Leslie M. John

The children of Israel, after having been provided with sweet water by God at Marah and a good rest at Elim, they resume their journey and reach the wilderness of Sin and murmur just as they did at Marah. This time they complain about the lack of food at that place while remembering their food that they had as slaves in Egypt. They wished they had that kind of food now in the wilderness and did speak out as if they had no problems in being as slaves under Pharaoh. They did not realize the importance of freedom now they have in the eternal care of the living God. Their murmurs against Moses and Aaron were not accepted as justifiable by the LORD, yet the LORD had compassion on them.

The LORD then said to Moses that he will rain heavenly bread for them and people should go out and gather the food only to the extent that was need for them for the day. The LORD was doing this to test them to see whether or not they will walk in his law. The LORD also told them that on the sixth day they should collect for the seventh day also, so that they may take rest on the seventh day. Moses and Aaron said to the children of Israel that they will know who the LORD that brought them out of Egypt was. They also aired their grievances against them saying that their murmurings are not against them but are against the LORD himself. Moses spoke to Aaron asking him to tell all the congregation of the children of Israel that the LORD who brought them, heard their murmurings. Aaron spoke to the children of Israel as instructed by Moses and as he was yet speaking the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud and spoke to Moses saying, "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" (Exodus 16:12 KJV)

As God spoke, at evening the meat in the form of 'quails' came up and covered the camp and in the morning the dew was found lying on the host. When the dew disappeared there appeared on the "face of the wilderness a small round thing as the hoar frost on the ground". The children of Israel saw the wonderful food and did not know what it was; and they called it as, "Manna". Moses said to them that it was the heavenly bread that the LORD gave them to eat. He also told them that they should gather only such quantity every day as is needed for the day and not store up for the next day; he continued saying that they are, however, allowed to gather two days food on the sixth day, so that they may rest on the seventh day. There was a measure, "Omer" given to them and they were not allowed to gather more than that a day. He, who gathered much more than 'Omer' had nothing more and he, who had gathered less had no lack of it, because every one gathered according to one's need for the day. Here man's true nature is revealed to do that which he was not supposed to do. Some in the camp did not obey what Moses said to them, and gathered more food for the day than what was required, but alas! the excess food perished. the food they gathered on the sixth day for the seventh day did not perish, but lasted as fresh as it was gathered on the same day. Moses was really antagonized at their behavior in gathering more than what was required for them. It was the heavenly bread, the "manna" that rained from heaven for them every day for six days in a week and not rained on the seventh day that they may take rest on that day signifying that it was the LORD's day.

Moses spoke to them and said that the LORD said that the next day was the rest day of the holy Sabbath unto the LORD and that they should bake that day and soak in water that needs to be soaked that the excess food may last on the Sabbath day also. The food lasted as fresh as on that day on the Sabbath day also when they obeyed the word of Moses. The food made on the previous say did not stink nor was any worm in it on the Sabbath day Some of them had rebellious nature in them and went out on the Sabbath day to gather food but alas! they found none. The LORD was not happy about their going out on the Sabbath day for food and he asked Moses how long all of them refuse to obey His commandments and not take note of the provision of food for them on the sixth day that was sufficient for the seventh day also. Then 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" (Exodus 16:31 KJV)

Moses said to the children of Israel that the LORD commanded them to fill every man an "Omer" with manna and keep it as an evidence to be shown to the generations to come that they may see and know that the LORD provided their fathers with heavenly bread and fed in them in the wilderness after redeeming them from the bondage of slavery under Pharaoh. An "Omer was equivalent to tenth of an "Ephah", which is like five gallons. "As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 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" (Exodus 16:34-35 KJV). It is the heavenly bread, the "Manna" that God provided to them to satisfy their hunger and praise God. The greatness of the provisions that God made for them was seen in when the remains of the manna they collected more than what was necessary on six days perished, but the manna they collected on the sixth day to retain it for the seventh day did not perish. God provided food for them on the sixth day so that they may rest on the seventh day. The Manna was like coriander seed, white and tasty like wafers made with honey. If they collected more food than what was necessary on any day on five days, it melted as soon as the Sun waxed hot, but the excess stuff they collected on the sixth day for feeding themselves on the seventh day neither did perish nor had any worm in them. In spite of these provisions God made for them some of them went out and collected more food than what was necessary and irked Moses and the LORD in turn.

Dear Friend,

Today is the day of Salvation. Please accept Jesus Christ as your personalSavior, and your Lord, to enter in to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus Christ, who bore our sins and died for our sake is resurrected and He isliving God. He will come soon to receive the saved ones in to the Kingdom ofGod. Please do not lose this opportunity but confess your sins to him and besaved.

Today is the day of salvation Jesus saves you