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Turn to chapter 16 in the book 
of Exodus. Just by way of reminder, we saw 
the ten plagues, the actual Exodus itself in chapter 12, and then 
we saw the consecration of the firstborn in chapter 13 in terms 
of God's command with reference to the setting apart of the firstborn. 
to honor, to glorify, and praise His name for His redemption of 
His people. The crossing of the Red Sea in 
chapter 14, and then last week we saw the Song of Moses. And 
one of the things that does connect chapters 15, 16, and 17 is the 
grumbling or the complaining of the children of Israel. We 
see that preeminently here in chapter 16. So I'll read, beginning 
in verse 1, we'll read to the end of the chapter. And they 
journeyed from Elam, and all the congregation of the children 
of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elam 
and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they 
departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of 
the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the 
wilderness. And the children of Israel said 
to them, O, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the 
land of Egypt, and we sat by the pots of meat, and when we 
ate bread to the full. For you have brought us out into 
this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Then 
the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven 
for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota 
every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my 
law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall 
prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as 
they gathered daily. Then Moses and Aaron said to 
all the children of Israel, at evening you shall know that the 
Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning 
you shall see the glory of the Lord, for he hears your complaints 
against the Lord. But what are we that you complain 
against us? Also Moses said, This shall be 
seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and 
in the morning bread to the full. For the Lord hears your complaints 
which you make against him. And what are we? Your complaints 
are not against us, but against the Lord. Then Moses spoke to 
Aaron, saying to all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come 
near before the Lord, for he has heard your complaints. Now 
it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of 
the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, 
and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And 
the Lord spoke to Moses saying, I have heard the complaints of 
the children of Israel. Speak to them saying at twilight, 
you shall eat meat. And in the morning you shall 
be filled with bread and you shall know that I am the Lord, 
your God. So it was that quails came up 
at evening and covered the camp. And in the morning, the dew lay 
all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted 
there on the surface of the wilderness was a small round substance as 
fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel 
saw it, they said to one another, What is it? For they did not 
know what it was. And Moses said to them, This 
is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is the 
thing which the Lord has commanded. Let every man gather it according 
to each one's need, one omer for each person, according to 
the number of persons. Let every man take for those 
who are in his tent. Then the children of Israel did 
so and gathered, some more, some less. So when they measured it 
by Omer's, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he 
who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according 
to each one's need. And Moses said, let no one leave 
any of it until morning. Notwithstanding, they did not 
heed Moses. But some of them left part of 
it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was 
angry with them. So they gathered it every morning, 
every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, 
it melted. And so it was on the sixth day that they gathered 
twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers 
of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, 
this is what the Lord has said. Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a 
holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today 
and boil what you will boil and lay up for yourselves all that 
remains to be kept until morning. So they laid it up till morning, 
as Moses commanded, and it did not stink, nor were there any 
worms in it. Then Moses said, Eat that today, 
for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find 
it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, 
but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none. Now it happened 
that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, 
but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, How 
long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See, 
for the Lord has given you the Sabbath. Therefore He gives you 
on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain 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 
its name manna, and it was like white coriander seed, and the 
taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Then Moses said, 
this is the thing which the Lord has commanded, fill an omer with 
it to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with 
which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the 
land of Egypt. And Moses said to Aaron, Take 
a pot, and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the 
Lord, to be kept for your generations. As the Lord commanded Moses, 
so Aaron laid it up before the testimony, to be kept. And the 
children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came 
to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they came 
