Exodus 16:1 The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. 2 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!”
First they were thirsty. Now they are hungry. Didn't the Lord provide them with plenty of water when they were thirsty? Now they wish they had died in Egypt instead of being hungry in the dessert.
Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow My instructions. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.”
God says he will provide food for the people, just like he provided water. He has instructed that each person gather enough for what they will eat in one day, except the sixth day. On the sixth day, they gather enough for two days, since the seventh day is a day of rest.
Exodus 16:6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites: “This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7 in the morning you will see the Lord’s glory because He has heard your complaints about Him. For who are we that you complain about us?” 8 Moses continued, “The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and more than enough bread in the morning, for He has heard the complaints that you are raising against Him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”
The people grumbled against Moses and Aaron, but they were really angry with God. Why are they suffering in the dessert? God should have just killed them in Egypt with the Egyptians. Moses says God will show them his power by providing food for them everyday. A physical food to satisfy their physical hunger. God has also provided us with food as well. Here in the US, we have the bible and access to many resources for our spiritual hunger. We can have our spiritual hunger satisfied if we go and take it, just like the Israelites can have their physical hunger satisfied is they just collect the food provided.
Exodus 16:9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’” 10 As Aaron was speaking to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there in a cloud the Lord’s glory appeared.
11 The Lord spoke to Moses, 12 “I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.”
13 So at evening quail came and covered the camp. In the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground. 15a When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” because they didn’t know what it was.
What is it? Manna. Manna is the Hebrew for "what is it?" That is why it is called manna today.
Exodus 16:15b Moses told them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat. You may take two quarts per individual, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’”
There was a limit on what they could have. The people could not be greedy. That is a sin. The people had to be fair. They only could take what they needed... NEEDED... to eat to be full. Not over full. Not stuffed. But satisfied. Each person was allowed 2 quarts. Just enough to be full. It was a test, as we read earlier, to see if the people could obey the Lord.
Exodus 16:17 So the Israelites did this. Some gathered a lot, some a little. 18 When they measured it by quarts, the person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat. 19 Moses said to them, “No one is to let any of it remain until morning.” 20 But they didn’t listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and smelled. Therefore Moses was angry with them.
Some of the people did not listen. They did not trust that the Lord would provide for them everyday as he promised. They saved some to eat for later, so they would not starve. In their minds, they did not want to risk being hungry later. So they saved some of what they gathered to eat the next time they needed food instead of trusting in God's provision. This just hit me. Not trusting in God's provision. I know I am guilty of that. Thinking that building a savings fund will somehow keep us financially stable or stocking up on food can help us save in the long run. I can become too focused on trying to be monetarily comfortable, but I need to trust that the Lord will provide all we need. If we need anything, the Lord will provide. It may not be what we want, when we want and how much we want, but he will provide.
Exodus 16:21 They gathered it every morning. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat, but when the sun grew hot, it melted. 22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four quarts apiece, and all the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses.23 He told them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.’”
24 So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it didn’t smell or have any maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you won’t find any in the field. 26 For six days you may gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
So, just as the Lord rested on the seventh days of created, he also rested on the seventh day of each week the people were in the wilderness. He did not provide food on the seventh day, but instead he provided enough for two days on the sixth.
Exodus 16:27 Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any.28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commands and instructions? 29 Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.”
Some people still did not rest. They tried to go gather even when told there would be nothing to get.
Exodus 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel named the substance manna. It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Two quarts of it are to be preserved throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
33 Moses told Aaron, “Take a container and put two quarts of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be preserved throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the testimony to be preserved.
So two quarts of manna were preserved for all generations. I wonder where it was put? It was placed before the testimony to be preserved. A commentary I read said it was placed in the ark after it was built. And we know that has disappeared.
Exodus 16:35 The Israelites ate manna for 40 years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Two quarts are a tenth of an ephah.)
The Lord was faithful to provide for the Israelites each day what they needed to eat. He is also faithful to us to provide what we need as well.
Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. 3 He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these 40 years.
Yes. We do not live on bread alone but EVERY word that comes from God.
John 6:30 “What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You?” they asked. “What are You going to perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
32 Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always!”
35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry,and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.
Christ is out manna today. He is our bread of life that will sustain us through this life until we reach our promise land of the New Jerusalem. Once we reach our promised land, we will never go hungry for our Lord. He will always be there!
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