"I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live
for ever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world,"
etc. (John 6:51-58).

Combining this passage with other scriptures, we see that we are to feed upon Christ in three
characters:as the Passover Lamb, as the Manna, and as the Old Com of the land; it need scarcely
be said that all these things are types of Christ. In the scripture cited from John’s Gospel, we have
Christ especially as the Manna (verses 32,33, 48-50), with a reference also to Him as the Passover
Lamb (compare verses 4 and 53). But we shall have to turn to the Epistles to find Him in the
character which answers to the Old Corn of the land (Joshua 5:11).

Christ as the Passover Lamb

If we go back to the history of Israel, we shall find that they kept the passover in Egypt (Exod.
12), in the wilderness (Num. 9), and in the land (Josh. 5). The question then arises, When do we
feed, upon Christ as the Passover Lamb? It is sometimes said that we only do this at the outset
when, convicted of sin, we fear the approach of God as a Judge; and that as soon as we have
deliverance, we thereafter cease to feed upon Him in this character. If this be so, why does Israel
keep the passover both in the wilderness and in the land? I think, therefore, that it will be seen that
we never cease to keep the passover; and, moreover, that the place in which we thus feed upon
Christ depends upon our state of soul.

Every believer knows what it is to feed upon the roast lamb in Egypt. Awakened by the Spirit of
God, alarmed by the impending judgment, brought under the shelter of the precious blood, how
eagerly we fed upon the Lamb that had passed through the fires of God’s holiness when bearing
our sins on the tree! True, it was with bitter herbs that we ate it, for we then had a sight of our
sins. And it was with girded loins, and shoes on our feet, and our staff in our hand, for already
Egypt had become morally a desert, and we were only waiting for the word of the Lord to
commence our pilgrim journey. It was a time much to be remembered, for it was the beginning
of months_the first month of the year of our spiritual life.

Passing now from Egypt, the next place in which Israel kept the passover was the wilderness
(Num. 9:1-5). The wilderness is the place of every believer when viewed as a pilgrim. The world
has become a desert to him, and he is passing through (as not of) it, because he is waiting for the
return of his Lord. How then does he feed upon Christ as the slain Lamb in the wilderness? It is
participation by grace in the power of the death and resurrection of Christ, by which we have been
brought out of the enemy’s territory _delivered from the power of Satan and redeemed unto God.
In the wilderness we feed upon the passover as the memorial of our deliverance from Egypt; and
in it we see Christ going down into death, and not only bearing all the judgment that was our
due_going through and exhausting it, but also as meeting and conquering all the power of the
enemy_destroying him that had the power of death, and thereby bringing us out from the house
of bondage, and setting us free as the children, and for the service, of God.

In the land the passover assumed another character still, and one, too, which should also find its
correspondence with the believer now. It is very evident that to the Israelite it would have a much
fuller significance when he was across the Jordan than when he was in the desert. It would be to
him now the memorial, not simply of deliverance from Egypt and Egypt’s thralldom and power,
but of accomplished salvation.

So now, for we have a position which agrees entirely with being in the land. Not only have we
been quickened together with Christ, but we are also raised up together, and made to sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). This is the place before God of every believer; but
whether we are occupying it depends upon whether we know death and resurrection with, as well
as in and through, Christ; whether we have crossed the Jordan as well as the Red Sea. It is our
privilege to do so; indeed, we ought never to be content until, by the grace of God, we do know
what it is to be seated in spirit in the heavenly places. But if we are there, we cannot dispense with
the passover. Rather, the more fully we apprehend the character of the place into which we are
brought, the more the riches of the grace of God are unfolded to us, the more delightedly, and
with enlarged understanding, we shall look back to the cross and feast upon the death of Him
whose precious blood alone has made our place in the heavenlies possible for us. But our feeding
upon Him now will partake more of the character of communion with God in the death of His
Son. Our eyes will then be opened to discover, not so much the blessings which have thereby been
secured to us, but more the fact that God in every attribute of His character has been fully
glorified in that death. We shall thus feast with God when we keep the passover in the heavenly
places; and the effect on our souls will be adoration and praise. In a word, worship of the highest
character will be the result of our feeding upon the slain Lamb when we are seated in the
heavenlies.

Christ as the Manna

The manna differs from the roast lamb in that it was confined to the wilderness. It was not until
Israel had been brought through the Red Sea that the manna was given (see Exod. 16); and it
"ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children
of Israel manna anymore; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year" (Josh.
5:12). It was, therefore, the wilderness food of Israel; and in like manner Christ, as the Manna,
is the wilderness food for the believer.