to the border of the land of Canaan. Now an omer is one-tenth 
of an ephah." Amen. Well, basically what we see, 
as I said, complaint on the part of the children of Israel, and 
goodness and kindness on the part of God Most High. So as 
bread or manna is sort of the preeminent or dominating theme, 
I want to look first at the promise of bread in verses 1 to 12, second 
the presence of bread in verses 13 to 31, and then finally the 
preservation of the bread in verses 32 to 36. Now, as I said, 
the central theme, or one of them, is the complaining of the 
children of Israel. Look back at chapter 15 at the 
end of the chapter in Merah. At verse 24, the people complained 
against Moses, saying, what shall we drink? Wasn't wrong for them 
to be thirsty, just like it wasn't wrong for them to be hungry in 
chapter 16. It was wrong, however, to not 
walk by faith. The God of heaven and earth had 
redeemed them. He had not redeemed them to starve 
them or to bring them to the place of thirsting to death, 
but he rather will sustain them by his powerful word. We have 
that central theme of complaint all throughout chapter 16. You 
see it there in verse 2, you see it in verse 7, see it again 
in verse 8, verse 9, and then at verse 12. And then in chapter 
17, the same sort of emphasis in verse 2, therefore the people 
contended with Moses, and then in verse 3, the people thirsted 
there for water, and the people complained against Moses and 
said. So when God speaks about testing the people, I don't know, 
I don't think it's just one particular command associated with chapter 
16, vis-a-vis just collecting double on the sixth day, but 
I think the entire period is to be looked at as a period of 
testing to see if in fact the children of Israel would have 
confidence and trust in the true and living God. Now notice the 
complaint proper in verses 2 and 3. The complaint was directed 
at Moses and Aaron. Verse 2, then the whole congregation, 
probably not every jot and tittle, but it's a good representative, 
the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained 
against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And then notice that 
the children of Israel remember or reflect upon and probably 
inflate what they had back in slavery. Notice in verse three, 
the children of Israel said to them, oh, that we had died by 
the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by the pots 
of meat and when we ate bread to the full. Again, was that 
necessarily the case? They were a slave people, enslaved 
by oppressive regime. Certainly they were fed and they 
were sustained, but likely it wasn't quite as good as they're 
describing it there. Matthew Pool glosses this way, 
when we did eat bread to the full, which is not probable, 
but they amplify their former mercies that they might aggravate 
their present calamity, as the manner of impatient and ungodly 
man is. Whenever we're in dire straits, 
we reflect on how great it used to be, and that serves as a greater 
impetus for us to complain in the here and the now. Notice 
as well that the children of Israel imply that God is going 
to kill them out in the wilderness. So he redeemed them. He engaged 
in ten plagues, culminating, or nine plagues culminating in 
the tenth one, where he killed the firstborn of Egypt, he destroyed 
the armies of Pharaoh, and he did all of this to bring his 
children out into the wilderness simply to starve them. That's 
immediately where their minds go. And honestly, they sound 
like drama queens. Oh, that we had died by the hand 
of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, 
and when we ate bread to the full. For you have brought us 
out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. 
Again, brethren, as we read this particular satshet, yes, it's 
easy for us to go, oh, those terrible children of Israel back 
in that old covenant setting, and somehow miss the fact that 
we oftentimes complain, and that we oftentimes grumble against 
our God. But in terms of this particular 
statement, Robert Alter says their formulation suggests that 
the Lord is about to kill them in the wilderness. So he might 
as well have done the job back in Egypt, where at least they 
would have died with a full stomach. That's the nature of their complaint. 
Oh, it was so good back there. Too bad God hadn't just killed 
us then. Rather, he's brought us out into this wilderness and 
now he's going to slay us with empty bellies. This is ultimately 
a lack of confidence in the God of absolute sovereignty. And 
again, it's something that corresponds to our New Covenant setting. 
Turn to the book of Romans for just a moment to see what Paul 
does in terms of a greater to a lesser argument and how this 
applies, not only to Israel in the Old Covenant, but to the 
church of Christ and the new. Romans chapter 8, verse 28, we 
know this passage intimately. We know that all things work 
together for good to those who love God, to those who are the 
called according to his purpose. And as I've often tried to remind 
us, most likely what Paul is envisioning here is that all 
things, in the negative sense, Paul wouldn't need to tell the 
people of God that finding bags of money or going on holidays 
or getting raises at work or getting new jobs work for good. We know that. They obviously 
work for good. So the all things of verse 28 
most likely underscores the negative, the heartaches, the distresses, 
the trials, the tribulations that we face. And then notice 
what he goes on to say, for whom he foreknew, he also predestined 
to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be 
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, 
these he also called. Whom he called, these he also 
justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. What 
then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be 
against us? You see the Apostle's argument. 
