Bible
Commentary
Exodus 16
This
chapter gives us an account of the victualling of the camp of Israel. I. Their
complaint for want of bread, ver. 1-3. II. The notice God gave them beforehand
of the provision he intended to make for them, ver. 4-12. III. The sending of
the manna, ver. 13-15. IV. The laws and orders concerning the manna. 1. That
they should gather it daily for their daily bread, ver. 16-21. 2. That they
should gather a double portion on the sixth day, ver. 22-26. 3. That they
should expect none on the seventh day, ver. 27-31. 4. That they should preserve
a pot of it for a memorial, ver. 32, &c.
The
Israelites Murmur for Bread. B. C.
1491.
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. 2 And the whole
congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness: 3 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. 4 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.
5 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. 6 And Moses and Aaron said unto
all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath
brought you out from the land of Egypt:
7 And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that
he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur
against us? 8 And Moses said, This
shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the
morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye
murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but
against the LORD. 9 And Moses spake
unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near
before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings. 10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto
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. 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses,
saying, 12 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.
The host of Israel, it seems, took along
with them out of Egypt, when they came thence on the fifteenth day of the first
month, a month's provisions, which, by the fifteenth day of the second month,
was all spent; and here we have,
I. Their discontent and murmuring upon
that occasion, v. 2, 3. The whole congregation, the greatest part of them,
joined in this mutiny; it was not immediately against God that they murmured,
but (which was equivalent) against Moses and Aaron, God's vicegerents among
them. 1. They count upon being killed in the wilderness--nothing less, at the
first appearance of disaster. If the Lord had been pleased to kill them, he
could easily have done that in the Red Sea; but then he preserved them, and now
could as easily provide for them. It argues great distrust of God, and of his
power and goodness, in every distress and appearance of danger to despair of
life, and to talk of nothing but being speedily killed. 2. They invidiously charge
Moses with a design to starve them when he brought them out of Egypt; whereas
what he had done was both by order from God and with a design to promote their
welfare. Note, It is no new thing for the greatest kindnesses to be
misinterpreted and basely represented as the greatest injuries. The worst
colours are sometimes put upon the best actions. Nay, 3. They so far undervalue
their deliverance that they wish they had died in Egypt, nay, and died by the
hand of the Lord too, that is, by some of the plagues which cut off the
Egyptians, as if it were not the hand of the Lord, but of Moses only, that
brought them into this hungry wilderness. It is common for people to say of
that pain, or sickness, or sore, of which they see not the second causes,
"It is what pleases God," as if that were not so likewise which comes
by the hand of man, or some visible accident. Prodigious madness! They would
rather die by the fleshpots of Egypt, where they found themselves with
provision, than live under the guidance of the heavenly pillar in a wilderness
and be provided for by the hand of God! they pronounce it better to have fallen
in the destruction of God's enemies than to bear the fatherly discipline of his
children! We cannot suppose that they had any great plenty in Egypt, how
largely soever they now talk of the flesh-pots; nor could they fear dying for
want in the wilderness, while they had their flocks and herds with them. But
discontent magnifies what is past, and vilifies what is present, without regard
to truth or reason. None talk more absurdly than murmurers. Their impatience,
ingratitude, and distrust of God, were so much the worse in that they had
lately received such miraculous favours, and convincing proofs both that God
could help them in the greatest exigencies and that really he had mercy in
store for them. See how soon they forgot his works, and provoked him at the
sea, even at the Red Sea, Ps. cvi. 7-13. Note, Experiences of God's mercies
greatly aggravate our distrusts and murmurings.
II. The care God graciously took for
their supply. Justly he might have said, "I will rain fire and brimstone
upon these murmurers, and consume them;" but, quite contrary, he promises
to rain bread upon them. Observe,
1. How God makes known to Moses his kind
intentions, that he might not be uneasy at their murmurings, nor be tempted to
wish he had let them alone in Egypt. (1.) He takes notice of the people's
complaints: I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, v. 12. As a
God of pity, he took cognizance of their necessity, which was the occasion of
their murmuring; as a just and holy God, he took cognizance of their base and
unworthy reflections upon his servant Moses, and was much displeased with them.
