Good Morning.
“So it was that quail came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.” (Exodus 16:13-15)
Quail are migratory birds and fly with the wind and it is my understanding that they are very common in Arabia. After a long flight, presumably from the direction of the sea, they could be easily captured with one’s hand. In other words, this may not have seemed so unusual or miraculous to some, but the appearance of the manna was. It was obviously something they had never seen before thus the question, “What is it?”
In rabbinical lore, it is said that first the dew fell, then the manna over the dew, and then the manna was covered by another layer of dew. Thus the manna was enclosed by layers of dew and revealed only when the dew evaporated. This is when the people noticed it and said “What is it?” In Hebrew it reads, “Man hu” and this is where it gets very interesting. Some Jewish commentators suggest that the word man (pronounced mahn) is of Egyptian origin and is descriptive of a substance they were familiar with there. However, there is a much more fascinating, and incredibly prophetic, thing to consider.
The Hebrew word hu is oftentimes translated as “it” but is also the Hebrew word for “he.” In other words, the phrase man hu could be rendered “What is he” or, perhaps more poignantly, “Who is he?” That is why this is of great interest to us. Unwittingly they were asking a question that their descendants would not have answered for about 1500 years. It was then that people, looking for a sign from Yeshua that they might believe, mentioned the bread that was given to their ancestors in the wilderness. In response He connected the manna to Himself and why He had come down from heaven.
To those who are looking, He is revealed to them as the heavenly bread that is given to us for all time. Just as importantly, He gives us fresh bread each day that we may be sustained through any and all challenges we may face. Even today, there are those who are struggling to understand “What is He?” or “Who is He?” It is our mission to demonstrate to the world just who and what He is by living lives that replicate His character and nature. It is given to us to share the manna that we have been given that others might live.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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