You see the logic. If he's done all that he's done 
in order to bring us to this particular spot, we must confess 
and conclude that God is for us. And if God is for us, who 
can be against us? Now notice in verse 32, the greater 
to the lesser. He who did not spare his own 
son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with 
him also freely give us all things? Seems to me this is precisely 
the problem of the children of Israel in Exodus chapter 16. God redeemed them. God opened 
the Red Sea. God brought them through on dry 
ground. God brought those waters, or 
those walls of water, to bear upon their enemies. They saw 
the Egyptians dead in the sea. They are brought out of the land 
of bondage, out of the land of slavery, out of that oppression. They're on their way to the promised 
land, and here, at this particular juncture, they lose the thought 
of who this God is, and they complain. Has he brought us out 
here simply to kill us? Simply to cause us to die of 
thirst out into the wilderness? This is a greater to the lesser 
situation. And of course, God is testing 
them. And the test is not so much as 
to say that if you do this, then you will get what you get. The 
idea is that they're pressed, they're being taught, they're 
being tutored, they're being instructed that they must express 
their dependence upon the true and living God. So they don't 
do that back in Exodus chapter 16. Notice as we move through 
the promise of bread, the promise specifically is in verses 4 and 
5. It's always a curious thing. They're complaining, they're 
whining, they're murmuring, they're grumbling. They go to the very 
worst possible scenario that God's brought us out to this 
place to kill us. Look at what the Lord says to 
Moses in verse 4. Behold, I will reign bread from 
heaven for you. In other words, I did not bring 
them out here to kill them by starvation. I plan to feed them. I plan to sustain them. But all 
the while I want them to learn and understand that man shall 
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from 
the mouth of God. That is a lesson that comes up 
later in the plains of Moab in Deuteronomy chapter 8. God sort 
of gives us his interpretation through Moses as to what he is 
doing in times like this. Notice, I will rain bread from 
heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a certain 
quota every day that I may test them, whether they will walk 
in my law or not. And it shall be on the sixth 
day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be 
twice as much as they gathered daily. Now that double portion, 
to be collected, is not explained until later in verses 22 to 26. 
We know what it means because we've read verses 22 to 26. This 
is a Sabbath passage. And you see it's a Sabbath passage 
before Sinai, but what do you think they're reflecting upon 
is God's Sabbath in Genesis chapter 2, verses 1 to 3. In going through 
the doctrine of the Sabbath, we know it's not just Exodus 
20, where the Sabbath begins. God's Sabbaths in Genesis 2, 
1 to 3. Cain and Abel present their offering 
at the end of the days of the week, according to Genesis chapter 
4. And then we see here in Exodus 
chapter 16, God specifically setting apart the people for 
Sabbath observance. So 4-6 doesn't develop that thought, 
it simply lays out the principle that each and every day, each 
and every person will go out and gather what they need in 
order to sustain their lives. When it comes to the 6th day, 
you will gather up twice as much because on the 7th day there 
will be no gathering because it's a day of rest, a day of 
worship. Now notice specifically the instructions 
in verses 6 to 12. Moses exhorts the people in verses 
6 and 7. Then Moses and Aaron said to 
all the children of Israel, At evening you shall know that the 
Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. Most likely that's 
a reference to verse 13. So it was that quails came up 
at evening and covered the camp. In other words, when God feeds 
you, this will be further confirmation that it was the God who redeemed 
you who brought you out into this place. Now with reference 
to the quails, with reference to the meat, it does not seem 
to have been provided in the same manner that the manna was. 
There were seasons and instances where there were quails, but 
the 40 years of sustenance was primarily the manna. But back 
to verse 6, At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought 
you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall 
see the glory of the Lord. So in the evening you get the 
quail meat, and in the morning you get the manna. Now, they 
would be sustained, as Moses says in verse 35, for 40 years. Now, some say, well, Moses couldn't 
have written that. He could have done it prospectively, 
or it could have been an editorial comment. Nothing in the Bible 
and the doctrine of inspiration would bar us from appreciating 
the right use of an editor when it comes to certain things. In 
other words, even Paul in the New Testament used a man to actually 
pen the letters that he was dictating. It's called an amanuensis. It doesn't mean that Paul didn't 
write it. It means that Paul used a man 
to write, not probably every one of the letters, but some 
of the letters he would have done that. He indicates as much 
in his letters. But back to verses six and seven. 
Moses says that when you see these things, it will confirm 
that the God who redeemed you is the God who will provide for 
you. He will sustain you. Now notice 
the rebuke that Moses gives in verse 7b and 8. For he hears 
your complaints against the Lord. But what are we that you complain 
against us? Now, brethren, not only are they 
gonna see the glory of the Lord displayed in terms of his kind 
and good providence, but hopefully it will instill in them the fear 
of God. In other words, you shouldn't 
be complaining about this God, this God who's redeemed you, 
this God who is going to feed you, this God who is going to 
bring you into the land that he has promised, that he has 
gifted to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and you're receiving from 
his gracious hand. Verse 8, also Moses said, this 
shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening 
and in the morning bread to the full. For the Lord hears your 
complaints which you make, notice, against him. Remember in 1 Samuel 
8, the children of Israel cry out, to Samuel that he would 
appoint a king so that they could be like all the other nations 
around them. Now, even prior to that, in Deuteronomy 
17, there was instructions for the monarch. In other words, 
in Israel, there would be a king. In Israel, there would be a monarch. 
