Greater Friendship Baptist Church SSFFF

Rev. Dr. Derrick L. Miles, Pastor

“The God Who Sends Manna”

Exodus Chapter 16

 

 

Exodus 16:1 "And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which [is] between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt."

“Wilderness of Sin”: More details of the camp sites in the journey from Rameses to Succoth and beyond are found (in Num. 33:5-11). That itinerary also lists the next stop as having been Dophkah (Num. 33:12), identifying it as an encampment of the Israelites in the wilderness. It was in the desert of Sin, on the eastern shore of the western arm of the Red Sea, somewhere in the Wadi Feiran area.

We see from this that, the children of Israel had been on this trip exactly one month. The second month was Ziff, or May by our calendar. It seems they moved as a company and all were present at “the wilderness of Sin”.

Exodus 16:2 "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:"

“The whole congregation … murmured”: What characterized them as a whole was this attitude of negativism. Faced with the scarcity of resources in the wilderness, they hankered after the abundant resources they had experience in Egypt. The country which had enslaved them looked good in comparison to the wilderness. Their complaining so soon after benefitting from the miracles done by the Lord on their behalf only goes to show their short-term memory and self- centeredness.

Gone from Egypt for only a month, the “whole congregation” accused Moses and Aaron of deliberately leading them into the wilderness to “kill” them (verse 3).

We see by this verse, that, these people did not learn a lesson at Marah, because we see them murmur again here. They blamed Moses and Aaron for their problem. When will they ever learn?

Exodus 16:3 "And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, [and] when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

“Died by the hand of the Lord”: Incredibly, Israel’s complaint still acknowledges the intervention of the Lord in their affairs. Sarcastically they voice a preference for dying in Egypt. The hand of the Lord which they had glorified in song (15:6), only a month beforehand, they now pretended would have been better used to kill them in Egypt.

No one put a gun to their head and made them go with Moses. They came of their own accord. They just had not learned their lesson yet and God allowed them to go through more problems to

teach them His ways. They had forgotten how terrible it was in Egypt and were looking back with fond memories of the past, because they had forgotten the taskmasters. It is easy to complain and find fault with the present circumstance and blame someone else, when the fault is right at home with your own self. They were even saying that God brought them out here to starve them.

Exodus 16:4 "Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no."

“I will rain bread”: God’s gracious answer to their complaining was to promise an abundance of the bread they missed. God’s directions on how to gather it would also test their obedience to Him (verses 4-5, 16, 26-28; see note on 16:31).

For them to survive without food from any natural source required the Lord to do what only He could do. For five days each week, He delivered daily portions of “bread from heaven” for each individual.

We see that God would answer Moses' prayer for food. This would not be like bread they cooked at home, but would be a foodstuff, that would sustain them on their journey. Notice they were to gather this each day. This was another test from God to see if they would do as He said or not.

There is an interesting Scripture reference to this manna from heaven (in John chapter 6:31-51). I will show just a few chosen verses of that here, but be sure to read all of it.

John 6:31-35 "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat." "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." "Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread." "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

Be sure and read all of this from verse 31 through verse 51. I will give you one more verse of this and then go back to Exodus.

John 6:51 "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."

You see, this manna that rained from heaven was miracle bread that would save their lives. I really believe this one day supply at a time indicates to me, our daily need for the Word of God (Jesus). We are told to eat the Word of God. Jesus is the Word. Read (John chapter 1), and you will see, that Jesus and the Word are the same.

Exodus 16:5, "And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily."

On the sixth day, there was a double provision; and on the seventh, there was none at all. What anyone needs to get through the “wilderness” is not available except from God Himself.

The same principal on a larger scale would feed the nation during and after the sabbatical year (Lev. 25:18-22).

This "twice as much" on the sixth day would carry them through their Sabbath. They were not to do any work on the Sabbath.

Exodus 16:6 "And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:"

“Ye shall know”: Israel’s short-term memory loss would be short-lived because that very day of complaint would witness not only God’s provision for them but also would powerfully remind them of who had brought them out of Egypt, namely, the Lord their God (verses 11-12).

When God miraculously rained quail in the evening, they would realize that God Himself, had brought them out of Egypt and that He was a miracle God. He was teaching them to depend upon Him to have faith in Him.

Exodus 16:7 "And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what [are] we, that ye murmur against us?"