Note, When we begin to fret and be uneasy, we ought to consider that God hears
all our murmurings, though silent, and only the murmurings of the heart.
Princes, parents, masters, do not hear all the murmurs of their inferiors
against them, and it is well they do not, for perhaps they could not bear it; but
God hears, and yet bears. We must not think, because God does not immediately
take vengeance on men for their sins, that therefore he does not take notice of
them; no, he hears the murmurings of Israel, and is grieved with this
generation, and yet continues his care of them, as the tender parent of the
froward child. (2.) He promises them a speedy, sufficient, and constant supply,
v. 4. Man being made out of the earth, his Maker has wisely ordered him food
out of the earth, Ps. civ. 14. But the people of Israel, typifying the church
of the first-born that are written in heaven, and born from above, and being
themselves immediately under the direction and government of heaven, receiving
their charters, laws, and commissions, from heaven, from heaven also received
their food: their law being given by the disposition of angels, they did also
eat angels' food. See what God designed in making this provision for them: That
I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no. [1.] Thus he tried
whether they would trust him, and walk in the law of faith or no, whether they
could live from hand to mouth, and (though now uneasy because their provisions
were spent) could rest satisfied with the bread of the day in its day, and
depend upon God for fresh supplies to-morrow. [2.] Thus he tried whether they
would serve him, and be always faithful to so good a Master, that provided so
well for his servants; and hereby he made it appear to all the world, in the
issue, what an ungrateful people they were, whom nothing could affect with a
sense of obligation. Let favour be shown to them, yet will they not learn
righteousness, Isa. xxvi. 10.
2. How Moses made known these intentions
to Israel, as God ordered him. Here Aaron was his prophet, as he had been to
Pharaoh. Moses directed Aaron what to speak to the congregation of Israel (v.
9); and some think that, while Aaron was giving a public summons to the
congregation to come near before the Lord, Moses retired to pray, and that the
appearance of the glory of the Lord (v. 10) was in answer to his prayer. They
are called to come near, as Isa. i. 18, Come, and let us reason together. Note,
God condescends to give even murmurers a fair hearing; and shall we then
despise the cause of our inferiors when they contend with us? Job xxxi. 13.
(1.) He convinces them of the evil of their murmurings. They thought they
reflected only upon Moses and Aaron, but here they are told that God was struck
at through their sides. This is much insisted on (v. 7, 8): "Your
murmurings are not against us, then we would have been silent, but against the
Lord; it was he that led you into these straits, and not we." Note, When
we murmur against those who are instruments of any uneasiness to us, whether
justly or unjustly, we should do well to consider how much we reflect upon God
by it; men are but God's hand. Those that quarrel with the reproofs and
convictions of the word, and are angry with their ministers when they are
touched in a tender part, know not what they do, for therein they strive with their
Maker. Let this for ever stop the mouth of murmuring, that it is daring impiety
to murmur at God, because he is God; and gross absurdity to murmur at men,
because they are but men. (2.) He assures them of the supply of their wants,
that since they had harped upon the flesh-pots so much they should for once
have flesh in abundance that evening, and bread the next morning, and so on
every day thenceforward, v. 8, 12. Many there are of whom we say that they are
better fed than taught; but the Israelites were thus fed, that they might be
taught. He led him about, he instructed him (Deut. xxxii. 10); and, as to this
instance, see Deut. viii. 3, He fed thee with manna, that thou mightest know
that man doth not live by bread only. And, besides this, here are two things
mentioned, which he intended to teach them by sending them manna:-- [1.] By
this you shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt,
v. 6. That they were brought out of Egypt was plain enough; but so strangely
sottish and short-sighted were they that they said it was Moses that brought
them out, v. 3. Now God sent them manna, to prove that it was no less than
infinite power and goodness that brought them out, and this could perfect what
was begun. If Moses only had brought them out of Egypt, he could not thus have
fed them; they must therefore own that that was the Lord's doing, because this
was so, and both were marvellous in their eyes; yet, long afterwards, they
needed to be told that Moses gave them not this bread from heaven, John vi. 32.