He must come from among your brethren. He mustn't multiply 
wealth or women or weapons. He must fear God. He must walk 
in obedience, all that sort of thing. So the problem wasn't 
monarchy. Rather, it was the problem of 
trying to solve their immediate problems by monarchy like the 
nations around them. But whenever they voice that 
complaint to Samuel, Samuel then goes to Yahweh and he expresses 
what's in the hearts of the people. What does God say to him? They 
don't have a problem with you Samuel, they have a problem with 
me. In other words, God knows that 
when persons grumble against Moses and Aaron, God is the target. Moses and Aaron are simply the 
spokesmen for Yahweh. So when the children of Israel 
direct their complaints against them, it's not them properly, 
it's the God whom they serve. And then he goes on to draw this 
out, and what are we? Your complaints are not against 
us, but against the Lord. And then the promise comes to 
them. So they're not only exhorted that they're going to see God's 
hand, they're rebuked for having complained against God. But then 
notice this promise in verses 9 to 12. Say to all the congregation 
of the children of Israel, come near before the Lord, for he 
has heard your complaints. Again, come near because he's 
going to deal with you in kindness and goodness, but come near with 
fear and trembling. You really shouldn't complain 
against this God. You really shouldn't murmur and 
grumble against this God. So there is this command to come 
near, and then there is this promise concerning a vision of 
His glory. Verse 10, Now it came to pass, 
as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that 
they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the 
Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord spoke to Moses, 
saying, I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak 
to them, saying, At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the 
morning you shall be filled with bread, and you shall know that 
I am the Lord your God. So this was instruction. He was 
known to be God because he had redeemed them. He is known to 
be God because He does provide for them. When you look at the 
doctrine of creation and providence and redemption, they have as 
their underlying theme that God is the author of each. And so 
these things would demonstrate that Yahweh was in fact the God 
of Israel. Now notice the presence of bread 
in verses 13 to 31. The provision is given in verses 
13 to 15. You can turn over to the book 
of Psalms. Notice at verse 13, so it was 
that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in 
the morning the dew lay all around the camp. If you turn to Psalm 
78, there's divine commentary on this particular situation. 
This was not something that was easily forgotten, God's provision 
to them. Makes it into the Psalter, this 
is an inscription of praise and glory given to God Almighty. Psalm 78, verses 26 to 29. "'He 
caused an east wind to blow in the heavens, "'and by his power 
he brought in the south wind. "'He also rained meat on them 
like the dust, "'feathered fowl like the sand of the seas. "'And 
he let them fall in the midst of their camp, "'all around their 
dwelling. "'So they ate and were filled, 
"'for he gave them their own desire.'" And then Psalm 105 
verse 40 indicates this as well. The reason I point us to this 
is because when you go through the Old Testament, as I've said, 
the Old Testament reflects on previous Old Testament passages. 
It's not just New Testament authors that quote the Old Testament, 
but Old Testament authors quote the Old Testament as well. They 
do theology, they do interpretation, they do application with reference 
to the Word of God for the people of God. So Psalm 105 verse 40, 
the people asked and he brought quail and satisfied them with 
the bread of heaven. So going back to Exodus chapter 
16, he delivers these quail to the people of Israel so that 
they can enjoy meat. So that is the evening provision 
that will in fact demonstrate God's goodness and kindness. 
And then in verse 14, and when the lair of dew lifted, there 
on the surface of the wilderness was a small round substance as 
fine as frost on the ground. Now there are those who try to 
explain this away as, you know, just a naturalistic thing. It 
just so happens that occasionally these flocks of quail would die 
and they could go ahead and eat, and then the manna is explained 
in naturalistic ways as well, but that always falls short. 
