‹‹ WEEK 1 — DAY 4 ››

Morning Nourishment

Heb. 9:3-4 And after the second veil, a tabernacle, which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar and the Ark of the Covenant covered about everywhere with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna and Aaron’s rod that budded and the tablets of the covenant.

Rev. 2:17 ...To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna...。

   Where is God? He is in the Holy of Holies, in the innermost chamber of the tabernacle....If you are a priest, you may be in the Holy Place and be closer to God than the Levites who are serving in the outer court. Nevertheless, although you may be a priest ministering in the Holy Place, you are not yet in the Holy of Holies.Thus, there is still a distance between you and God. If you want to enjoy the hidden manna, there must be no distance between you and God. All the distance between you and the Lord must be eliminated. (Life-study of Hebrews, p. 666)

Today’s Reading

    [Today] nearly all Christians are ministering to something other than God, not to God Himself. They go to the mission field, preach the gospel, win souls, and teach the Bible. There are many such works, works which are for God, but which are other than God Himself. All those engaged in such work have the right to enjoy the open Christ, the open manna. But there is still the top portion of Christ which is kept in the presence of God, reserved especially for those who do not serve anything other than God Himself.

    There is a special portion of Christ kept in the presence of God for the dear ones who overcome the situation of the church in Pergamos. To overcome the condition of the church in Pergamos is to separate yourself from the general practice of today’s Christianity and to remain in the presence of God ministering directly to Him, not to anything else. Here we have the enjoyment of the hidden manna, the special portion of Christ.Here we enjoy something of Christ which all those who are far off from His presence cannot taste.

    Consider the service around the tabernacle in the Old Testament. The Levites served in the outer court, and the priests served in the outer court and in the Holy Place where they arranged the showbread, trimmed the lamp, and burned the incense. But when the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies, there was hardly any work to do. Here, in the Holy of Holies, the high priest ministered directly in the presence of God. Here, in the Holy of Holies, the ministering one enjoys the hidden manna. What is the hidden manna? It is that portion of Christ which we enjoy in the presence of God when there is no distance between us and Him.

    Many times...we realized that we were not very close to the Lord. Yet, although there was a distance between us and the Lord, we still enjoyed something of Him. Nevertheless, we had the sense that our enjoyment of the Lord was not that sweet. At other times we were somewhat closer to the Lord and sensed that our enjoyment of Him was sweeter....When there is no distance between us and the Lord, we enjoy Christ in the most intimate and hidden way. This is the enjoyment of the hidden manna, the hidden portion of Christ.

    The hidden manna is the same as the open manna but in a different situation.When the manna is in the open air, it is the open manna. When it is in the presence of the Lord, concealed under several layers, it becomes the hidden manna. In nature, function, and every other aspect, the hidden manna is the same as the open manna....[The] difference [is] in position. The open manna is open to the public and the hidden manna is closed....If we go along with worldly Christianity, we may only enjoy the open manna, the open Christ. However, we shall be unable to enjoy the hidden Christ because He is always hidden in God.
(Life-study of Hebrews, pp. 670-672)

Further Reading: Life-study of Hebrews, msgs. 59-60; CWWN, vol. 11,“Ministering to the House or to God?”