What, then, is the Manna for the believer? It is Christ in incarnation_a humbled Christ. We see
in John 6 that Christ is the Manna in all that He was in the flesh_in the expression of what He
was both as the revealer of the Father and as the perfect man. His grace, compassion, sympathy,
tenderness, and love; His meekness and lowliness of heart; His patience, forbearance, and long-
suffering; His example _all these things are found in the Manna which God has given to us for
food during our sojourn in the wilderness.

Christ is continually presented to us in the Manna-character in those epistles which especially deal
with the desert path of the saint. We are exhorted to feed upon Christ as the Manna to sustain us
amid the trials, difficulties, and persecutions incident to the desert (see Heb. 12:1-3). In like
manner Peter continually leads us to Christ in this aspect. "What glory is it, if when ye be buffeted

for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it
patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps," etc. (1 Peter 2:20-24;
see also chap. 3:17,18). The apostle Paul, too, feeds the saints with manna. For example, we have
in Philippians 2:5-9 manna of the most precious character. "Being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." But it is in the
gospels that the manna lies gleaming round us on every side, and where it is to be gathered for
use as the needs of each day may require. For there it is that we have the unfoldings of that
wondrous life_the life of Him who was the Perfect Man, and, at the same time, God manifest in
flesh.

A remark must be made as to the collecting and use of the manna, namely, that it cannot be stored
for use. Every one must gather it every day according to his eating (Exod. 16:16); and if he gather
more_unless it be for the Sabbath it will surely become corrupt. Beloved friends, there must be
the constant feeding upon Christ, day by day, and hour by hour; and we can never receive more
than our need for the time requires. Thereby we are kept in continual dependence, and our eyes
are ever directed to Christ.

Christ as the Old Corn of the Land

In the passage already referred to (Josh. 5:10-12), we have the passover, the manna, and the old
corn mentioned together, and this fact makes the interpretation the more manifest. If therefore the
manna is Christ in incarnation, the old corn, inasmuch as the land typifies the heavenly places,
of necessity points to Christ in glory. And we shall find that He is so presented to us in the epistles
as the sustenance and strength of our souls, and so presented as our proper nourishment, even
though believers may be regarded in the epistles not, as in the Ephesians, as seated in the
heavenlies in Christ, but, as in Colossians and Philippians (and indeed in 2 Corinthians), as down
here upon the earth; for though still down here, they are united to Him where He is.

Take Colossians first. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection [have your mind] on things above, not
on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:1-3).
Here it is true we have "the things which are above"; but it is evident that by this term is meant
the whole sphere of blessing, of which Christ in glory is the center_the spiritual blessings in
heavenly places into the possession of which we are brought. These therefore are "the old corn
of the land," "the fruit of the land of Canaan," the proper food and sustenance for those who have
died and are risen with Christ.

In Philippians 3 we have the same truth brought before us. For what have we there but a glorified
Christ as filling the vision of the apostle’s soul, and as the satisfying portion of his heart? Thus
if we have the manna in chapter 2, we most surely have the old corn of the land in chapter 3. One
more instance may be cited:"We all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
Hence, too, the value of the constant expectation of Christ. It attracts us to the person of the
glorified Christ, engages our hearts with Him, and fills our souls with longing desires for that time
when we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

All these passages, and many more of a kindred character, direct us to Christ in glory as the Old
Corn of the land; but this is food with which we cannot dispense:no other will so nourish or
impart such strength to the saint. It is heavenly food for heavenly people; and it is only when we
are feeding upon it that we can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might; that we can
make war with the enemy for the possession of our inheritance; that we are made willing to
undergo anything and everything_having fellowship with the sufferings of Christ, being made
conformable unto His death, if in any way we may arrive at the resurrection from among the dead
(Phil. 3).

It is thus by occupation with, feeding upon, contemplating Christ, that we are brought, in the
power of the Spirit, into fellowship with God, enabled to enter into His own thoughts
concerning_and even to share His own affections for_that blessed One who is now seated at His
own right hand. Surely here is the source of all growth, strength, and blessing! Satan knows this,
and hence he is incessantly engaged in seeking to occupy us with other things, to turn us aside to
earthly sources and objects. It behooves us, therefore, to be watchful, to maintain exercised hearts
and consciences, that we may at once detect, and unsparingly judge, everything which would

decoy our souls from the contemplation of Christ.

(From Unsearchable Riches.)

