He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.

 

He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.

 

2 Corinthians 8:14–15: "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: 'The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.'"

Exodus 16:16–18: "This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person according to the number of people in your tent.' The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little; everyone had gathered just as much as they needed."

Practical, immediate concerns loomed larger than God’s promised word. Even though the reality was harsh, crossing the wilderness would have led them into the Promised Land; yet, the Israelites could not endure the hardships of their present situation. Because Moses prayed earnestly to God, manna came down from heaven. Every morning, the Israelites went out into the wilderness to gather manna, sustaining themselves for the day.

In the morning, after the dew had evaporated, a small, round substance—fine like frost—covered the ground of the wilderness. Upon seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, "What is this?" It was their first time seeing manna. Moses told them it was the food the Lord had provided.

The Israelites lived on manna alone. Yet, they complained. Exodus 16:8 states, "The LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD." Despite experiencing God's grace through the Exodus, the people forgot it due to the hardships of daily life. The faithless grumbling of the Israelites was not limited to the wilderness era but persisted throughout Israel's entire history.

Inside the Ark of the Covenant, located in the Most Holy Place, there were three items: the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the jar containing manna. Hebrews 9:3–4 describes this: "Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant." The two stone tablets symbolize God, Aaron’s staff represents the Holy Spirit, and the manna symbolizes Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:5 mentions, "Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now." The atonement cover (mercy seat) was situated atop the Ark of the Covenant; it was the place where blood was sprinkled to atone for sin. Hebrews 9:12 states, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption."

John chapter 6 records a conversation between Jesus and his followers following the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. The people spoke proudly of the manna event that had occurred in the wilderness. They pointed out that their ancestors had eaten manna through Moses, regarding the manna event as a special sign given by God to the people. Jesus, however, clarified that it did not originate from heaven.

John 6:31–35: "Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' 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. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' 'Sir,' they said, 'always give us this bread.' 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.'"

Manna was a necessity for everyone living in the wilderness; anyone could go out each morning and gather a day's supply. Yet, no matter how much manna one ate, it could not avert death. This is because manna was merely a source of sustenance needed temporarily while living in this world—a wilderness-like place. We cannot stake our lives solely on manna, which serves only to prolong our physical existence for a limited time. What a believer truly needs is the Bread of Life. The Bible teaches that the resurrected Jesus Christ is that very Bread of Life.

Partaking of this Bread of Life means participating in Christ’s resurrection and believing that one has already been resurrected in the present. This faith is not merely a personal conviction or a resolution; it is a faith bestowed from heaven. Galatians 3:23–27: "Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

2 Corinthians 8:14: "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality."

The "flavor" symbolizes Jesus Christ; when a believer is united with the resurrected Christ and a new temple is established within their spirit, Christ comes to dwell within them through *hypomone* (steadfast endurance). While some disciples received God’s word and grace through *hypomone*, others lacked generosity of heart due to the hardships involved in that endurance. Yet, as everyone prayed in unity for those struggling with *hypomone*, the entire group came to experience Christ’s presence. When *hypomone* is realized in all believers, they can understand God’s will and fulfill it together through mutual sharing. Those who were first eventually become last; initially, some felt a sense of superiority for having achieved *hypomone* earlier, but they later discovered that other disciples had endured even more deeply. Through the exchange of insights, they ultimately came to share a common understanding of God’s will.

The fellowship of believers lies precisely in coming to know God’s will together. However, in today’s church communities, such fellowship often resembles nothing more than a secular social club. They have no interest in God’s will; their conversations begin with worldly matters and end with worldly matters. Consequently, in such a state, there is no way to know God’s will, no possibility of practicing *hypomone*—which is the presence of God—and one cannot claim that the Kingdom of God has been established within their soul.