When you move through the narrative, the manna that was stored for 
a night, except for on the sixth night, would spoil. There would 
be worms and it would stink. But the same manna on the sixth 
night would not bear worms and it wouldn't stink. What does 
that evidence or indicate to us? It's God's provision, it's 
God's power, God's sovereignty, and God's providence that is 
at play or at work in the provision of quails and in the provision 
of manna to the children of Israel. So verses 14 and 15 describe 
the manna. I remember when I was a young 
papist, when I went to Catholic school, I think a priest brought 
in what he called manna at one time. And I remember thinking 
then, how could this be manna? It was the thought I had, I don't 
know why he would have called it manna, what it was, maybe 
it was a honey cruller and it was sort of mashed up and it 
had that taste or whatever, but it's a description concerning 
what they saw. And then they didn't initially 
know what it was. Notice verse 15, so when the 
children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, what is 
it? for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 
this is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is 
the thing which the Lord has commanded. Let everyone, let 
every man gather it according to each one's need. One omer 
for each person, according to the number of persons. Let every 
man take for those who are in his tent. Paul quotes this in 
second Corinthians chapter eight, when he's urging the Corinthian 
church to give liberally with reference to the churches in 
Macedonia who had need for the kindness of brethren. The Geneva 
Bible says, God is a rich feeder of all, and none can justly complain. So then notice back to verse 
17, and the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, 
some less. So when they measured it by omers, 
he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who had gathered 
little had no lack. That's the verse in 2nd Corinthians. 
Every man had gathered according to each man's need. Now notice 
what Moses says, let no one leave any of it till morning. Now the 
reasons are manifold in terms of the commentators as to why 
this was the stipulation. Some suggest that it was to inculcate 
discipline among the children of Israel, it was to make sure 
they went out, early in the morning, because by the heat of the day, 
the heat of the day would melt away the manna, so there was 
an impetus upon the children of Israel to learn very diligently 
their need to go out. So God not only wonderfully, 
magically, or not magically, but powerfully and providentially 
provides this, but there is means involved in terms of going to 
collect our daily bread. I think that's one of the underlying 
lessons. There is this dependence upon 
God for our daily bread. So Moses gives them this admonition, 
but notice verse 20. Of course, there's always got 
to be a few wise guys in the crowd, right? Not only here, 
but also in verse 27. After the detailed instruction 
that you're not supposed to gather on the seventh day, what do a 
couple of the hammerheads do? They have to go out and try to 
gather on the seventh day. Again, brethren, as you read 
this, try and picture If not yourself, yeah, yourself in the 
passage. There's always a stubbornness 
in each of us, and we do the sorts of things that God tells 
us specifically not to do. Notice in verse 20, Notwithstanding 
they did not heed Moses, but some of them left part of it 
until morning, and it bred worms and stank, and Moses was angry 
with them. we might ask the question, why 
would they do that? It was pretty clear instructions, 
wasn't it? But isn't that the nature of 
rebellion? It's typically very clear instructions, isn't it? 
Could have been greed. They didn't want to get rid of 
it. They had gone without. It's time to hoard it. It's time 
to store it up. Could have been laziness, not 
wanting to go out the next morning. I've already got my store I can 
sleep in. I don't have to go out and rummage 
around for bread if I've stored it up. And some, it could have 
just been curiosity. I mean, there's always that guy, 
well, let's kind of want to see what happens. Well, that's not 
what you were told to do. You're told to utilize it, not 
to store it away, but nevertheless they did that. So then they fall 
into line according to verses 21 and 22. They resume the commanded 
activity. Notice, so they gathered it every 
morning, every man according to his need, and when the sun 
became hot, it melted. And so it was on the sixth day 
that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one, 
and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses, Now, here 
comes the explanation. Here is the explanation for what 
God had announced in verses 4 and 5, that there would be this provision 
of bread, that they would gather up a daily portion, except on 
the sixth day, when they would gather up two portions. Because 
on the seventh day, they were not supposed to go out and gather 
up a portion, but rather they were to cease from their labors, 
they were to rest in their God, they were to follow His pattern 
that He displayed in Genesis chapter 2, verses 1 to 3. So 
that's what comes up in verse 23. Then he said to them, this 
is what the Lord has said. Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a 
holy Sabbath to the Lord. Notice, there's not a lot of 
detailed instruction there. Calvin says it's probably the 
case, I mean he doesn't want to fight for it, but he says 
it is the case that there was already this observance in play 
before the giving of this particular section. Notice, he says, "...bake 
what you will bake today, boil what you will boil, and lay up 
for yourselves all that remains to be kept until morning." And 
so they comply. Verse 24 is very positive. So 
they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded, and it did 
not stink, nor were there any worms in it. See that difference, 
that contrast? If it was day four, and you happened 
to stow some away, when you looked at it the next morning, it smelled, 
and there were worms. But when you stored it up on 
the sixth night, because God commanded it thus, that bread 
was perfectly acceptable for the next day's use. No worms, 
no stink, it was ready to mow down. And then notice the rationale. Verse 25, Then Moses said, Eat 
that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not 
find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, 
but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none. Now notice, 
the practice is given, they fulfill it, and now the rebuke comes. Verse 27, Now it happened that 
some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather. Again, 
really? Really? It's kind of like Leviticus 
1 to 9. You get this detailed legislation 
on how to offer up sacrifice. I mean, we're reading it right 
now on Sunday night. We're in Leviticus or we just 
read Leviticus 6. It's pretty detailed, isn't it? 