“The glory of the Lord”: In seeing the start of the provision of daily bread on the next day, Israel would also see the Lord’s glory, an appropriate term to use because what He did showed His presence with them. “Glory” typically refers to God’s manifested presence, which makes Him impressive and leads to worship.

“Your murmurings”: Set in the context of instruction on how the Lord would act to provide for them, the 4-fold repetition of this phrase (verses 6-9), served to highlight God’s gracious response in contrast to their ungracious grumbling against Him. For an effective poetic presentation of this contrast, refer to (Psalm 78:17-25).

Really, these complaints or murmurings spoken to Moses and Aaron were against God. The children of Israel knew, undoubtedly, that Moses and Aaron were just God's mouthpieces. Then these complaints were against God. This glory of the Lord, that they would see was the manna from heaven. God is always merciful. God is longsuffering toward us, who are His. Have you ever noticed how He will spare someone over and over? Most ministers will tell you, that even before they decided to accept the call of God, it seemed they had supernatural protection from God over their lives.

Exodus 16:8 "And Moses said, [This shall be], when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what [are] we? your murmurings [are] not against us, but against the LORD."

Moses showed that the people’s “murmurings”, leveled at their human leaders, were actually “against the Lord”. This is true anytime a child of God grumbles.

Moses made it very clear here, that they are not against him, but against the Lord. Then Moses told them that even though the Lord did not like their complaining, He was still going to send them meat in the evening and bread in the morning to eat. This was almost a warning from Moses, that they were about to push God too far.

 

Verses 9-10: The people had experienced the work of the Lord and had been under the word of the Lord; now they were to experience the wonder of the Lord. The revelation of His “glory … in the cloud” was designed to instill confidence and to compel faithfulness.

 

Exodus 16:9 "And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings."

Moses who was God’s prophet and spokesman to the people.

"Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel; to the heads of them, to as many as could conveniently hear him, and were to report what he said to the rest.

"Come near before the Lord": Who was in the pillar of cloud, which from the first appearance of it never removed from them, nor the Lord from that. Though some have thought, that before the tabernacle was built, there was some small tent or little tabernacle where the Shekinah was. But for this there is no foundation for that, there is for the other suggested.

"For he hath heard your murmurings": Which is repeated again and again, to observe to them the evil of it, and what notice the Lord took of it, though he indulged them in so gracious a manner as he did.

You remember, in the beginning, God called just Moses. Moses asked for help and got Aaron. The chain of authority then, was God to Moses, Moses to Aaron and Aaron to the congregation. God had heard their complaints and told them through Moses and Aaron, to come near before Him.

Exodus 16:10 "And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud."

This was before Aaron was finished speaking.

"That they looked toward the wilderness; they were already in the wilderness of Sin, and they looked straight forward toward that part of it which was yet before them, or to the wilderness of Sinai, which was right onward, and whither they were travelling.

"And, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud": Which went before them; there was a more than common brightness in it, an effulgence and beam of light and glory shining in it. Christ, the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person, appeared in it, in some visible displays of his majesty, which made it very observable to them.

We have already learned that the presence of the Lord was with them on this journey to the Promised Land. It appeared to be a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of smoke by day. Somehow, God made them aware of His presence in the cloud. Perhaps a bright light was present or something of that nature. God appears many times, in the form of a fire, such as at the burning bush. We do not know how He made the glory of the Lord known. We do know that He did.

Exodus 16:11 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,"

Out of the bright and glorious cloud: saying; as follows:

Exodus 16:12 "I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD your God."

This gave proof of His power as the Lord, and His particular favor to them as their God; when God plagued the Egyptians, it was to make them know that He is the Lord. When He provided for the Israelites, it was to make them know that He was their God.

It seems to me, if they did not realize by now that this was God fighting for them and protecting them, they were very hard to convince. God raining meat (quail), in the evening and bread in the morning should be evidence enough. God also, had made them aware of the presence of the Lord when His glory appeared in the cloud. God wanted them to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is God and that they belong to Him. They were His chosen people.

 

Verses 13-16: The meal of “quails” were a miracle (Num. 11:31-35), but the “small round thing” was the greater surprise. The word “manna” comes from the question the Hebrew people asked that first morning: “what it was” (Hebrew, man hu). Manna would be their food for the next 40 years, until the new generation entered the Promised Land (16:35; Josh. 5:11-12). The amount of food the Lord provided was staggering: one day’s “delivery” for more than 2-1/2 million people for nearly 40 years!

