Exodus 16

⁸ And Moses said, “When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him— what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.” … ^12bThen you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’ ” That should have put the fear of God into them. The last time God said, “Then they will know I am the LORD”, was about the army of Egypt before they drowned. (Exodus 14:18[notes1] ) The difference is that God added a reassuring, “your God” on the end of the phrase.

God is patient and gracious. They didn’t deserve it, but God dealt with them as children. They are just learning to walk. (Psalm 78:38[notes2] ) Most of us are in the same place, complaining about the one thing we lack when we have been given so much. The Lord meets our need, and hopefully we learn the lesson and know that He is the LORD our God!

¹³ In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. ¹⁴ And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. ^15a When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. There have been numerous practical explanations how this may have been possible. Quail do migrate at night when it is cool and then collapse in the morning after flying so long. The problem with that natural explanation is the quail came in the evening.

The manna has been explained as a secretion of a desert aphid, but does anyone serious think there were that many aphids in the desert? Then the miracle would have been just as glorious, billions of aphids that secrete their nectar five days a week, and double on Friday, but nothing on Saturday. Why do unbelievers have such a hard time accepting the possibility of the God of creation doing something supernatural?

The people had never seen that white stuff before, so the called it “What’s it?” in Hebrew, manna. (Actually “man” but through the Greek and Aramaic translations we came to call it manna.) Manna in the morning every day and on this special occasion quail in the evening. (Not to be confused with Numbers 11[notes3] .)

Each person was to gather about 2 quarts and 4 quarts on Friday. It seems that no matter how big or small you were, it was just enough for you. (2Corinthians 8:13-15[notes4] ) In the instructions was an implied test. If you gathered more than you were told, by the next day it would stink and have worms. On Friday you had to believe it wouldn’t spoil if you gathered two days worth. Those who disobeyed found that God’s word was true. If they went out Saturday morning, there was no manna to be found anywhere, but people still went out to check. These were lessons to help them believe the Word from the Lord. They are soon to receive the commands from Sinai. The instructions regarding manna were preschool.  Have you passed or do you still check to see if God’s word is faithful?

[notes1] Exodus 14:18 (ESV)

18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

[notes2] Psalm 78:38 (ESV)

38 Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.

[notes3] Numbers 11:31 (ESV)

31 Then a wind from the LORD sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground.

[notes4] 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 (ESV)

13 I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

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