"They shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread" (Exod. 12:8).
Leaven is invariably used throughout Scripture as a type of evil. Neither in the Old nor in the New
Testament is it ever used to set forth anything pure, holy, or good. Thus, in this chapter, "the feast
of unleavened bread" is the type of that practical separation from evil which is the proper result
of being washed from our sins in the blood of the Lamb, and the proper accompaniment of
communion with His sufferings. Nothing but unleavened bread could at all comport with a roasted
lamb. A single particle of that which was the marked type of evil would have destroyed the moral
character of the entire ordinance. How could we connect any kind of evil with our fellowship with
a suffering Christ? Impossible. All who enter, by the power of the Holy Spirit, into the meaning
of the cross will assuredly, by the same power, put away leaven from all their borders. "For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither
with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"
(1 Cor. 5:7-8). The feast spoken of in this passage is that which, in the life and conduct of the
Church, corresponds with the feast of unleavened bread. This latter lasted "seven days"; and the
Church collectively, and the believer individually, are called to walk in practical holiness during
the seven days, or entire period, of their course here below. And this is the direct result of being
washed in the blood and having communion with the sufferings of Christ.

The Israelite did not put away leaven in order to be saved, but because he was saved. If he failed
to put away leaven, it did not raise the question of security through the blood, but simply of
fellowship with the assembly. "Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses:for
whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of
Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land" (Exod. 12:19). The cutting off of an Israelite
from the congregation answers precisely to the suspension of a Christian’s fellowship if he be
indulging in that which is contrary to the holiness of the divine presence. God cannot tolerate evil.
A single unholy thought will interrupt the soul’s communion; and until the soil contracted by any
such thought is got rid of by confession, founded on the advocacy of Christ, the communion
cannot possibly be restored (see 1 John 1:5-10). The true-hearted Christian rejoices in this. He can
ever give thanks at the remembrance of God’s holiness. He would not, if he could, lower the
standard a single hair’s breadth. It is his exceeding joy to walk in company with One who will not
go on, for a moment, with a single jot or tittle of "leaven."

Blessed be God, we know that nothing can ever snap asunder the link which binds the true
believer to Him. We are saved in the Lord, not with a temporary or conditional, but with an
everlasting salvation. But then salvation and communion are not the same thing. Many are saved
who do not know it; and many, also, who do not enjoy it. It is quite impossible that I can enjoy
a bloodstained lintel if I have leavened borders. Practical holiness, though not the basis of our
salvation, is intimately connected with our enjoyment thereof. An Israelite was not saved by
unleavened bread, but by the blood; and yet leaven would have cut him off from communion. And
as to the Christian, he is not saved by his practical holiness, but by the blood; but if he indulges
in evil, in thought, word, or deed, he will have no true enjoyment of salvation and no true
communion with the Person of the Lamb.

This, I cannot doubt, is the secret of much of the spiritual barrenness and lack of settled peace
which one finds among the children of God. They are not cultivating holiness; they are not
keeping "the feast of unleavened bread." The very fact of being delivered by the blood of the
passover lamb rendered Israel responsible to put away leaven from all their quarters. They could
not say, in the frightful language of the antinomian, Now that we are delivered, we may conduct
ourselves as we please. By no means. If they were saved by grace, they were saved to holiness.

Grace not only saves the soul with an everlasting salvation, but also imparts a nature which
delights in everything that belongs to God, because it is divine. We are made partakers of the
divine nature, which cannot sin because it is born of God. To walk in the energy of this nature is,
in reality, to keep the feast of unleavened bread.

(From Notes on the Book of Exodus.)

"These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever
parteth the hoof, and is cloven footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat"
(Lev. 11:2,3).

In this chapter of Leviticus we find Jehovah entering, in most marvelous detail, into a description
of beasts, birds, fishes, and reptiles, and furnishing His people with various marks by which they
were to know what was clean_and thus edible_and what was unclean. With regard to beasts, two
things were essential to render them clean_they should chew the cud and divide the hoof. Either
of these marks would, of itself, have been wholly insufficient to constitute ceremonial cleanness:
the two should go together. Now, while these two marks were quite sufficient for the guidance
of an Israelite as to the cleanness or uncleanness of an animal, without any reference as to why
or wherefore such marks were given or what they meant, yet the Christian is permitted to inquire
into the spiritual truth wrapped up in these ceremonial enactments.

What, then, are we to learn from these two features in a clean animal? The chewing of the cud
expresses the natural process of inwardly digesting that which one eats, while the divided hoof sets
forth the character of one’s outward walk. There is, as we know, an intimate connection between
the two in the Christian Me. The one who feeds upon the green pastures of the Word of God, and
inwardly digests what he takes in_the one who is enabled to combine calm meditation with
prayerful study_will, without doubt, manifest that character of outward walk which is to the
praise of Him who has graciously given us His Word to form our habits and govern our ways.

