Exodus 16

CHAPTER 16THEME: Israel murmurs because they lack food; manna and quail are provided by God; manna described and collected; the Sabbath given to IsraelWe have been studying the experiences of the nation Israel. After they left the land of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea and came to Mount Sinai, there are seven recorded experiences which correspond to the Christian experience. So far they have sung the song of Moses, gone three days without water, arrived at Marah where the water was bitter, and then journeyed to Elim where there were water and trees in abundance. Elim is a picture of the fruitful Christian experience, and God promises to bring us to this place. Now we come to the Wilderness of Sin, the manna and the quail. And we find that Christ is the Bread of Life.

Exodus 16:1

ISRAEL MURMURS BECAUSE THEY LACK FOODIt has been only about two and one-half months since the Israelites left Egypt. They started murmuring when they came to the Red Sea. When they crossed the sea, they sang the song of Moses, the song of redemption. But it was not long before they began to murmur again and to sing the Desert Blues. We would call them a bunch of gripers. They wanted to be delivered from the slavery of Egypt, but after they journeyed into the wilderness, they ran short of water and food and began to complain. They remembered the fleshpots of Egypt and longed for them. There are many people who have been saved out of sin, then wanted to go back to the old life. Many of us have had that temptation. A man told me in Nashville that he was saved out of a life of bootlegging and heavy drinking. When he was converted, he knew every bootlegging joint in Nashville, and for the first few months after he was saved he did not dare go by one of those places because he knew he would go in. He said, “I looked back at those old fleshpots but, thank God, today I hate them.”

Exodus 16:4

MANNA AND QUAIL ARE PROVIDED BY GODGod had no intention of letting His people starve. His plan was to lead them through the wilderness, and He had promised to take care of them. Moses and Aaron asked the congregation, “Why are you murmuring against us? We are only human. We cannot do anything. We cannot provide for you. God has heard your murmurings and you will see the glory of God.” Every time Israel murmured, the glory of God appeared. This tells us that God does not like griping, complaining, fault-finding Christians. The church is filled with complaining Christians. If you are in a church where you have to murmur, complain, and gripe, get out and go somewhere else.

Exodus 16:8

You should be very careful when you begin to gripe about things at church. Are you griping about the preacher because he is not as friendly as you think he ought to be, or because he did not shake hands with you last Sunday, or because he has not been around to visit you lately? Are you murmuring against him? Aren’t you really against him because he teaches the Word of God and represents God in your church? Sometimes we preachers murmur, too, and we all should be careful that we are not murmuring against God. This is one thing that God does not like.

Exodus 16:9

God not only gave the Israelites manna but He sent quail also. They had quail on toast, or on manna, and it was mighty good eating.

Exodus 16:14

MANNA DESCRIBED AND COLLECTEDManna was Israel’s sustenance as they journeyed through the wilderness. The Israelites were to gather only enough manna for the day.

Exodus 16:17

The glutton did not get more than his share.

Exodus 16:19

The manna was to be gathered every morning. Each man was to gather it. This was to be a personal experience. The manna speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life. The Gospel of John, chapter 6, confirms this: “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (Joh_6:32-35).

Exodus 16:22

God would supply day by day, but before the Sabbath Day they were to get enough for two days. Manna is that which represents Christ as the Bread of Life who came down from heaven to give His life for the world. Jesus Christ is the true Bread. He is the one who gives us life and sustenance. In Deu_8:4 we find that during the forty years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness their feet did not swell. I have been told by a medical missionary that one of the causes of foot-swelling in the Orient is an improper diet. It is interesting that the manna had all the vitamins they needed to keep their feet from swelling as they journeyed through the wilderness. The manna was adequate to meet their needs.

Exodus 16:25

THE SABBATH GIVEN TO ISRAELThe Sabbath Day was given to Israel before the formal giving of the Law.

Exodus 16:31

How would you describe manna? It is difficult to explain. It was a wonderful food that contained all the nourishment Israel needed. It tasted, I think, about like anything they wanted it to taste like. It was a very exciting food, but it started the mixed multitude complaining. Num_11:4-5 records an incident which helps us to properly understand manna. “And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a-lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.” This is what the mixed multitude missed in the wilderness, away from the land of Egypt. The list of foods that they missed included those which grew on or under the ground. They were condiments without real nourishment like the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and garlic. When you eat some of those things, friends, you are not very attractive. Someone has said, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Well, an onion a day keeps everybody away. These are the things that the people of the world eat. They do not satisfy because they are nothing but condiments. The mixed multitude remembered what they had in Egypt and hungered for it. In Num_11:6 it says, “But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” They complained that there was nothing to eat but manna. Num_11:7 continues, “And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.” It is as if God is saying, “These people despise my food which is like fried chicken, ice cream, and angel food cake all rolled into one.” Manna was not a monotonous food, but the mixed multitude did not want it. Num_11:8 goes on to say, “And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.” Manna could be fixed in many ways. They could grind it, beat it, bake it in pans, or make a casserole. They probably published Mother Moses’ Cookbook with 1001 recipes. The children of Israel, however, despised God’s heavenly food and complained about eating it. They grew tired of eating manna. They longed for the fleshpots of Egypt. They wanted to go back to that from which they had been delivered. That is the story, I am afraid, of some people who have been converted, and have been delivered out of “Egypt.” Every now and then they take a side trip back to get the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. There are Christians today who need to make a complete break with the old life. Friend, you can’t go on living like the world, living on the things of Egypt, and be serviceable to God and have the peace of God in your heart. There must be a break with Egypt. We must live on the true Manna that comes from heaven, even the Lord Jesus Christ.

Exodus 16:32

A pot of manna was put in the ark, which is described in greater detail in the final part of Exodus. In the ark were placed three things: (1) Aaron’s rod that budded, (2) the pot of manna, and (3) the Ten Commandments. The Law speaks of the fact that Christ alone kept the Law. He fulfilled it for you and me. The manna also speaks of Christ’s death for us. He is provided as spiritual food for us. Aaron’s rod that budded speaks of His resurrection. Then placed over the ark, serving as the lid, was the mercy seat where the blood was sprinkled. Christ alone was able to meet the demands of God. He alone is able to save, and He can save us because He shed His own blood. Because of that, God can extend mercy to man, the sinner.

Exodus 16:35

These two verses tell us that the children of Israel ate manna for forty years, and we are told what their daily ration was. When they finally came into the Promised Land, the manna ceased, and they ate the old corn of the land again. Then they also complained about the old corn. They discovered that the manna was an exciting food after all. It was, in fact, exotic, compared to the old corn. The interesting thing about this is that many people live on experience after they have been saved. They have been to the Cross, which speaks of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, but they go right on talking about their experience. When they give a testimony, they speak only of experience. They do not like Bible study because it is old corn. It is the Word of God that our Lord wants us to feed upon. If you haven’t had that taste of manna yet, I suggest that you come to Christ and taste of it. Psa_34:8 says, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” In addition to this, Joh_6:51 quotes Jesus as saying, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”