Exodus 16:22-36
The Sabbath and the Jar of Manna
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22On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much food—two omers per person—and all the leaders of the congregation came and reported this to Moses.
23He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Then set aside whatever remains and keep it until morning.’”
24So they set it aside until morning as Moses had commanded, and it did not smell or contain any maggots.
25“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you will not find anything in the field.
26For six days you may gather, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be there.”
27Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find anything.
28Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and instructions?
29Understand that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day He will give you bread for two days. On the seventh day, everyone must stay where he is; no one may leave his place.”
30So the people rested on the seventh day.
31Now the house of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.
32Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Keep an omer of manna for the generations to come, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
33So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with an omer of manna. Then place it before the LORD to be preserved for the generations to come.”
34And Aaron placed it in front of the Testimony, to be preserved just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
35The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land where they could settle; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.
36(Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
On the sixth day, the people gather twice the usual amount of manna. Their leaders report it to Moses, who explains that the next day is a holy Sabbath to the LORD. They are to prepare their food and keep what remains for the morning.
This time the stored manna does not smell or contain maggots. Keeping it is now obedience to God's command. The Lord provides enough for the day when they are to rest, showing that His instructions about gathering and stopping belong together.
Some still go out on the seventh day to search, but they find nothing. God asks how long they will refuse His commands. He has given them the Sabbath and supplied bread for two days. The people then rest on the seventh day.
The account describes the manna as white like coriander seed and tasting like wafers made with honey. God commands that an omer be kept for future generations so they can see the bread He provided. Moses tells Aaron to place a jar of it before the LORD, and the account records its preservation before the Testimony.
Israel eats manna for forty years, until reaching the border of Canaan. What begins as an unfamiliar food becomes God's sustained provision through the wilderness. The preserved jar will remind their descendants that the same Lord gave their ancestors both daily bread and a day of rest.
Questions
1 What is different about the sixth day's gathering?
AnswerThe people gather two omers per person, twice the usual amount, to provide for the Sabbath.
2 Why is keeping food overnight right on this occasion?
AnswerGod commands it for the Sabbath and preserves it from spoiling. Obedience follows His instruction rather than making a rule out of the previous day's circumstances.
3 What happens to those who search for manna on the Sabbath?
AnswerThey find none. God reminds them that He has given the Sabbath and already provided food for it.
4 Why is an omer of manna preserved?
AnswerSo future generations can see the bread God fed Israel in the wilderness. The people eat manna for forty years, until they reach Canaan's border.
What This Means for Us
God makes rest possible by providing before it is needed. Israel is to stop gathering because the Sabbath belongs to Him. Our work is important, but it is not the source of life to which everything else must be sacrificed.
Plan for worship and rest with the same seriousness you give ordinary duties. Prepare what can be prepared, share necessary work fairly, and avoid arranging your rest so that someone else must carry an unreasonable burden. Receive the time as a gift for life with God and one another.
Prayer
We pray: God who gives rest, release us from the fear that everything depends on our constant effort. Teach us to stop, receive, remember, and make room for worship and for the people we love. Amen.
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