It's not, you know, just kind of vague and a bit suggestive 
and, you know, go where the Lord leads you, go where the Spirit 
leads you. It's not like that. It is very, very much spelled 
out. As soon as you get to Leviticus 
chapter 10, what happens? Nadab and Abihu say, well, let 
us offer up some strange fire to the Lord. How could you ever 
think that was a good idea? After nine chapters of detailed 
legislation, culminating at the end of chapter nine, when you 
offer up the proper sacrifice, and God sends fire down from 
heaven to consume the sacrifice. How would it ever arise in your 
head to do something differently? Well, the same thing happens 
here. And again, brethren, I can pick on these brethren, but I've 
done the same thing, and I'm sure that you have as well. It's 
almost like you need to be smacked around before you finally get 
the lessons that God has for you. Now, it happened that some 
of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they 
found none. And they were probably, but there's 
no bread. Really? There's no bread? You 
mean you thought there would be after all that we've gone 
through up until this point? Now notice, the Lord said to 
Moses, How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My 
laws? Now notice verse 29. See, for 
the Lord has given you the Sabbath. Who sounds just like that in 
His earthly ministry? Mark 2, 27, Jesus says the Sabbath 
was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. So even here 
in Exodus 16, after God reproves them by saying, how long do you 
refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? He underscores the 
gift nature of the Sabbath itself. In other words, it is a law, 
it is a command, but what is commanded and given by law? That 
you rest, that you cease from your labors, that you don't have 
to go out in the heat of the day or in the cold of the morning 
and try to find your daily bread. God's good. He's kind. He's gracious. So that you can 
actually obey this commandment, He's going to give you a double 
portion on the sixth day, so that you don't have to worry 
about what you're going to eat. It is a gift given by God, and 
for whatever reason, throughout history, man doesn't want it. 
Man says, oh no God, I'd rather work. Oh no God, I'd rather do 
my own thing. Oh no God, I'd rather reject 
and resist the thing that you by good grace gave us at creation. It wasn't just at Sinai that 
this was given, it was given for the man. That's what Jesus 
says in Mark 2 27. The Sabbath was made for man 
and not man for the Sabbath. He doesn't say the Sabbath was 
made for the Jew. If he was focusing on Exodus 
20 or Deuteronomy 5, he would have said that. The Sabbath was 
made for the Jew. No, it was made for the man. 
For Adam specifically, as the archetypal man, and every man 
following him receives the same gift from that good and gracious 
God. For the Lord has given you the 
Sabbath. Therefore, He gives you on the 
sixth day bread for two days. Guess what? Brethren, it's a 
good system. Let every man remain in his place. 
Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people 
rested on the seventh day. Praise God, they got it. Praise 
God, they understood it. Praise God, it came home to them 
with some degree of power. And then we have this summary 
statement concerning the manna in verse 31. The house of Israel 
called its name manna, and it was like white coriander seed, 
and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. And that 
brings us finally to the preservation of the bread. Maybe that's why 
the Popish priest had it when I was a kid in elementary school. 
Just kidding. Notice that God wants them to 
keep some, to preserve some for future generations. Why? So those future generations could 
marvel at God. When they get to the promised 
land, as we see in verse 35, it says, in the children of Israel, 
eight men of 40 years until they came to an inhabited land. They 
ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 
That's Joshua 5. Joshua 5, 10 to 12, tells us 
about a new miracle that takes place. It's not going to be manna 
that God pours out on the earth in the morning, but rather it's 
going to be the earth that they put seeds in, and that they put 
water on, and that they have sunshine come about on, so that 
they can grow food. It is as much a provision of 
God as is the manna. But they wanted to be able to 
point back to what God had done in terms of the sustenance of 
His people through this manna. So notice in verse 32. This is 
the thing which the Lord has commanded. Fill an omer with 
it to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with 
which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the 
land of Egypt. See, God gives us these symbols, 
these tokens, these visible representations, these tangible sorts of things 
that we can, no pun intended, sink our teeth into so that we 
can see the power and presence of God Almighty. So he does this 
for the future generation. Notice in verse 33, Moses said 
to Aaron, take a pot and put an omer of manna in it and lay 
it up before the Lord to be kept for your generations. As the 
Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the testimony 
to be kept. Now that testimony refers to 
the Ark of the Covenant that would be built. So in Exodus 
25, verses 10 and following, you have instructions given for 
the completion of the Ark of the Covenant. You see it as well 
in chapter 26, verses 33 to 34, and the Apostle Paul tells us 
that in fact it contained a jar of manna. Hebrews 9, 4. which 
had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid 
on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had 
the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant." 