 

Exodus 16:13 "And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host."

“Quails”: The psalmist removed all doubt about whether these birds of the partridge family were not real birds but something else, for he called them “winged fowl and in the preceding line of the parallelism referred to the coming of the quails as God having “rained meat” on them (Psalm 78:27). Upon return to their former habitat, these migratory birds would often fall to the ground, exhausted from prolonged flight. In ancient Egyptian paintings, people were shown catching quails by throwing nets over the brush where they were nesting.

Exodus 16:14 "And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as] small as the hoar frost on the ground."

To wit, into the air; or was vanished, “there lay a small round thing”: According to (Numbers 11:9), there was dew which fell before the manna. For it is said, when the dew fell in the night, the manna fell upon it. But it appears here, that there was also dew upon it, which went up when the sun rose, so that the manna lay as it were enclosed. This might be designed to keep it pure and clean.

God is good for His word. The quails came that very evening. It seems they came in and landed, and sat there to be caught. This bread that fell from heaven looked like white frost. When the dampness of the morning was gone, there were left little round portions of bread, they would be Manna. At any rate, they were little tiny droplets of something that could substitute for bread. To feed 2-1/2 million people, there would have to be an abundance of quail and an abundance of manna. "Manna" means, what is it?

 

Exodus 16:15 "And when the children of Israel saw [it], they said one to another, It [is] manna: for they wist not what it [was]. And Moses said unto them, This [is] the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat."

The “manna” literally means “What is it?” Not only was it remarkable for its size, shape, color, taste and a variety of uses (16:14; 23, 31; Num. 11:7-8), but especially for its daily appearance at dawn, its tremendous abundance, its strange capacity for breeding worms at the end of each day, except the sixth, and its sudden and permanent disappearance as soon as the Israelites entered Canaan (Joshua 5:12). It taught the people to look Godward for their daily bread, and it pointed toward the One who claimed to be the true bread from heaven, even “the bread of life” (John 6:32, 35).

Exodus 16:16 "This [is] the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, [according to] the number of your persons; take ye every man for [them] which [are] in his tents."

Compare Exodus 12:4. Each man was to gather according to his immediate need and that of his family. No one was to seek to accumulate a store.

"For every man": Literally, for every head. As families would average four members, each man would have to gather, on an average, six quarts. If even 500,000 men gathered this amount, the daily supply must have been 93,500 bushels.

An "omer", in our language, would be a little over five pints, slightly more than two quarts. You see here, that five pints is what the average person would eat per day. Some of the little ones, probably ate less and the big ones more, but it would average out. The dad went out and gathered, and he brought enough for his own family. You can easily see why a family of ten would need more than a family of five. They were to get just one day's supply.

Exodus 16:17 "And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less."

According as their families was, more or less numerous; or as the gatherers was, more or less strong and active in gathering it.

Exodus 16:18 "And when they did mete [it] with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating."

Each Israelite gathered what he supposed would be about an omer for each member of his family. Some naturally made an over and some an under estimate. But whatever the quantity collected, when it came to be measured in the camp, the result was always the same, there was found to be just an omer for each. This result can only have been miraculous.

See (2 Cor. 8:15), where Paul applies this truth to Christian giving.

This was just repeating that, if they gathered five pints for each member of their family, it worked out just fine. "Mete" means to measure.

Exodus 16:19 "And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning."

Moses must have been divinely instructed to issue this command. It was doubtless given in order that the Israelites might realize their absolute dependence upon God for food from day to day, and might so be habituated to complete trust and confidence in Him. They were to discipline themselves to one day's supply at a time. This is similar to the song, "ONE DAY AT A TIME". You see, God was teaching them that He was sufficient for their needs each day. We are even warned ourselves about planning more than that, because we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

Exodus 16:20 "Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them."

Either distrusting God’s providence, for a future supply, or out of curiosity to learn the nature of this manna, and what they might do if occasion required; it bred worms and stank. Not so much of its own nature, which was pure and durable, as from God’s judgment. Thus will that be corrupted in which we do not trust in God, and which we do not employ for His glory.

Here we see greed in action, and what it did. Many of the problems in society today are caused by the greed of the people. Wanting something that does not belong to you, can cause robberies, lies, and even murder. Even the thought of it is called coveting in the Bible. One of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not covet". Some religions of our day tell people to claim things they have not worked to get, something that actually belongs to someone else. This is a sin. Thou shalt not covet thou neighbor's possessions.

