Daily Manna: Understanding This Verse Will Change Your Life

(An omer is one tenth of an ephah.) Exodus 16:36 NIV

Understanding this verse will change you life. I guarantee it.

Let me try to explain. Throughout the 16th chapter of Exodus, Moses recounts the story of the Israelites gathering manna, which were thin flakes of bread. Every morning, each person gathered the manna by a measure called an omer. For 35 verses in chapter 16, if you are inquisitive like me, you are wondering, “Moses, what is an omer? How much is that?”

Good ole Moses fills us in: an omer is one tenth of an ephah! Any questions? Thanks Moses, it’s clear in my mind.

Perhaps like me you are still confused, so I did a little research. According to a dictionary search, an omer is defined as “one-tenth of an ephah”. Okay, that didn’t help. Therefore, I looked up ephah. My dictionary says, “A Hebrew measurement”. Okay, that doesn’t help me much either. (I’m sure after this post you can send me a dozen definitions. Go for it…but it won’t change the purpose of this post.)

The fact is I don’t know what an ephah or an omer is exactly; we just don’t use those methods of measurement today. I think though it is almost like when your grandmother gave you the recipe for one of her famous pies and she says, “just add a pinch” of something. As we may know from that experience, the measurement isn’t as important as the person making the pie.

The purpose of the omer of bread was to supply just enough for the day. If they gathered more than an omer, it wouldn’t last beyond the day. If they gathered too little, they would not have enough to meet their physical needs. The omer was the perfect measurement. God was trying to teach His people that if they trusted in Him to provide for them, they would always have enough, but if they took matters into their own hands, the plan would fail to work. The measurement wasn’t he important part of this plan though; trusting in the Provider is what was important.

In John chapter 6, Jesus shares that He is the Bread of Life. The people, who knew the story of omers of manna their ancestors had received, came looking to Jesus to supply their daily bread. They wanted substance. They wanted provisions. They wanted Jesus to feed them. Instead of trusting in Jesus, however, the people wanted to trust in the bread He would provide them.

How many times do we trust based on what we have or do not have, rather than trusting in the One who can provide? When you and I stop looking at the quantity of our provisions and start trusting in the Provider, it will change the way we live our life. Instead of being happy when we have plenty or disappointed when we have less, we will learn the secret of contentment.

Remember, when you and I have Christ, the measurement doesn’t matter, because we have the Provider. Understanding this truth will change your life.