God provides Manna

Israel had held the first Passover at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month.  At midnight, the death angel Killed the firstborn, and the Egytpians forced them to leave early in the morning of the fifteenth .  Seven days later, they saw Pharaoh and his army destroyed in the Red Sea.  Three days later, they came to Marah where the water was bitter and they complained.  From Mara they went to Elim, staying for several days.  On the fifteenth day of the second month, they came into the wilderness of Sin, on the southern and eastern side of Mount Sinai, according to 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.” 

They had used up the food they brought from Egypt and the the dessert did not grow enough food to feed the six hundred thousand men, much less the women and children that accompanied them.   Just a month after leaving Egypt the people began to complain that they wished they hadn’t left, as Exodus 16:3 tells us.  “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.” 

God promised to provide food on a daily basis. He gave specific instructions as to how they were to collect it, in an effort to teach them to follow his instructions day by day and grow their faith, as Exodus 16:4-5 describes.  “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.  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.” 

Note:    The writer of Exodus also describes them getting quail to eat in the evening, but Numbers 11 tells us God did not start sending the quail until a year later, making it clear the two books were not written by the same person, despite the tradition. 

Exodus 16:14-18 describes Israels first experience with Manna.  “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.  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.  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.  And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.  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.

And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.  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.  And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.  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.”

During the week the leftovers had spoiled, so on Friday, when the people gathered twice as much, following Moses’ instructions, the leaders came to Moses to complain that the people were doing something different.    Moses pointed out that the people were doing exactly what god had commanded, in Exodus 16:23-26.  “And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.  And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.  And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.  Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. “

The leaders were not the only ones who did not listen, as we see in Exodus 16:27-31.  “And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?  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.  So the people rested on the seventh day.  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.”

People tend to forget what God has said or done very quickly.  Israel began to complain just a month after God had delivered them from slavery, and just a week after he gave them manna, many of them forgot or ignored his instructions.  Sadly, many today do the same things.  They woulod spend the next forty years eating manna, learning to trust God day by day.