31 INSTRUCTION

EXODUS 16:19-36

19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” 20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. 21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’” 24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.” 27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’” 33 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. 35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. 36 (An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)

Here are two important words: dependence and providence. We are dependent and God is sovereign. We have needs and He lovingly and adequately provides for our needs. We, therefore, do well to obey His instructions. Moses’ gives instructions regarding the proper way to enjoy and benefit from the manna God provides. He begins with verse 19: “Then Moses said to them, ‘No one is to keep any of it until morning.’” This is as though to say, let them learn to go to bed and sleep quietly, though they have not a bit of bread in their tent, nor in all their camp, trusting that God, the following day, will bring them their daily bread.” It was surer and safer in God’s store-house than in their own, and would therefore come to them sweeter and fresher. This is consistent with Jesus’ later teaching along the same lines found in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” See here the foolishness of hoarding. The manna that was laid up by some who thought themselves wiser and better managers than their obedient neighbors and who with an air of self-sufficiency intended to provide for themselves in case it should fail the next day did not benefit; Ha! their manna spoiled. They did not realize that God had an effective way to enforce His instructions; they would find their carefully saved bread the next day, putrefied, full of worms, and worse than good for nothing. That proves to be most wasted which is covetously and distrustfully saved up out of mistrust in God for daily provision. Those riches are corrupted as James 5:2, 3 emphasizes in his instruction against depending of our ability to save for a rainy day, when we are to learn to be dependent on God. “Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” Let’s put our mental energies to considering the great power of God which fed Israel in the wilderness and made miracles their daily bread. What cannot this God do Who prepared a table in the wilderness and furnished it richly even for those who questioned whether He could or not? Remember Psalm 78:19 and 20, “They spoke against God; they said, ‘Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?  True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?’” Was there ever such an ample provision as this, where six hundred thousand men and their wives and children were daily furnished with enough food to eat without money and without cost? Was there ever such a full storehouse kept as God kept in the wilderness for forty years, nor such free and plentiful entertainment to be provided as this? The feast which Ahasuerus made to show the riches of his kingdom, and the honor of his majesty, was inferior to this. Esther 1:1-8 says “This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.”

God’s daily feast was much different than that. Verse 21, says, “Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.” This was as if what was left each morning were drawn up by the heat of the sun into the air perhaps to be the beginning of the next day’s harvest, and so God’s miracle for them continued day after day. This is surely an outstanding illustration of the constant provision of God mentioned in Psalm 136:25, “He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.” He is a great house-keeper that provides for all creatures. The same wisdom, power, and goodness that now brought food daily out of the clouds are engaged in the constant course of nature bringing food yearly out of the earth and richly giving us all things to enjoy.


The next thought for us to consider is perhaps a surprise. We may think that Moses instituted the sabbath when he came down the mountain after receiving the ten commandments, but not so. Moses here had not yet received or given the law which included instructions regarding observing the sabbath as a day of physical rest and spiritual refreshment. Yet verse 5 says, “On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” This is a plain indication of observing the seventh day—sabbath. Observing the sabbath was not only before the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, but even before the bringing of Israel out of Egypt, even from the beginning as mentioned in Genesis 2:3, “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” We know that Moses wrote Genesis so this means that Moses knew of and probably practiced the sabbath as godly people had evidently done since Adam’s time.  If the sabbath had only just now been instituted, how could Moses have understood what God said to him concerning a double portion to be gathered on the sixth day, without making any express mention of the sabbath? Verse 22 says, “On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses.” How could the people so readily receive the instruction even before Moses declared that the instruction was given with a regard to the sabbath if they had not had some knowledge of the sabbath before this event? This shows that the setting apart of one day in seven for holy work and rest, was probably a well-known divine appointment ever since God created man on the earth. It would therefore be one of the most ancient of laws for God’s people.


The way of sabbath-sanctification is the good old way. The double provision which God made for the Israelites and which they were to gather for themselves on the sixth day indicates this. On the sixth day God gave them the bread of two days which also attests to a well-established pattern of sabbath rest. Verse 29 says, “Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.””  Appointing them to rest on the seventh day, he took care that they should be no losers by it; and none ever will be losers by serving God. On that day they were to gather in enough for two days, and to prepare it as verse 23 says, “He said to them, ‘This is what the Lord commanded: “Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.”’” The law was very strict, that they must bake or boil it the day before, and not on the sabbath day.