[2.] By this you shall know that I am the Lord your God, v. 12. This gave proof
of his power as the Lord, and his particular favour to them as their God. When
God plagued the Egyptians, it was to make them know that he was the Lord; when
he provided for the Israelites, it was to make them know that he was their God.
3. How God himself manifested his glory,
to still the murmurings of the people, and to put a reputation upon Moses and
Aaron, v. 10. While Aaron was speaking, the glory of the Lord appeared in the
cloud. The cloud itself, one would think, was enough both to strike an awe upon
them and to give encouragement to them; yet, in a few days, it had grown so
familiar to them that it made no impression upon them, unless it shone with an
unusual brightness. Note, What God's ministers say to us is then likely to do
us good when the glory of God shines in with it upon our souls.
Manna
Rained from Heaven. B. C. 1491.
13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered
the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 And the children of Israel did so, and
gathered, some more, some less. 18 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. 19 And Moses said, Let no man
leave of it till the morning. 20
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. 21 And they gathered it every
morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it
melted.
Now they begin to be provided for by the
immediate hand of God.
I. He makes them a feast, at night, of
delicate fowl, feathered fowl (Ps. lxxviii. 27), therefore not locusts, as some
think; quails, or pheasants, or some wild fowl, came up, and covered the camp,
so tame that they might take up as many of them as they pleased. Note, God
gives us of the good things of this life, not only for necessity, but for
delight, that we may not only serve him, but serve him cheerfully.
II. Next morning he rained manna upon
them, which was to be continued to them for their daily bread. 1. That which
was provided for them was manna, which descended from the clouds, so that, in
some sense, they might be said to live upon the air. It came down in dew that
melted, and yet was itself of such a consistency as to serve for nourishing
strengthening food, without any thing else. They called it manna, manhu,
"What is this?" Either, "What a poor thing this is!"
despising it: or, "What a strange thing this is!" admiring it: or,
"It is a portion, no matter what it is; it is that which our God has
allotted us, and we will take it and be thankful," v. 14, 15. It was
pleasant food; the Jews say that it was palatable to all, however varied their
tastes. It was wholesome food, light of digestion, and very necessary (Dr. Grew
says) to cleanse them from disorders with which he thinks it probable that they
were, in the time of their bondage, more or less infected, which disorders a
luxurious diet would have made contagious. By this spare and plain diet we are
all taught a lesson of temperance, and forbidden to desire dainties and
varieties. 2. They were to gather it every morning (v. 21), the portion of a
day in his day, v. 4. Thus they must live upon daily providence, as the fowls
of the air, of which it is said, That which thou givest them they gather (Ps.
civ. 28); not to-day for to-morrow: let the morrow take thought for the things
of itself. To this daily raining and gathering of manna our Saviour seems to
allude when he teaches us to pray, Give us this day our daily bread. We are
hereby taught, (1.) Prudence and diligence in providing food convenient for
ourselves and our household. What God graciously gives we must industriously
gather; with quietness working, and eating our own bread, not the bread either
of idleness or deceit. God's bounty leaves room for man's duty; it did so even
when manna was rained: they must not eat till they have gathered. (2.)