Again, you can see the significance for each of these items as a 
reminder to the children of Israel what God had done in redeeming 
them and in providing from them. So in which were the golden pot 
that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and of course the 
tablets of the covenant. Now most scholars, I think I've 
explained this to you before, the two tablets, all ten commandments 
on both tablets. They were like duplicate copies 
of the law. One was God's copy, one was man's 
copy. They were kept in the Ark of 
the Covenant. It was a blessed transaction that was going on 
in that situation. And then, as I said, you've got 
the duration of the manna, 40 years. And, of course, they complain 
about that. They're not happy with that provision 
along the way, but nevertheless, it does sustain them, it keeps 
them alive. Now, an omer is one-tenth of 
an ephah. So, for us, you know, Canadians 
in the 21st century, two dry courts is what an omer is. Now, in terms of just a couple 
of final thoughts, The provision of bread. So obviously you see 
the power of God in doing this. The bread and, of course, the 
quails of verse 13. And then you see the kindness 
of God. The people are complaining, they're 
grumbling, they're murmuring, they're whining. I don't want 
to get too far afield here, but when your kids were little and 
they complained, did you just pour out blessings on them? If 
you did, you're a much better parent than I was, because I 
don't know that I always responded in that way. But God demonstrates 
His kindness to them. Listen to John Gill. He's commenting 
here on verse 4, but I think it fits here. He says, Though 
they were a murmuring, rebellious, and ungrateful people, the Lord 
dealt kindly and bountifully with them. He did not rain fire 
and brimstone upon them as on Sodom and Gomorrah, nor snares 
and a horrible tempest as on the wicked, but what was desirable 
by them and suitable to their present circumstances, even bread, 
which was what they wanted, and this ready prepared. For though 
they did dress it in different ways, yet it might be eaten without 
any preparation at all. And this, it was promised, should 
be rained down upon them. There should be great plenty 
of it. It should come as thick and as fast as a shower of rain, 
and lie around their camp, ready at hand to take up. And this 
should not spring out of the earth as bread corn does, but 
come down from heaven. And being such a wonderful thing, 
a behold is prefixed onto it, denoting the marvelousness of 
it, as well as exciting attention to what was said. Verse four, 
behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. So not only the 
power of God is displayed, but the kindness of God. And then 
the instruction that comes along with it. Turn to Deuteronomy 
chapter eight. It's a good lesson that all of 
us stand in need of, constant reminder, because the Lord is 
good to His people. Deuteronomy 8, 1. Every commandment 
which I command you today, you must be careful to observe, that 
you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land of 
which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember 
that the Lord your God led you. Remember, you've got to get the 
scene. of Deuteronomy. It's the plains of Moab just 
prior to their entrance into the promised land. It's a series 
of a few addresses by Moses to the people rehearsing history, 
rehearsing God's power and providence, and then preparing them by the 
giving of the law for going in on the conquest into the land 
of Canaan. So verse two, and you shall remember that the Lord 
your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness 
to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, 
whether you would keep his commandments or not. So he humbled you, allowed 
you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, 
nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man 
shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that 
proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear 
out on you, nor did your foot swell these 40 years. You should 
know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord 
your God chastens you. Therefore, you shall keep the 
commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and 
to fear Him. For the Lord your God is bringing 
you into a good land, a land of brooks, of water, of fountains 
and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills." Now as we 
reflect on this, there's heartache, right? There's trial, there's 
difficulty. Think back to Romans chapter 
8. We know that God causes all things to work for good. When 
we go through that order salutis, we often think about the predestination, 
and we should. We often think about the call, 
and we should. We think about justification, 
and we should. And we think about glorification. But why, according 
to Paul, does God, who foreknew us, predestine us? It is to be 
conformed to the image of His Son. How do we get conformed 
to the image of His Son? Is it through laying on the beach, 
sipping, you know, whatever our favorite beverage is? No, it's 
through hardships, it's through trials, it's through afflictions. 
