Connect Psalm 78:25 with Jesus as the "bread of life" in John 6:35. Bread from Heaven in the Wilderness • Exodus 16 gives the story behind Psalm 78:25: God rained down manna, “bread of angels,” every morning for forty years. • Psalm 78:25 sums it up: “Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.” • The provision was: – Miraculous—appeared each dawn, melted in the sun (Exodus 16:21). – Sufficient—“each gathered as much as he needed” (Exodus 16:18). – Sustaining—kept an entire nation alive in a desert (Nehemiah 9:20-21). Jesus Declares Himself the True Bread • John 6:35: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.’ ” • Context: the day after He multiplied loaves and fish (John 6:1-14), a sign that pointed to something greater than physical bread. • Key elements: – Source: “came down from heaven” (John 6:38, 51). – Sufficiency: “will never hunger.” – Salvation focus: eternal life given to “whoever believes” (John 6:47-48). Parallel Themes between Psalm 78 and John 6 • Origin – Manna: fell from heaven each dawn. – Jesus: “the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32-33). • Purpose – Manna: temporary, physical sustenance (Exodus 16:35). – Jesus: permanent, spiritual life (John 6:51). • Response Required – Israel had to gather and eat daily (Exodus 16:19-20). – We must come to Christ and believe (John 6:35). • Result – Manna kept bodies alive for a generation. – Christ gives life that never ends (John 6:40; 1 John 5:11-12). Further Scriptural Echoes • Deuteronomy 8:3—manna taught that “man does not live on bread alone,” foreshadowing Jesus’ words in Matthew 4:4. • 1 Corinthians 10:3—manna called “spiritual food,” pointing beyond itself. • Revelation 2:17—promise of “hidden manna” for overcomers, completing the theme of heavenly bread. Living Out the Lesson • Look beyond material provision to the Giver: every meal can remind us of Christ’s sufficiency (James 1:17). • Feed on His Word daily; like manna, Scripture sustains only when gathered fresh (Psalm 119:103; Matthew 4:4). • Rest in His finished work—no need to hoard or labor for salvation; the Bread of Life satisfies forever (Hebrews 4:9-10). |
    |