Contentment and satisfaction with a sufficiency. They must gather, every man
according to his eating; enough is as good as a feast, and more than enough is
as bad as a surfeit. Those that have most have, for themselves, but food, and
raiment, and mirth; and those that have least generally have these: so that he
who gathers much has nothing over, and he who gathers little has no lack. There
is not so great a disproportion between one and another in the comforts and
enjoyments of the things of this life as there is in the property and
possession of the things themselves. (3.) Dependence upon Providence: Let no
man leave till morning (v. 19), but let them learn to go to bed and sleep
quietly, though they have not a bit of bread in their tent, nor in all their
camp, trusting that God, with the following day, will bring them their daily
bread." It was surer and safer in God's store-house than in their own, and
would thence come to them sweeter and fresher. Read with this, Matt. vi. 25,
Take no thought for your life, &c. See here the folly of hoarding. The
manna that was laid up by some (who thought themselves wiser and better
managers than their neighbours, and who would provide in case it should fail
next day), putrefied, and bred worms, and became good for nothing. Note, That
proves to be most wasted which is covetously and distrustfully spared. Those
riches are corrupted, James v. 2, 3. Let us set ourselves to think, [1.] Of
that great power of God which fed Israel in the wilderness, and made miracles
their daily bread. What cannot this God do, who prepared a table in the
wilderness, and furnished it richly even for those who questioned whether he could
or no? Ps. lxxviii. 19, 20. Never was there such a market of provisions as
this, where so many hundred thousand men were daily furnished, without money
and without price. Never was there such an open house kept as God kept in the
wilderness for forty years together, nor such free and plentiful entertainment
given. The feast which Ahasuerus made, to show the riches of his kingdom, and
the honour of his majesty, was nothing to this, Esth. i. 4. It is said (v. 21),
When the sun waxed hot, it melted; as if what was left were drawn up by the
heat of the sun into the air to be the seed of the next day's harvest, and so
from day to day. [2.] Of that constant providence of God which gives food to
all flesh, for his mercy endures for ever, Ps. cxxxvi. 25. He is a great
house-keeper that provides for all the creatures. The same wisdom, power, and
goodness that now brought food daily out of the clouds, are employed in the
constant course of nature, bringing food yearly out of the earth, and giving us
all things richly to enjoy.
22 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. 23 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. 24 And they laid it up till
the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm
therein. 25 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. 26 Six days ye shall gather it;
but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27 And it came to pass, that there went out
some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long
refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
29 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. 30 So the people rested on the seventh
day. 31 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.
We have here, 1. A plain intimation of
the observing of a seventh day sabbath, not only before the giving of the law
upon Mount Sinai, but before the bringing of Israel out of Egypt, and
therefore, from the beginning, Gen. ii. 3. If the sabbath had now been first
instituted, how could Moses have understood what God said to him (v. 5),
concerning a double portion to be gathered on the sixth day, without making any
express mention of the sabbath? And how could the people so readily take the
hint (v. 22), even to the surprise of the rulers, before Moses had declared
that it was done with a regard to the sabbath, if they had not had some
knowledge of the sabbath before? The setting apart of one day in seven for holy
work, and, in order to that, for holy rest, was a divine appointment ever since
God created man upon the earth, and the most ancient of positive laws. The way
of sabbath-sanctification is the good old way. 2. The double provision which
God made for the Israelites, and which they were to make for themselves, on the
sixth day: God gave them on the sixth day the bread of two days, v. 29.
Appointing them to rest on the seventh day, he took care that they should be no
losers by it; and none ever will be losers by serving God. On that day they
were to fetch in enough for two days, and to prepare it, v. 23. The law was
very strict, that they must bake and seeth, the day before, and not on the
sabbath day. This does not now make it unlawful for us to dress meat on the
Lord's day, but directs us to contrive our family affairs so that they may
hinder us as little as possible in the work of the sabbath. Works of necessity,
no doubt, are to be done on that day; but it is desirable to have as little as
may be to do of things necessary to the life that now is, that we may apply
ourselves the more closely to the one thing needful. That which they kept of
for their food on the sabbath day did not putrefy, v. 24. When they kept it in
opposition to a command (v. 20) it stank; when they kept it in obedience to a
command it was sweet and good; for every thing is sanctified by the word of God
and prayer. 3. The intermission of the manna on the seventh day. God did not
send it then, and therefore they must not expect it, nor go out to gather, v.