Exodus 16:21 "And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted."

As much of it as was left upon the ground, not, it seems, from its own nature, which was so solid that it could endure the fire. But that it might not be corrupted, or trodden under foot, or despised, and that they might be compelled, as it were, to the more entire dependence upon God.

God took care of what was left in the fields. He provided plenty, but no extra. There were lessons to be learned, and God was teaching discipline.

 

Verses 22-26: Not only did the Lord miraculously provide manna for the people, but He also miraculously preserved manna from “the sixth day” for use on the “Sabbath” (called “the seventh

day”; in Gen. 2:1-3). The first mention of the term in Scripture. In this, Israel learned to observe this day of “rest” even before the Ten Commandments were issued (20:8-11).

Exodus 16:22-23 "And it came to pass, [that] on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one [man]: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses." "And he said unto them, This [is that] which the LORD hath said, Tomorrow [is] the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake [that] which ye will bake [today], and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning."

The provision of manna on 6 days only but none on the seventh was a weekly lesson on the nature of the Sabbath as a different day. It taught the people to keep the Sabbath properly, and acted as a challenge to obey God’s commands.

"Seethe" means to boil, bake, or roast. It appears from this that not only were they to gather it ahead one day, but they were to prepare it a day ahead, as well. It was alright to eat on the Sabbath, but it was not alright for anyone to work. This is a day God had set aside for them to have total rest. This is just like all the other ordinances God made to help man. These people got so technical about all of this, that they forgot why God had set this Sabbath of rest on the seventh day. Jesus says in:

Mark chapter 2:27, "And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."

You see, this miracle bread could last as long as necessary. It lasted two days, when they gathered it on Friday. The Hebrew Sabbath lasted from 6 p.m. Friday until 6 p.m. Saturday. This Manna soured, at God's command, not because of the number of days. We will find in a later lesson, that a piece of this Manna stayed for years in the Ark of the Covenant without souring. You see this miracle Bread was not subject to elements of this world. Whatever situation you find yourself in, the Bread of life (Jesus), is sufficient to take care of it, whether it is for a day, or a lifetime.

This Sabbath, God was about to establish, was six days' work, one day rest. This holds true, whether this day is an actual 24 hour period, or a year, or a 1,000 year period. I have mentioned this before in another Bible study book, but it is worth repeating here. Since Adam until now has been approximately 6000 years: I believe we are very close to the 1,000 year millennial reign of Jesus Christ on the earth (which is the 1,000 year sabbath rest for the believers).

Exodus 16:24 "And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein."

What was left the omers per each man, what they had neither baked nor boiled. "And it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein, which was the case, when it was left or laid up on other days; and it showed that there was an interposition of divine Providence in the

keeping of it to this day, and clearly confirmed it to be the will of God that this day should henceforward be to them the rest of the holy sabbath.

God promised to supply our need, not our greed. He gave them enough. This miracle Bread can last as long as necessary. Here, it lasted two days. God was trying to teach them discipline and obedience. As long as we obey the commands of God, every circumstance will work out best.

Exodus 16:25 "And Moses said, Eat that today; for today [is] a sabbath unto the LORD: today ye shall not find it in the field."

That is, He said this on the seventh day in the morning, and bid them eat of it whether baked or seethed, or as it was, or just as they pleased; however, they had liberty to eat of it, and indeed they had no other, because none fell on this day. "For today is a sabbath unto the Lord": A time of rest from labor, and to be employed in the service of the Lord.

"Today ye shall not find it in the field": Should they seek for it, which they had no occasion to do, since there was a sufficiency provided the day before; and this he said to prevent their going out to seek for it, which, if out of curiosity or for any other reason any of them should do, it would be in vain and fruitless.

This is what you might call a forced rest. Our bodies will quickly wear out, if there is not one day of rest in seven days. It is very strange the three religions in the world that worship one God all have one day in seven that they rest. The Moslems rest on Friday, the Jewish people practice Sabbath on Saturday, and the Christians practice Firstfruits on Sunday. I just thought this was interesting.

Exodus 16:26 "Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, [which is] the sabbath, in it there shall be none."

Day after day, every morning, as they had done the six days past, so they should during their stay in the wilderness.

