Exo 16:19-36 Some Went on the Seventh Day to Gather Manna and Found None

[Study Aired July 11, 2022]

Exo 16:19  And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 
Exo 16:20  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. 
Exo 16:21  And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 
Exo 16:22  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. 
Exo 16:23  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. 
Exo 16:24  And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 
Exo 16:25  And Moses said, Eat that today; for today is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 
Exo 16:26  Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 
Exo 16:27  And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 
Exo 16:28  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
Exo 16:29  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.
Exo 16:30  So the people rested on the seventh day. 
Exo 16:31  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. 
Exo 16:32  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. 
Exo 16:33  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. 
Exo 16:34  As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 
Exo 16:35  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. 
Exo 16:36  Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.

In this session, we will continue to learn more details about manna sent from heaven to the people of Israel to eat. The focus of Exodus chapter 16 is the eating of manna. In last week’s study, we dealt with certain aspects of the eating of manna. Today’s study continues the discourse on instructions about the eating of manna. Chapter 16 does not focus on behavior or conduct; it deals only with eating – how we must take in the word of the Lord. Eating is a key underlying concept in the word of the Lord as it reflects on our relationship with the Lord. In Genesis 2:16-17, eating was first mentioned in the scriptures. Thus, it governs the meaning throughout the scriptures.

Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 
Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The Lord’s intention is for man to eat the tree of life, which is Christ. We know that Christ and His words are synonymous. Thus, God wants us to take in His words in order to live. The manna also represents Christ who is the bread from heaven. However, on a negative note, manna represents physical food which nourishes only the flesh, which when we eat, we end up dying. 

Joh 6:58  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

Deu 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

In this age, it is only the Lord’s elect who are given to eat of the tree of life. However, in the fullness of time, all humanity will also be eating the tree of life. In Revelation 22:2 we see that on either side of the river, which flows from the throne of God and the Lamb, is the tree of life or Christ who is the manna, which is for the healing of the nations.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.   

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Exo 16:19  And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
Exo 16:20  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.

Not being able to eat all the manna gathered in the morning causes the left-over manna to breed worms and stink by the next morning. Not being able to eat all the manna means not living by every word of the Lord. That is the same as taking away from the word of the Lord.

Rev 22:18  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 
Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The consequence of not living by every word of the Lord is that the word of the Lord becomes polluted, as signified by the worms and foul smell of the manna the next day. This polluted word of the Lord causes us to become spiritually dead. As shown in the verses below, worms and foul smell are closely related to death.

Job 21:26  They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

Isa 14:11  Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

Joh 11:39  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

Exo 16:21  And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.

We are to spend time daily, denoted by every morning, studying (gathering) the word of the Lord. Our spiritual experience yesterday may not be adequate to meet the challenges of another day. We therefore need to feed daily on Christ as His mercies are new every morning to help us at our point of need.

Lam 3:22  It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 
Lam 3:23  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

The gathering of the manna is done by every man according to his eating. In other words, we have been given different capacities to absorb the words of the Lord. As we mature in Christ through His judgment of our old man, we are able to take in more of the word of the Lord (manna).

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 

In verse 21, we are told that when the sun becomes hot, the manna melts. This means that we do not wait until we have trials or tribulations (sun waxing hot) before we seek the Lord. If we do that, we will end up empty handed (manna melts). What we have gathered in the morning is what takes us through our fiery trials.

Exo 16:22  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.

While we are in this flesh, signified by the sixth day, we, the elect, are the witnesses of Christ (two omers), and to do that, we need to gather twice as much bread. That means we must study the word to show ourselves approved as a workman who rightly divides the word of truth.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Exo 16:23  And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, Tomorrow 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. 
Exo 16:24  And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 

The sabbath is the day of rest for God’s people after laboring for six days. Spiritually, it signifies the period in our walk where we come to see that it is the Lord who does the work and therefore, we cease from our own strivings and depend on the Lord totally for everything for the rest of our walk in Him.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

What we need to understand is that this sabbath rest will be fully realized externally, in the elect in the next age when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

The baking and the seething of manna on the sixth day refer to the processing of the word of the Lord to make it easier for us to assimilate in this age. The baking and seething are the works of our brothers and sisters who labor in the word of the Lord on our behalf, to make it understandable (eat). This all takes place in the camp of the Israelites. What this means is that it is within the body of the elect that the Lord has gifted His people to enlighten our understanding of the word of the Lord through what every joint supplies.