It is to be feared that many who read the Bible do not digest the Word. One may read chapter after
chapter, book after book, and not digest so much as a single line. We may read the Bible as part
of a dull and profitless routine, but, through lack of the ruminating powers_the digestive organs
_we derive no profit whatsoever. This should be carefully looked into. The cattle that browse on
the green may teach us a wholesome lesson. They first diligently gather up the refreshing pasture,
and then calmly lie down to chew the cud. Striking and beautiful picture of a Christian feeding
upon and inwardly digesting the precious contents of the volume of inspiration! If there were more
of this among us we should assuredly be in a more vigorous and healthy condition. Let us beware
of reading the Bible as a dead form, a cold duty, a piece of religious routine.

The same caution is needful in reference to the public exposition of the Word. Let those who
expound Scripture to their fellows first feed and digest for themselves; let them read and ruminate
in private, not merely for others, but for themselves. It is a poor thing for a man to be continually
occupied in procuring food for other people, and he himself dying of starvation. Also, let those
who attend the public ministry of the Word see that they are not doing so mechanically, as by the
force of mere religious habit, but with an earnest desire to "read, mark, learn, and inwardly
digest" what they hear. Then will both teachers and taught be well-conditioned, the spiritual life
nourished and sustained, and the true character of outward walk exhibited.

But be it remembered that the chewing of the cud must never be separated from the divided hoof.
If one but partially acquainted with the priest’s guidebook happened to see an animal chewing the

cud, he might hastily pronounce him clean. This would have been a serious error. A more careful
reference to the divine directory would at once show that he must mark the animal’s walk, that
he must note the impression made by each movement, that he must look for the result of the
divided hoof. "Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that
divide the hoof:as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean
unto you," etc. (verses 4-6).

In like manner the divided hoof was insufficient if not accompanied by the chewing of the cud:
"The swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is
unclean to you" (verse 7). In a word, then, the two things were inseparable in the case of every
clean animal; and as to the spiritual application, it is of the very highest importance in a practical
point of view. The inward life and the outward walk must go together. A man may profess to love
and feed upon_to study and ruminate over the Word of God_the pasture of the soul; but if his
footprints along the pathway of life are not such as the Word requires, he is not clean. And on the
other hand, a man may seem to walk with pharisaic blamelessness; but if his walk be not the result
of the hidden life, it is worse than worthless. There must be the divine principle within which
feeds upon and digests the rich pasture of God’s Word; otherwise the impression of the footstep
will be of no avail. The value of each depends upon its inseparable connection with the other.

(From Notes on Leviticus.)

"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their
faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But
thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to
fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward
thee openly" (Matt. 6:16-18).

The Lord here does not so much enjoin fasting as bring it, like prayer, under the Christian
principle of having to do with our Father in secret. It falls under the individual life of faith. Yet
He undoubtedly sanctions and approves of it when so practiced; and this independently of the
more open and united aim such as we find in Acts 13:2,3 and 14:23. He also intimates its value
for spiritual power. Pious men have ever felt and must feel its appropriateness in chastening the
soul before God, where public or private need called for humiliation. The apostle Paul speaks (in
2 Cor. 6:5 and 11:27) simply and piously of "fastings" and "fastings often" in his service, to the
rebuke of that levity which the Corinthian assembly betrayed, and which characterizes modern
Christianity.

In Matt. 9:14,15 the Lord shows the true place and time of fasting in answer to the disciples of
John who asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said
unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?
but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast."
Those who were only disciples of John had no real appreciation of the Bridegroom’s presence.
Still less did the Pharisees who were filled with forms and self-righteousness. However, it was joy
to the believing disciples of Jesus. Feeble as they were, they had left their all for Him, and they
tasted a divine bliss in Him wholly unknown to the others. The joy of Messiah’s presence made
fasting altogether inappropriate. Those who tasted none of this bliss were blind to Him whom
God’s grace had given and sent. Greater still would be their darkness when the Bridegroom should
be taken away. Then those that believed and loved Him would fast, both spiritually and literally.

