Lesson #4
Deuteronomy 8:3, "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."
Today's lesson is on the two words, "with manna."
It was a Work of Victory! The word "manna" occurs in 17 verses in the Bible. That is the number of victory! It was victory over certain death in the wilderness. victory over the oppression of their rulers from centuries before. It was victory over their failure to obey the Lord that committed them to forty years in the wilderness. This gave them the way through.
It was a Work of Value! How much would it cost to feed millions in the wilderness? God never gave them the money to do it for themselves but supplied what was needed each and every day.
It was a Work of Volume! It was enough! They did not have any left over, but it was enough. Enough is all that we need! We have enough of Christ, enough of the Word, enough of the Holy Ghost, and enough of His promises.
It was a Work of Vagueness! They had no idea what it was. Exodus 16:15 says, "And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was." The word manna literally means, "What is it?" Though it may be uncertain to you, it is not uncertain to God. Just because you don't understand it, does not mean that God doesn't. We are told in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
It was a Work of Victuals! Is it not what they needed? And was it not good? Better than Frosted Flakes and Sugar Smacks, nothing was more pleasing than this manna. Exodus 16:31 tells us that it was pleasant, "and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey." Again in Numbers 11 we are told, "the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil." What pleasant things God has to give His people. Learn to love the things that God would give you. Perhaps our taste needs to change to love the things that God loves.
It was a Work of Vision! The Bible talks about how that they came out in the morning and the earth was covered with a small, white, round thing. Numbers 11:7 tells us that the color of it was like bdellium and the shape was like coriander seed. 
It was a Work of Visitation! Every morning was a testament that God had visited them. Each time the tent flap opened for the first time in the morning, the faithfulness of God was seen. God had shown His provision as well as His presence in giving them manna each day.
It was a Work of Veneration! Talk about a privilege! Psalm 78:25, "Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full." In verse 24 it says that God had, "given them of the corn of heaven." What an honor to be able to eat this upon earth.
It was a Work of Validation! The confirmation of God's presence, His provision, but also of His precepts was of utmost importance to the nation of Israel. I might be getting ahead of myself here just a little bit, but the rest of the verse says, "that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only..."