"But on the seventh day, which is the sabbath": Which is repeated, being a new thing, to impress it on their minds.

"In it there shall be none": No manna; none shall fall, and so none can be gathered, and therefore it would be to no purpose to go out and seek for it; as also there would be no need of it, since they would always have a double portion on the sixth day.

This was a command of God, and was not to be broken.

Exodus 16:27 "And it came to pass, [that] there went out [some] of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none."

This was an act of willful disobedience. It is remarkable, being the first violation of the express command, that it was not visited by a signal chastisement. The rest and peace of the "holy Sabbath" were not disturbed by a manifestation of wrath.

This was not only for them, but us, as well. If we do not take one day a week, and set it aside for rest and worship, it displeases God. Just as these people did not profit from their work on the Sabbath, neither will we profit from seven days of work, instead of six. God demands one day of rest. That is the way He has made our bodies, and that is the only way they will function properly.

Exodus 16:28 "And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?"

The people had already broken one of the positive precepts with respect to the manna (see Exodus 16:20); now they broke another. In the spirit, at any rate, since they would have gathered had they found anything to gather. Thus they provoked God a second time; yet was He “so merciful, that He destroyed them not,” but “turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath” (Psalm 78:38). Apparently, He made allowance for the ordinance being a new one, to which they were not yet accustomed.

This is interesting, that God said Moses was not keeping the Commandments. The shepherd is responsible for his sheep. Moses needed to make it even clearer to them the warnings from God. I believe the message in this lesson, for us, is that the shepherd must be a watchman. An evangelist is not the shepherd. The evangelist brings a salvation message only, and the pastor is the shepherd. The pastor not only preaches the redemption sermon, but must preach telling the members of his particular church how to live in the salvation that they received.

Exodus 16:29 "See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."

Hath granted to you and your fathers the great privilege of it; and has given the command to observe it.

“Let no man go out of his place”: Out of his house or tent into the field to gather manna, as appears from the occasion and reason of the precept here before mentioned. For otherwise, they might and ought to go out of their houses to the public assemblies, (Lev. 23:3; Acts 15:21); and to lead their cattle to watering, or to help them out of a pit (Luke 13:15); and a sabbath day’s journey was permitted (Acts 1:12).

This Sabbath of rest was for mankind; this double portion of food on the sixth day was so they would not have to do any work on the seventh. This was to help man.

Exodus 16:30 "So the people rested on the seventh day."

Did not attempt to go out of their tents in quest of manna, as on other days, and observed it as a day of rest from labor. And so they continued to do in successive generations.

Exodus 16:31 "And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it [was] like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it [was] like wafers [made] with honey."

“Manna”: The arrival of the quails in much quantity (verse 13), was totally overshadowed by the arrival of manna the next morning. Despite the different descriptions given for its form and taste (verses 14, 31), the name chosen for it derived from the question they asked. “Manna” was an older form of their questions, “What is it?” The psalmist referred to manna as the “food from heaven” and “bread of angels” which rained down after God had opened the windows of heaven (Psalm 78:23-25). Natural explanations for the manna, such as lichen growing on rocks or insect- excreted granules on tamarisk thickets, are totally inadequate to explain its presence in sufficient quantity on the ground under the dew every day except the Sabbath for the next 40 years (verse 35), to satisfy every family’s hunger. It was supernaturally produced and supernaturally sustained to last for the Sabbath!

God had promised them milk and honey. This wafer bread tasted like honey.

 

Verses 32-36: “Lay it up before the Lord”: Provision was made for memorializing the giving of the manna. When the tabernacle was finally constructed, the pot of manna was placed inside the ark. Succeeding generations would be reminded, when they came for worship, of the faithfulness of the Lord in caring for His people (Heb. 9:4).

Exodus 16:32 "And Moses said, This [is] the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt."

An omer is slightly more than two quarts.

This miracle Bread kept in the pot would never spoil. The Bread is symbolic of Jesus. They were never to forget their source of life.

Exodus 16:33 "And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations."

Compare (Exodus 16:34), where Aaron is said to have “laid it up before the Testimony,” i.e., the Two Tablets. According to the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Ark of the Covenant contained three things only; the tablets, the pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded (Heb.

9:4). The deposit of the manna in so sacred a place may be accounted for by its typifying “the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32).

We just see the chain of command from God, to Moses, to Aaron.