25, 26. This showed that it was not produced by natural causes, and that it was
designed for a confirmation of the divine authority of the law which was to be
given by Moses. Thus God took an effectual course to make them remember the
sabbath day; they could not forget it, nor the day of preparation for it. Some,
it seems, went out on the seventh day, expecting to find manna (v. 27); but
they found none, for those that will find must seek in the appointed time: seek
the Lord while he may be found. God, upon this occasion, said to Moses, How
long refuse you to keep my commandments? v. 28. Why did he say this to Moses?
He was not disobedient. No, but he was the ruler of a disobedient people, and
God charges it upon him that he might the more warmly charge it upon them, and
might take care that their disobedience should not be through any neglect or
default of his. It was for going out to seek for manna on he seventh day that
they were thus reproved. Note, (1.) Disobedience, even in a small matter, is
very provoking. (2.) God is jealous for the honour of his sabbaths. If walking
out on the sabbath to seek for food was thus reproved, walking out on that day
purely to find our own pleasure cannot be justified.
A
Pot of Manna Preserved. B. C. 1491.
32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill
an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread
wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the
land of Egypt. 33 And Moses said unto
Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before
the LORD, to be kept for your generations.
34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the
Testimony, to be kept. 35 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. 36 Now an omer is the tenth
part of an ephah.
God having provided manna to be his
people's food in the wilderness, and to be to them a continual feast, we are
here told, 1. How the memory of it was preserved. An omer of this manna was
laid up in a golden pot, as we are told (Heb. ix. 4), and kept before the
testimony, or the ark, when it was afterwards made, v. 32-34. The preservation
of this manna from waste and corruption was a standing miracle, and therefore
the more proper memorial of this miraculous food. "Posterity shall see the
bread," says God, "wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness,"
see what sort of food it was, and how much each man's daily proportion of it
was, that it may appear they were neither kept to hard fare nor to short
allowance, and then judge between God and Israel, whether they had any cause
given them to murmur and find fault with their provisions, and whether they and
their seed after them had not a great deal of reason gratefully to won God's
goodness to them. Note, Eaten bread must not be forgotten. God's miracles and
mercies are to be had in everlasting remembrance, for our encouragement to
trust in him at all times. 2. How the mercy of it was continued as long as they
had occasion for it. The manna never ceased till they came to the borders of
Canaan, where there was bread enough and to spare, v. 35. See how constant the
care of Providence is; seedtime and harvest fail not, while the earth remains.
Israel was very provoking in the wilderness, yet the manna never failed them:
thus still God causes his rain to fall on the just and unjust. The manna is
called spiritual meat (1 Cor. x. 3), because it was typical of spiritual
blessings in heavenly things. Christ himself is the true manna, the bread of
life, of which this was a figure, John vi. 49-51. The word of God is the manna
by which our souls are nourished, Matt. iv. 4. The comforts of the Spirit are
hidden manna, Rev. ii. 17. These come from heaven, as the manna did, and are
the support and comfort of the divine life in the soul, while we are in the
wilderness of this world. It is food for Israelites, for those only that follow
the pillar of cloud and fire. It is to be gathered; Christ in the word is to be
applied to the soul, and the means of grace are to be used. We must every one
of us gather for ourselves, and gather in the morning of our opportunities,
which if we let slip, it may be too late to gather. The manna they gathered
must not be hoarded up, but eaten; those that have received Christ must by
faith live upon him, and not receive his grace in vain. There was manna enough
for all, enough for each, and none had too much; so in Christ there is a
complete sufficiency, and no superfluity. But those that did eat manna hungered
again, died at last, and with many of them God was not well-pleased; whereas those
that feed on Christ by faith shall never hunger, and shall die no more, and
with them God will be for ever well pleased. The Lord evermore give us this
bread!
