Exodus 16
The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 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.”
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”
10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.
11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer[a] for each person you have in your tent.’”
17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
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[b] 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[c] 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.[d] 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.)
Footnotes
- Exodus 16:16 That is, possibly about 3 pounds or about 1.4 kilograms; also in verses 18, 32, 33 and 36
- Exodus 16:22 That is, possibly about 6 pounds or about 2.8 kilograms
- Exodus 16:28 The Hebrew is plural.
- Exodus 16:31 Manna sounds like the Hebrew for What is it? (see verse 15).
Did They, Though?
Exodus 16:1-3
The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
It sounds like the Israelites are painting a better picture of their life in Egypt than reality warrants. I mean, did the Egyptians really give their Hebrew slaves pots of meat and all the food they wanted? Isn’t it more likely that the Israelite slaves were worked hard all day and then given or could afford only enough food to live on?
It sounds like the Israelites aren’t grateful enough to be free from their slavery.
What about us? Do we find ourselves grumbling about our current circumstances, not remembering what the Lord has brought out of? Things could be a lot worse than they are now. We could still be in slavery to our sins! We could still be in that unhealthy relationship. We could still be in that dead-end job. We could still be dealing with depression or anxiety or addiction.
But the truth is, we’re not slaves anymore. And if you are a slave to something, there’s freedom for you in Christ Jesus. Are things perfect now? No, because we’re not yet in our Promised Land, but things are a lot better than they used to be, so let’s practice thankfulness and contentment today.
It’s a Test
Exodus 16:4-5
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 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.”
How was picking up the manna each day – and only enough for that day – a test from God? He was testing the people to see if they would rely on Him for their daily needs!
Too many Christians don’t rely on God daily. They’ve built up big bank accounts and retirement funds they can rely on for tomorrow’s needs. The people of Israel weren’t supposed to have enough for tomorrow (except on the Sabbath) because they were supposed to rely on God for tomorrow’s needs. They had to trust that their Heavenly Father would feed them each day.
I wonder how much more faith-filled we would be if we truly relied on the Lord each day for each day’s bread. Can you imagine that? What would relying on the Lord for your daily needs look like in your life?
Relying on God daily is a test from Him. What can you do to force yourself to rely more on the Lord?
How Do We Know Who Is God?
Exodus 16:11-12
The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
How do we know the Lord is God? When He supplies our needs.
How is the Lord meeting your needs today? Acknowledge Him as God.
“What Is It?”
Exodus 16:13-15
That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Has the Lord ever surprised you by how He met your needs? Maybe you were praying for His help, but the way He helped you was unexpected. I feel like that’s what the Israelites experienced here. The Lord promised to give them bread, but this was different than any bread they had ever seen. This bread made them ask, “What is it?”
When Lord supplies our needs, it’s unexpected. It’s different than what you were thinking. I think that’s one way you can tell it’s Him working for you rather than things naturally falling into place.
Why Don’t Some People Have Enough?
Exodus 16:15-18
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”
The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
There are people starving in the world. Do you think our Heavenly Father would create a world in which there’s not enough food to go around?
People are living in poverty. Do you think our good God has failed to provide enough resources for everyone on Earth?
The truth is that there is plenty of food and other resources to go around, so what’s the problem? Some people are going out and gathering more than they need. Others are failing to go out and gather at all.
When we practice relying on God for our daily bread and taking only as much as we need, when we leave our tents and actually gather like He told us to – in short, when we do what the Lord says, everyone has enough.
Living On the Bread
Exodus 16:35
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.
The Israelites ate the bread the Lord provided until they reached the Promised Land. The Lord has also given us Bread to sustain us until we reach our Promised Land.
Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…I am the bread of life. 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” (John 6:35, 48-51).
Are you living on Jesus today? Are you so reliant on His Presence in your life that He’s the one sustaining you?
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