This does not mean that today it is unlawful for us to prepare meals on the Lord’s day, but God directs us to manage our family affairs so that they may hinder our rest and spiritual exercises as little as possible on the sabbath. Necessary work, no doubt, is to be done on that day, but it is good to have as little as possible to do on that day so that we may give ourselves the more fully to the spiritual and restful things which are most needful. What they kept for their food on the sabbath day did not putrefy as verse 24 states, “So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.” When they kept it in opposition to a command, it stank as verse 20 says, “However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.” But when they kept it in obedience to a command it remained sweet and good;. Things go well for us when we obey the instruction manual.  There was no manna on the ground on the sabbath. God did not send it then, and therefore they must not expect it, nor go out expecting to gather any. Verses 25 and 26 say, “‘Eat it today,’ Moses said, ‘because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.’” This clearly demonstrated that it was not produced by natural causes, but rather was a confirmation of the divine authority of the law which was yet to be given by Moses. In this way God took a purposely clear course of action to make them remember the sabbath day; they could not forget it, nor the day of preparation for it. Some, according to verse 27 went out on the seventh day, expecting to find manna, but they did not find any. “Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.”  Those that will find must seek in the appointed time. Seek the Lord while he may be found.


When the people disobeyed and went out on the sabbath, according to verse 28 God spoke, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?’” Why did He say this to Moses? He was not disobedient. No, but he was the ruler of a disobedient people, and God makes Moses responsible so that he would the more emphatically require obedience from the people. Moses would now take more care that their disobedience would not be through any neglect of his own. Leaders are responsible for others. If we don’t correct them, it is our fault. They were to be reproved like this for going out to seek for manna on the seventh day. Disobedience, even in a small matter, is serious. God is jealous for the honor of His sabbaths.


If going out on the sabbath to seek food was reproved this way, what about our taking a walk purely to find our own pleasure? One kind of walk is work and the other kind is a relaxing rest. God’s creation is to be appreciated and enjoyed. Couples and families ought to go for walks and enjoy what God has given them to see. What is restful to each person may well be quite different than what is restful to other persons.

God having provided manna to be His people’s food, a continual feast in the wilderness, we are also told another interesting detail about how its memory was preserved. An omer (about 5 1/2 pounds) of this manna was laid up in a golden pot and kept in the ark when it was eventually made. The ark of the covenant did not exist at this time, but after it was made, a sample of manna was to be placed in a golden vessel and placed inside the ark. This is all clear from verses 32 through 34 which say, “Moses said, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: “Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.” So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.” As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law in the ark, so that it might be preserved.’” Hebrews 9:4, obviously written in a later time of another covenant, confirms this as it tells us of the gold pot of manna. “. . . 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 preservation of this manna was itself an outstanding miracle and therefore it was a proper memorial of this miraculous food. “Posterity shall see the bread,” says God, “with which I have fed you in the wilderness,” They would see what sort of food it was, and how much each man’s daily proportion of it was, that it may be known that they were neither limited to poor fare nor small amounts. People could readily judge between God and Israel, whether they had any reason to murmur or find fault with their provisions, and to the contrary whether they and their children after them had not a great deal of reason to gratefully testify of God’s goodness to them.

This may sound strange, but bread that has been eaten is not to be forgotten. God’s miracles and mercies are to be kept in remembrance, for our encouragement to trust in Him at all times. The mercy of this provision was continued as long as they needed it. The manna never ceased until they came to the border of Canaan, where there was bread enough and to spare. Verse 35 says, “The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.” From this we can readily see how constant the care of God’s provision is; seedtime and harvest do not fail while the earth remains. Israel was provoking towards God many times in the wilderness, yet the manna never failed. God is faithful and just as He causes His rain to fall on the just and unjust and He sometimes causes His blessings to continue during times of incorrect as well as correct behavior.

In 1 Corinthians 10:3, manna is called spiritual food. “They all ate the same spiritual food.” This was possibly because it was typical of spiritual blessings in heavenly things. For us, Jesus Himself is the true manna, the bread of life, of which this manna was just an illustration. John 6:49 through 51 records what Jesus said about it. “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”” Jesus is our bread come down from heaven. And the Word of God is the manna by which our souls are nourished according to Matthew 4:4,  “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”


The comforts of the Spirit are hidden manna, a kind of secret nourishment for believers according to the first half of verse 17 of Revelation 2, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna.” This comes from heaven, as the manna in the wilderness did, and is the support and comfort of the divine life in the human soul while we are in the wilderness of this world. It is food for God’s obedient children for only those that follow the pillar of cloud and fire. It is to be gathered, that is to say that we must every one of us gather for ourselves in the morning of our opportunity. If we let it slip away it may be too late to gather. The manna they gathered was not be hoarded up, but eaten and those that have received Christ must by faith live on Him each new day. There was manna enough for all, enough for each, and none had too much. So in Christ there is a complete sufficiency and no unnecessary superficial or shallow display just for display’s sake.


However, there is this aspect that is more a contrast than a comparison between them and ourselves: those in the wilderness that ate manna hungered again and died at last while those of us that today feed on Christ by faith shall never hunger or die. Many in the wilderness did not please God, but those who appropriately consume Jesus, our living bread, will always please Him. They will be welcomed into His Kingdom and God will be forever well-pleased with them. May the Lord forever give this bread to us and those who with us also follow Jesus! Leading people to Jesus our Manna is good, important, life-giving and a result of eternally valuable leadership.