Bread in the Bible is more than food—it’s a symbol of God’s provision, presence, and promise.
The scent of sourdough fills my kitchen, warm and familiar. As I knead the dough with steady hands, I find solace in its rhythm—the pressing, folding, waiting. Bread is simple. Bread is life. And in its simplicity, I hear the whispers of Scripture, reminding me that long before my hands touched flour and water, God’s people were sustained by the Bread of Life.
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
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Bread in the Bible
From the ancient days of Israel to the kitchens of today, bread has always been a provision, a sustenance, a reminder of God’s faithful hand. Even in the Old Testament, the Children of Israel gathered manna—angels’ food—each morning, trusting in the Father’s will to provide their daily bread. Even in their affliction, they knew the taste of unleavened bread. God remained their provider.
There’s something about bread being a reminder of God’s provision. He reminds us again and again in scripture that he is our sustenance. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’ve been so drawn to my sourdough starter and recipes toward the end of this pregnancy. Bread is a reminder of God’s love to me. The topic of bread is gently woven throughout the scripture. The blessing of bread and as I kneed my ancient grain einkorn, it’s a reminder that God will provide for me during labor and delivery. He is my sustenance, my nourishment, even through fear.
More about how I’m preparing for baby #5 here.
More about my natural birth here.
But bread is more than nourishment for the body; it is an object lesson woven into the fabric of faith. When Jesus stood before a large crowd on the side of the sea, He broke loaves of bread, multiplying them in a miracle that pointed beyond physical hunger to a greater truth. The Bread of God had come down from heaven—the true bread, the real food, the life of the world.
The Israelites ate manna in the wilderness, but Jesus Christ, the Son of Joseph, offered something greater.
“This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.” John 6:50
Those who followed Him sought bread that perished, but He called them to the work of God—believing in the One whom the Father had sent.
Recipes mentioned in the YouTube video:
Sourdough Breadsticks
Einkorn All-Purpose Loaf
Einkorn Sandwich Bread
Sourdough Biscuits
A Legacy of Grain and Grace
In ancient Israel, bread was made from whole grains—fine flour milled from wheat or barley, sometimes mixed with a little oil. I like to think that my favorite flour – einkorn was perhaps the grain that was used by some people of the Bible. I have no Biblical evidence of this, just a romantic notion.
The Bible speaks of cakes of barley bread, of meal offerings, of unleavened loaves baked without old leaven. These basic ingredients carried significance beyond daily life. The high priest presented the Bread of the Presence before the Lord as an act of worship. Ezekiel baked his bread under dire conditions (The Siege of Jerusalem), a symbol of hardship yet a sign of God’s provision even in suffering.
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.” Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow’s dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.”
Ezikiel 4:14-15 ESV
Today, as I work with my sourdough starter—this living bread, ever-fermenting, ever-growing—I consider how it mirrors faith. It requires patience, care, and time. It cannot be rushed.
The old leaven must be discarded, much like how the apostle Paul warned against the leaven of malice and wickedness (1 Corinthians 5:8). True bread, like true faith, is cultivated with intention. Just as sourdough rises with unseen fermentation, so does the work of God rise within us, unseen yet transformative.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came as the fulfillment of every loaf ever broken. In the Lord’s Supper, the last day before His crucifixion, He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples.
“This is my body, given for you.”
Luke 22:19 ESV
A new covenant was established. In that sacred breaking of bread, we see the ultimate nourishment. Holy Communion, a reenactment of this sacred meal, is a reminder that the Bread of Life is not just historical, but deeply personal.
From Seed to Supper
I marvel at the journey of a single grain. From seed to field to harvest and then to grind, and finally the process of use. The wheat gluten binds the dough, transforming it into something nourishing.
The clans of Judah knew the value of bread—it was both survival and sacred. The land of Egypt once held the Israelites captive, yet even there, bread was present. When famine struck, Joseph provided grain. When Elijah fled, God sent an angel with bread baked on hot stones (1 Kings 19:5-8). The provision never ceased.
I made these free Bread of Life coloring pages to specifically go with this devotional! I hope you enjoy.
And just as bread is formed, so are we. Shaped by the hands of the Living Father, leavened by the Holy Spirit, nourished by the words of eternal life. We are not sustained by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4 ESV
Even in suffering, there is nourishment. Even in waiting, there is sustenance. The house of bread—Bethlehem—gave birth to the One who would be the Bread of Life. The words of eternal life were spoken by the Word made flesh, and in Him, we find everlasting life.
The House of Bread
The name Bethlehem means “House of Bread.” It’s a small detail, easy to miss, yet richly woven with layers of spiritual meaning. Bethlehem was a real place long before it became the birthplace of Jesus. In the Old Testament, Bethlehem was known for its fertile fields—grain, wheat, and barley were harvested there, making it a land of provision and sustenance. It was in Bethlehem that Ruth gleaned in Boaz’s fields, gathering the leftover grain, her story becoming one of redemption and lineage—a lineage that would lead straight to the Messiah.
Bethlehem was a place where physical bread was gathered, baked, and eaten. But it also became a prophetic signpost pointing to something more: the true Bread that would one day come down from heaven.
So when Mary wrapped her newborn son in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger—a feeding trough—in the House of Bread, the symbolism rang with holy beauty. The Bread of Life had come. Not in a palace. Not with a parade. But in the most humble of places, offering Himself to a hungry and broken world.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus echoed this imagery again and again.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:35 ESV
The bread baked in Bethlehem once filled bellies, but this Bread would fill souls. Bethlehem, the house of bread, gave birth to the One who would satisfy every spiritual hunger.
And even today, every time we knead the dough, slice a loaf, or lift the bread in communion, we’re remembering the One who was broken for us. The manager wasn’t just a cradle; it was an altar of provision. From the fields of Boaz to the table of the Last Supper, God was telling one unbroken story of redemption through bread.
Bethlehem was never just a dot on a map. It was always meant to be a beginning—a whisper of grace, a cradle of promise, the house of bread that held the Bread of Life.
The Feast That Never Runs Dry
Bread is both humble and miraculous. A loaf of bread, made from simple ingredients, sustains life. And today, in my kitchen, as I watch my sourdough rise in the oven, golden and fragrant, I whisper a quiet prayer of thanks. For in bread, I find more than sustenance. I find Christ, my nourishment, my life, my eternal provision. And that is a feast that never runs dry.
But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4 ESV
Want to go deeper? This book called Bread of Life is one of my favorites by Abigal Dobbs.
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