Hebrews 5a, the son himself learned obedience through what? Through 
suffering. So when you look at this particular 
application and you look at Romans chapter 8, you will see that 
the experience of God's people in both covenants is oftentimes 
littered with trial and affliction and difficulty. Not so that God 
can mock us or abuse us or make sport of us, but so that he can 
conform us unto the image of his Son who learned obedience 
through suffering. So these things are necessary 
for the people of God. So the dependence of His people 
on Him, Deuteronomy 8, as well, it instructs us concerning the 
provision of our daily bread. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6, 
11, give us this day our daily bread. We need to be dependent 
upon Him. Just because we've got goods 
loaded up for a month, or we just went to Costco or Walmart, 
God was responsible for the provision of that, just like He was responsible 
for the manna that flooded the earth in the days of the children 
of Israel. And of course, this is typological to the true bread 
that comes down from heaven. In John chapter 6, after the 
feeding of the 5,000, there's a brief statement concerning 
Jesus walking on the water, and then there is the bread of heaven 
discourse. And the Lord Jesus uses what 
God did in terms of the provision of manna to liken His coming 
from the Father as the true bread that gives and sustains life. So the provision of bread is 
very instructive for the children of God, even in this new covenant 
setting. And then finally, with reference 
to the doctrine of the Sabbath, the passage reflects back on 
the creation week. The concept of Sabbath was not 
unknown. The concept of Sabbath was present. 
Was it as developed as it is later in the Old Testament and 
in the New Testament? No, but the fact that there's 
not a detailed explanation here other than lay up provision, 
double E, on the sixth day so that you can rest on the seventh. 
The passage certainly points forward to Sinai in Exodus 20, 
verses 8 to 11. The fourth commandment will be 
given. wherein God tells them to remember the Sabbath, and 
in the Exodus narrative, the argument for Sabbath-keeping 
is creation. For in six days, the Lord your 
God made the heavens and the earth. When you get to the book 
of Deuteronomy, the argument for Sabbath-keeping there is 
redemption. And lo and behold, when we get 
to Hebrews chapter 4, a passage that I argue teaches the change 
of the day, both those themes are present, creation and redemption, 
in terms of God's giving of the Sabbath. The passage reflects 
a pre-Sinai Sabbath observance. Turretin said, this could not 
have been said unless the Sabbath had already been instituted and 
commanded by God. A modern author, Philip Ross, 
in an excellent book called The Finger of God, says, does Exodus 
16 not suggest that they were aware of an obligation to rest 
before they heard the Decalogue? Again, not a fully developed 
theology of the Sabbath, but the fact that it's present here 
before Sinai is pretty instructive, and it fits with what the Lord 
says in Mark 2, 27. not only in terms of the gift 
nature of the Sabbath command, but in terms of who the Sabbath 
was made for. It wasn't made for Jew as Jew, 
it was made for man as man. In fact, as Jesus speaks in Mark 
2 27, the word man actually has the article. So he could be pointing 
specifically to the man, to Adam in the garden, and that then 
serves as a paradigm for all men after Adam, there is a Sabbath 
rest that remains for the people of God. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for this 
passage in Exodus 16 and for what it does teach us concerning 
your provision and as well concerning the blessedness of the command 
that you give to us to rest. We see that it is a gift given 
by you. And Lord, I pray that we would 
receive it happily and joyfully, and that we would find delight 
each and every Lord's Day as we get to worship, as we get 
to rest, as we get to just call that day a delight. We ask now 
that you would continue to bless our local church, help us as 
your people to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and 
Savior, and give us grace, God, to always understand and to acknowledge 
that dependence upon you, and guard us, keep us from grumbling 
and from complaining and murmuring. And we ask in Jesus' name, amen. 
Well, any questions or comments on chapter 16? What's interesting 
is it's like we used to read, and I'd be so naive to think 
Israel was just like a bad batch. But I mean, if you just look 
at our lives, I mean, the Lord saved us from, you know, slavery 
of sin, and then things get tough, and we just rumbled. or easier before, or whatever. But it's just so prone to being 
just as ugly as what you find in here. And Paul later tells 
us these things were written for our admonition, our instruction, 
our example. Not so that we continue to duplicate 
what they did, but so that we'll learn from what they did, and 
hopefully not duplicate it. All right. Oh, go ahead, Isaac. you're talking about the liberal 
or naturalistic interpretation falling short. And again, if 
you're talking about Guell and Maddox falling for Kevin, you've 
done well done. Yeah, okay, thank you.