Eph 4:8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

In verse 23, we are also told that whatever is left of the manna on the sixth day must be kept for the morning. In the morning of the seventh day, none of the left-over manna stank or got infected with worms. When we come to find rest in Christ, we shall eat the leftover manna which refers to the word of the Lord that we did not understand. Eating here means we shall understand and apply it to our walk with Christ. Externally, the morning here refers to the dawn of a new age which starts with the first resurrection. At the first resurrection, we shall be made perfect!! Whatever we did not understand of the word of the Lord (the left-over of the manna) will be made plain to us. Paul puts it this way: That in this age, we are seeing through a glass, but in the fullness of time, we shall know fully!!

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Exo 16:25  And Moses said, Eat that today; for today is a sabbath unto the LORD: today ye shall not find it in the field. 
Exo 16:26  Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 
Exo 16:27  And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
Exo 16:28  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 

On the seventh day, which is the sabbath, we are to eat all the left-over manna. This left-over manna shall complete our understanding of the word of the Lord in the next age. Verses 25 and 27 also reveal to us that in the next age (the sabbath), manna shall not be found in the world. That is to say that the truth of the word of the Lord shall not be found in the world (field). What this means is that there shall be no salvation for mankind during the next age when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. Internally, Verse 27 means that if we do not find rest in the Lord and we try to use our own effort or strength to serve the Lord, we shall not find Christ who is the manna in this life. The false doctrine of man having his own will, which we learned in Babylon and the world, will never give us the rest we need. We will try to use every effort to know Christ but will not find Him.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Heb 4:4  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 
Heb 4:5  And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Heb 4:6  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 
Heb 4:7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 
Heb 4:8  For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 

Verse 28 shows us that refusing to rest in Him constitutes breaking of the Lord’s commandment and therefore sin. During our time in Babylon, we were taught that as long as we are not engaging in overt sins, we are righteous. The very fact that we consider ourselves as righteous through our own effort is iniquity before the Lord!!

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

Exo 16:29  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.
Exo 16:30  So the people rested on the seventh day.

As indicated, the seventh day is the time in our walk where we come to rest in the Lord. We cease from our own strivings and depend wholly on the Lord for everything. If we ignore this rest by trying to use our own effort in this walk with Christ, we shall end up not abiding in our place. The place referred to in this verse is our family which is the body of Christ or the church of the firstborn. Some of the departures of our brothers and sisters are because they have not found rest in Christ. This was what happened to the Galatian church which Paul talked about.

Gal 3:1  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Gal 3:2  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 
Gal 3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh(our own works)? 
Gal 3:4  Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

Exo 16:31  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.

Here we are given further characteristics of Manna. A key characteristic of manna is that it was a mystery. In fact, the word manna means, “What is it?” None of the children of Israel knew what manna was. In the scriptures, manna is described by likening it to several things. This is because manna is mysterious. It was in the New Testament that we came to see that manna is actually Christ who came down from heaven as bread to feed the people of God. As the real manna, Christ is mysterious. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. In this life, we are limited by the flesh to understand Christ fully. That is why Paul stated that in this age, we see Christ through a dark glass. However, in the age to come, we shall see Him as He is.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Manna is like coriander seed. This means that as seed, the words of Christ are full of life. In other words, Christ or His words come as seed which is small but full of life. The word or Christ being a seed, has the potential to grow within us. This means that our lives in Christ is a process which takes time for Christ to fully grow within us. The smallness of the seed means that if we are looking for the spectacular, in terms of signs and wonders, we shall surely miss the truth or the words of the Lord. That was what had led all of us astray during our time in Babylon. We were taught that as long as we were seeing the signs and the wonders, the Lord was in our midst. However, we did not know that the glory of the Lord had departed – Ichabod!! There are many Christians who are expecting a mighty movement of the Holy Spirit to bring about revival all over the world.

Unfortunately, this will never happen. We are not going to experience any Pentecostal movement. Christ is moving mightily in His people, the elect, but in a small way such that we can easily overlook His presence. 

