. I don’t think they were in the same spot, but had moved their nest by then. Now when the Covid-19 lockdown started in mid-March I was home. So I rebuilt the fence and put the vine back up. Brown bird and Mr. Brown bird I would see on a daily basis. I also started going to a park up the hill a couple of miles to run. Now I’m running and walking on the trail when I see these two birds go by me looking so familiar. “Brown bird,” I called, yep it was them. Around April Brown bird’s chicks were born, and she’d regularly come by and collect some bread and take it back to the nest, I suppose. Around June the chicks finally left the nest, but could not fly. So every morning and evening I’d hear them twittering in a happy frenzy. A few weeks later they took to flight. Nowadays Brown Bird has moved on, but I see her “kids” regularly, coming by and picking at the same spots where mom taught them. Yes, I believe I have seen them at the park on occasions too. The Lord takes care of his creatures big and small, and how much more us.

[Mat 6:26- Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

I know they would’ve eaten regardless, but the most interesting thing is the bond developed by these events. In the same way, we have a bond with the Lord and follow him and look to him to feed us also. The crowds followed the Lord Jesus as he fed the multitudes on multiple occasions. They too were attached, but why? Then the Lord put his finger on it. It was only to get their fill. Is that how we treat the Lord. We “love him” because he gives us all we want? Big mistake.

[Jhn 6:26] Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

Don’t just follow for what we get but for who he is, that’s the difference. We love him for who he is and not just for all the benefits. He is the source, the wellspring of all blessings. Let us spend time in praise and worship our great God without pretense. Let us draw near like the Towee or the sparrow.

[Psa 84:3] Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young–a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

“I had heard the whispered tales of immortality”^[32]

14. Hungry World

We see it everywhere, people looking to satisfy their desires. The artist and the musician continually bring up this longing. Sadly most don’t find it. The lies are still being fed amass to this lost world. There are many substitute truths and fulfillments man has created.

This yearning to be filled by Amrita^[33] or Immortality is found in traditions all over the world. To be filled and satisfied with the divine. The Bhakti (devotion) tradition of Indian Hindu and Muslim Sufi mystics carries over into Sikhism. One major theme is that one is to feed on the divine immortal nectar. Guru Granth Sahib, Pg 31, Line 14 (Gur ke bẖāṇe vicẖ amriṯ hai sėhje pāvai ko▫e.) The Amrit, the Ambrosial Nectar, is in the Guru’s Will. With intuitive ease, it is obtained. Pg 36, Line 14 (Jihvā raṯī sabaḏ sacẖai amriṯ pīvai ras guṇ gā▫e.) The tongue imbued with the True Word of the Shabad drinks in the Amrit with delight, singing His Glorious Praises. Pg 554, Line 9 (Har kā nām amriṯ hai ḏārū ehu lā▫ehu.) The Name of the Lord is Ambrosial Nectar – take this healing medicine! ^[34] Christians could learn a thing from the Sikhs who have 24/7 Kirtan-Worship in Amristar, Punjab, to a God they don’t know. As sung in a Christian Bhajan, we have the real “Amrit vani teri, amrit vani teri,” (The Amrit, the Ambrosial Nectar, is the flow of your immortal word.) ^[35] The Lord Jesus Christ has made this nectar available to all through his sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.

[Jhn 6:55,] For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. … [Jhn 4:14a] but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.

Christ is the bread of angels, became the manna of the Israelites. Christ was fed to Moses, Elijah, and Abraham sustaining them forty days and nights. What Christ offers us is food for our soul’s deepest nourishment, by faith now, and for all eternity. We must “taste and see that the LORD is good” [Psa 34:8a] Sadhu Sundar Singh shares from one of the visions of the Lord he had “The true peace which is born of My presence in the hearts of true believers they are unable to see, but, feeling its power, they become happy in it. Nor can they see that happiness of mind or heart through which they enjoy the peace of My presence. It is the same with the tongue and (a sweet delicacy). The faculty of taste which resides in the tongue and the sweetness it perceives are both invisible. Thus also I give My children life and joy by means of the hidden manna, which the world with all its wisdom knows not nor can know (Rev. ii. 7).”^[36]

When at last this earth shall pass away, When Jesus and his Bride are one to stay,

The feast of love is just begun that day. God and man at table are sat down. ^{^[37]}

15. The Future Feast

Wherever we are in our spiritual journey we should look to be fed only with true divine nourishment. Imitations will not meet our needs. This can only be fulfilled in the Son of God, Christ Jesus. Look to him at all times. [Psa 34:5] Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. Make it your aim to be victorious despite failures, setbacks, etc. through him who loved us with an everlasting love, and that we may partake in the hidden manna and the marriage feast of the lamb. The past manna, our present daily bread, our future hope.

Take time to nurture yourself on God. Spend some time daily meditating on his goodness and love. “Be still and know I am God” [Ps 46:10]. There is no substitute in all the hustle and bustle of life. Feed on him. “But if you don’t get to know God better if you don’t get time with God if you don’t get to know his fellowship, his communion. If you don’t learn to delight in him to go out in the woods or in under your car or somewhere just, be still, just as we say in America, I don’t know you’re allowed to say this here, but I’ll say it anyway; just shut up, and listen. That’s the mark of a disciple. He’s hungry. He’s hungry for God and if you’re hungry if you feel that uneasiness, that desire for more, to know Christ more intimately, to know God more fully, to walk with him to talk with him…unite with us”^[38] We are still on a spiritual battlefield, the enemy is real and would have us starve. Still, we can take one step at a time, one day at a time, taking the time to eat, to drink; what we’ve learned of the goodness of our God through Christ, the bread of life. There is no substitute. [Jhn 6:68] ….”Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Lord feed us today, and evermore.

[Rev 2:17] Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. …19:9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear Bridegroom’s face;

I will not gaze at glory but on my King of Grace,^[39]

Apendix/ Footnotes

“In this hour of all-but-universal darkness, one cheering gleam appears: Within the fold of conservative Christianity, there are to be found increasing numbers of people whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct “interpretations” of truth. They are thirsty for God, and they will not be satisfied until they have drunk deep at the fountain of living water. This is the only real harbinger of revival which I have been able to detect anywhere on the religious horizon.” A. W Tozer, The Pursuit of God [Intro]

All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. Ps 104:27

Most Blessed Feeder

Oh most humble of all hosts

Giver of life uttermost

We thank thee for feeding us, and every mouth in the world

Even when we make a fuss and others ignore you

For graciously preparing for us

Nourishment from above and here below

That which once was the bread of angels

You fed your people forty years

You fed your prophets special nourishment on mountain top

Yet you suffered hunger in desolate waste