Exodus 16:34 "As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept."

The word “Testimony” more likely means “covenant” or “covenant stipulations.” It is virtually a synonym for the word normally translated “covenant,” as indicated by its use in naming the ark “the ark of the testimony” (in Exodus 25:22), but “the ark of the covenant” (in Numbers 10:33).

We just see, here, that Aaron was the actual one to put up the Manna. The "Testimony", here, was the tablets with the Ten Commandments on it. Aaron put this Manna in a pot to be kept, until the Ark of the Covenant was built to house it in. At a later time, this Manna, Aaron's rod that bloomed, and the Ten Commandments would all be kept in the Ark of the Covenant.

Exodus 16:35 "And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan."

Although the manna tasted sweet on their tongues (“like wafers made with honey; verse 31), its true sweetness was in its sufficiency to sustain the people from the land of slavery to the Land of Promise. God’s provisions are sweet for those who are willing to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

"Forty", as we spoke of before, means time of testing. God let them wander forty years to compensate for forty days of unbelief, when they feared to take the Promised Land. We will go into this further in another lesson.

Exodus 16:36 "Now an omer [is] the tenth [part] of an ephah."

The “omer” and the “Ephah” were both of them Egyptian measures. One, the latter, continued in use among the Hebrews, at any rate, until the captivity (Ezekiel 45, 46). The other, the omer, fell out of use very early. Hence this parenthetic verse; which is exegetical of the word “omer”. And this may have been added by the completer of Deuteronomy, or by some later editor, perhaps Ezra.

That is just to explain that an omer is 5.1 pints.

 

Exodus Chapter 16:1-14 Questions

1.Where was the wilderness of Sin located?

2.How long had they been on the journey, when they arrived at the wilderness?

3.What is the name of their month that is the same as our May?

4.Who did the children murmur to?

5.What ridiculous thing did the children of Israel say they wished had happened to them in Egypt?

6.What did they accuse Moses of bringing them out there for?

7.What had they forgotten about Egypt?

8.What did God tell Moses, that He would rain from heaven?

9.How often were they to gather it?

10.Why was God doing this?

11.What did John chapter 6 call it Manna, or Bread?

12.If we believe on Him, we shall _______ _______.

13.What special gathering instructions did He give them for the sixth day?

14.Why?

15.What would the children of Israel know in the evening?

16.What was God teaching them?

17.These complaints slanted toward Moses were really against whom?

18.Moses and Aaron are just God's _______________.

19.What will most ministers tell you about God and their call?

20.When Moses told them about the meat in the evening and the bread in the morning, it was almost a ____________.

21.What was the congregation to do, to know this was God?

22.How did the Lord appear to them?

23.How had they known of His presence before?

24.What did God want them to know?

25.How many quail were there?

26.What shape was the Manna?

27.What did the Manna look like?

 

Exodus Chapter 16:15-36 Questions

 

1. Who first called this Bread Manna?

2.What did Moses call it?

3.What does "Manna" mean?

4.What amount was to be gathered for each person each day?

5.How much is an "omer"?

6.What does "mete" mean?

7."And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the ____________."

8.What was God teaching them in this?

9.When they didn't listen, and left some until the morning, what happened?

10.In what one word can you find most of the world's problems today?

11.Why should we not claim something that we have not worked for, that belongs to someone else?

12.What happened to the Manna that was not gathered?

13.What was different about the gathering on the sixth day?

14.What holy day was instituted in this?

15.How were the children to prepare the Manna for the seventh day?

16.Who did God institute the Sabbath for?

17.The Hebrew Sabbath lasted from__________ to ___________.

18.The Sabbath could be a _____, a _______, or a _________ ______period.

19.God promises to supply our ________ not our _________.

20.What two things was God trying to teach in this?

21.Very similar to Sabbath, what do the Christians celebrate?

22.When some of the people disobeyed God, and went to gather on the Sabbath, who did God blame?

23.Explain the difference between an evangelist and a pastor.

24.What are most pastors preaching today?

25.Moses, like pastors, must teach his people the _____ ____ ______ .

26.What color was the Manna?

27.What did it taste like?

28.What was Aaron to do with one omer of Manna?

29.After the Ark of the Covenant was built, what three things will be in it?

30.How long did they eat Manna?

31.What was the "Testimony"?

32.Compare an omer to an ephah.