1Sa 4:21  And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

Another characteristic of manna is that it is white. The color white on a positive note signifies the light of the truth or righteousness as shown in the following verses:

Mat 17:2  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 

Rev 19:8  And to her [Christ’s bride] was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Ecc 9:8  Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

The whiteness of manna signifies that the word of Christ leads us to righteousness. It also serves as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In other words, the word of the Lord gives us direction or guides our walk in this life.

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

The manna tasted like wafers made with honey. Honey is sweet, and in the scriptures, the description of the way we receive the word of the Lord when we are enlightened is sweetness. The sweetness relates to how we see the whole plan of the Lord unfold in our lives; His mercies toward His elect and what is in store for us as His elect in this age and the powers of the world to come.

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Eze 3:1  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. 
Eze 3:2  So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. 
Eze 3:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. 

In Numbers 11:8, the taste of processed manna was compared to that of fresh oil or of oil cake. The processed manna is the word of the Lord broken down in such a way for us to understand. As we are aware, oil signifies the Holy Spirit. When we eat Christ as manna, we taste of the spirit of the Lord. In other words, Christ comes within us as spirit as we feed on Him, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. We are no longer in bondage to sin.

Num 11:8  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.

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 

Exo 16:32  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. 
Exo 16:33  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. 
Exo 16:34  As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 

These verses are the commandment of the Lord given to the people of Israel when the Lord fed them with manna. The manna was to be kept as a memorial before the Lord for the coming generations. The Lord commanded Moses to keep an omer of manna in a pot before the Lord for future generations. Later, the manna was placed in a golden pot and put in the ark along with the tables of the covenant and Aaron’s rod, with the ark before the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle. 

Heb 9:4  Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

As we are aware, the ark was placed in the Holy of Holies and was therefore out of sight from the people of Israel including the Levites, except the priest appointed for service in the Holy of Holies (the elect). This manna in the pot is therefore the hidden manna spoken of as a reward for those who overcome.

Rev 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

In verse 33, we are told that this hidden manna is to be kept for future generations. These future generations refer to the elect who are given access to manna which is now hidden. As we have indicated, the manna is Christ and His words. The hidden manna represents the truth of the words of the Lord which are hidden and only available to the elect in this life. In the fullness of time, when we are blessed to be part of the first resurrection, we shall have full access to this hidden manna as we now see only in part.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 

Rev 22:4  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 
Rev 22:5  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Verse 33 says that the omer full of manna was placed in a pot. The manna represents Christ and His words. Therefore, the omer full of manna placed in a pot signifies the treasure of Christ in our earthen vessels.

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 
2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 
2Co 4:11  For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

We are told in verse 34 that Aaron laid up the pot, with the omer of manna before the presence of the Testimony, to be kept. The Testimony refers to the law of God, the ten commandments. The Testimony, therefore, represents Christ. Those who have access to this hidden manna, the elect, are always before the presence of the Lord where there is the fullness of joy and times of refreshing. In addition, His hand leads us and upholds us!!

Psa 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Act 3:19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 

Psa 139:7  Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 
Psa 139:8  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 
Psa 139:9  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 
Psa 139:10  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Exo 16:35  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. 

As we have indicated, the manna has both a positive and a negative meaning. Jesus showed us the positive and the negative aspect of manna as follows:

Joh 6:58  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.

The manna represents Christ and the truth of His words. It also represents the polluted word of the Lord that we were eating in Babylon. We had spent significant time of our lives in this journey of faith in Babylon eating manna which brought us to death. The time that we spent in Babylon is signified by the number forty. Forty signifies the period in our lives in Babylon where the Lord tries us and finds us wanting. It is the time that we come to see that we are a people who are always erring and have not known the ways of the Lord. Immediately, we become aware of this, and we leave the wilderness of Babylon to enter the church of the first born (signified by Canaan), the physical manna which brings death when we eat, ceases.

Psa 95:8  Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 
Psa 95:9  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
Psa 95:10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 

Exo 16:36  Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. 

An ephah is an ancient Hebrew unit of dry volume measure, equal to approximately one bushel which is roughly equal to about 35 liters. As stated in verse 36, an omer is a tenth of an ephah. In Numbers 18:26, it can be seen that the tenth part denotes a special portion that is reserved for the priesthood. This indicates that the hidden manna was not for the congregation in general (Babylon and the world at large), but for the priests exclusively. 

Num 18:26  Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.

May the Lord grant us the grace to continue feeding on Him (Manna) and to be obedient to Him as we see the day approaching!! Amen!!