Fasting among Christians is all the more striking because of the peace, joy, and boundless delight
they have in the love of Christ, and fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Still
if loyal to Christ we cannot but have the constant sense of His rejection, and of the judgment ever
impending and certain to fall on the guilty world, and all the more because it pays Him the
hollowest of lip homage. Yes, days have come when the Bridegroom thus ignominiously taken
away is still absent, and fasting lends itself to mourners, whatever may be their enhanced joy in
being united to Him as members of His body, and the joy of grace in the revelation and active
working of a Saviour God to lost sinners, both Jew and Gentile.

(From "Fasting", in Bible Treasury, Vol. 5N.)

In the Lord’s answer to the inquiry of His disciples as to their failure to cast the demon out of an
only son, we are brought face to face with existing causes for the weakness and failure among us
today. The distraught father had come to the Lord Jesus with his disappointment, and Jesus
intervened on his behalf to free the child. "Why could not we cast him out?" the disciples queried,
to which the Lord Jesus produced three reasons as the cause.

The fact that they asked the reason is in itself a favorable sign on their part, as well as an
encouraging example to us. Whenever there is soul-exercise as to loss of power with a turning to
God to seek His face concerning it, the reason is certain to be pointed out, and the remedy readily
given.

"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith
as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and
it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by
prayer and fasting" (Matt. 17:20,21).

Reason One:Lack of Faith

When faith is lacking, communication with the God of power is broken, and hence there is no
manifestation of the power of God. Faith is the connecting link between the soul and God. When
this link is missing, we cannot expect God to display Himself because, in the first place, Lack of
faith robs Him of His pleasure. In Hebrews 11:6 we read, "Without faith it is impossible to please
Him." In the second place, Lack of faith jails to comprehend His presence. The same Scripture
continues, "He that cometh to God must believe that HE IS." And in the third place, Lack of faith
sets aside the fact of His goodness, as Hebrews 11:6 concludes, "He is a Rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him." Certainly we can see that when this principle of faith which pleases and
honors Him is lacking, we cannot expect Him to work in power among us. …

Reason Two:Lack of Prayer

Prayer acknowledges one’s own weakness and lays hold upon God’s strength. It is the expression
of absolute helplessness on the one hand, but the confession of God’s infinite ability on the other.
Without prayer there is the ever-destroying spirit of self-confidence, with the corresponding lack
of God-consciousness which dishonors Him. As "power belongeth unto God" (Psalm 62:11), what
dishonors Him must necessarily, in His holiness, short-circuit the manifestation of His power.

Our God delights to give in response to our requests. "Ask and it shall be given" is a divine
promise; and "Men ought always to pray" is divine wisdom. When His Word is kept, He ever
honors the obedience with divine power. . . .

Reason Three:Lack of Fasting

If there is to be power for God, it must be the power of God, and not the energy of man that is

in operation. Hence it is imperative that the flesh be kept in the place of death. . . . Unless it is
continually judged and abstained from, it will act to our shame and to the Lord’s discredit. Now
fasting is suggestive of this self-judgment and abstinence from selfish motives, of aims and acts
which would keep the flesh in its proper place of nothingness. Walking in the Spirit will allow the
divine nature to characterize us, and permit the power of God through His Holy Spirit to operate
unhinderedly in effectual service for Him.

Fasting suggests the living of a life of self-denial. It may at times be a denial of food, especially
during periods of deep exercise of soul, but far more does it imply the selflessness that should
permeate and characterize every sphere of our life’s activity. How essential this is if one is to be
a faithful servant whose object is the will of his master, for we can readily see that a selfish person
would never be a useful servant. … A person given to self-denial for Christ’s sake will be* found
"watching" and "occupying" until He comes. His time, his money, his comforts_yea, all he has
and is are regarded and held not for himself but for Christ and for others. . . .

In what particular feature of self-denial the disciples failed we are not told, but Jesus knew and
laid it to their charge as another reason for their power failure. The same One knows our
particular lack. Are we willing to accept the challenge of having Him point it out to us? With the
Psalmist, are we ready to pray, "Search ME, O God"?

Does the lack of power in ministry in our assemblies exercise us? Are we appalled by the
prevalent weakness and the state of apathy on every hand? Are we discouraged by the dearth of
praise in our gatherings for worship, along with a dozen or more symptoms of power failure?
Surely the Lord’s diagnosis of the disciples’ failure should speak forcibly to each of us, for we are
all a part of the ruin today. Let it bring us low in confession before Him, but at the same time let
us remember that HIS POWER is the same, for He and His Word can never change.

Let us, by His grace, practically combine the three remedies of Faith, Prayer and Fasting,
individually and collectively! Shall we not then soon experience more of God’s ways in power
among us in worship and service? It cannot be otherwise, for He cannot deny Himself.

(From Power Failure_Why?)