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.
"Redemption of Man"
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