An Exposition of Exodus 16
* Emmaus alumnus Bill McRae, well-known Bible expositor, author, and educator, presently serves as Chancellor of Ontario Bible College and Seminary. This is the eleventh in a series of expositions on the book of Exodus.
Introduction
In the journey from Egypt to Canaan the Israelites had now come in Exodus 16 one month into the wilderness. They had left Goshen, crossed the Red Sea, and had briefly encamped at Marah and Elim. Now their journey continued southward and to the east, to the wilderness of Sin, a desert area between Elim and Mt. Sinai.
Upon reaching this waste area Israel was confronted with the second problem of their wilderness experience. [1]
Israel’s Problem
Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Ex. 16:1–3).Israel’s problem simply stated was the lack of sufficient food. Little wonder. Here were two and a half million people in a barren wasteland! “Apparently their travels through the desert had depleted the supplies they were able to accumulate both in Egypt and in the desert oases. They, of course, were accustomed to a rather good diet of meat, bread, fish and vegetables while living in Egypt (cf. Num. 11:5).” [2] Such a shortage was a great hardship. With the desert before them they were faced with inevitable starvation.
What was their response to this problem? “The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled” (v. 2). The text says, “they grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” They said, “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (v. 3).
But there is more to their grumbling than this. Moses was absolutely correct when, later, he said, “Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord” (v. 8).
Imagine this. “Here was the self-same people who had been divinely spared from the ten plagues on Egypt, who had been brought forth from the land of bondage, miraculously delivered at the Red Sea, divinely guided by a Pillar of Cloud and Fire, day and night,—now ‘murmuring.’”
Undoubtedly it began with just a few people. Seeds of discontent were sown. They did not merely murmur to themselves, but among themselves. In short order it spread until the whole congregation grumbled. It was contagious. Complaining always is.
Their grumbling was rebellious. It always is. They did not merely murmur among themselves, but against Moses and Aaron, their divinely chosen leaders.
But most of all, their grumbling was unbelief. It always is. It was Yahweh, not simply Moses and Aaron, who had brought them out of Egypt. It was the Lord who had promised they would worship Him at Sinai (Ex. 3:12) and that He would give them the Land of Promise (Ex. 6:8). It was not possible, then, for them to die from hunger in the desert.
Israel’s grumbling is no credit to their character. Robert West has said, “Nothing is easier than fault-finding; no talent, no self-denial, no brains, no character are required to set up in the grumbling business.”
The grumbling business is built on a downward road. I recall hearing Dr. Walvoord, president of Dallas Theological Seminary, tell of a student who had become very critical. He turned his whole class to complaining, especially his four buddies. He bad-mouthed the Seminary around Dallas, urging people not to support it because only one teacher could teach. In due course he was graduated. He was so totally ineffective as a soul-winner that he had a dead ministry, fell into immorality, and was dismissed from the church. Grumbling is always a downward road. It was for Israel and it will be for us.
A few years ago while preaching through the epistle of James, I spoke against having a critical heart-attitude of others (cf. James 4:11–12). One of my friends after the message suggested that she found it helpful not to get upset over that kind of attitude. She just refrained from speaking about it and soon found the attitude went too. The congregation of Israel was not so wise. Their talking fed their heart-attitude and they grumbled.
The bulk of the chapter, however, is devoted not to Israel’s problem, but to God’s provision.
God’s Provision
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.… And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I have heard the grumblings of the sons 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 came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp (Ex. 16:4, 11–13).
God’s provision was twofold: Quail and Manna.
It would be incorrect to assume that this was their diet for forty years. We know they had brought large flocks and herds with them out of Egypt (Ex. 12:38; 17:3). They still had them at Sinai (34:3), Edom, and Transjordan (Num. 20:19; 32:1). On some occasions they bought food and water (Deut. 2:6–7). Wheat and meats were available to them apparently (Ex. 17:3; 24:5; 34:3; Lev. 8:2, 26, 31; 9:4; 10:12; 24:5; Num. 7:13, 19). However, the Lord recognized the need for additional meat and food for their diet and so provided quail and manna on a regular basis.
Quails in the Evening (16:12-13)
So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp (v. 13).What a marvelous provision of grace is here. Each evening at twilight their meat supply was replenished. The simple statement of Exodus 16 is expanded with detailed specifications in Numbers 11:31–33.
Now there went forth a wind from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. And the people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague.
These verses provide the background of one of the most interesting cases to appear upon the calendar of any court in the United States.
Many years ago the Research Science Bureau, a corporation of which Harry Rimmer was president, was broadcasting an offer of one hundred dollars to any person who would establish a scientific error in the Bible. (That offer has been more recently raised to one thousand dollars.) The offer was published far and wide. Thousands of claims were submitted. With the exception of one, every contender withdrew his demand when the explanation or answer of the reviewing committee was received.
The one exception occurred in 1929. A colonel in California contended that this record of the quail constituted a mathematical mistake in the Bible.
He made out his case as follows: there were about two and a half million people in Exodus, and when they made camp it would require 144 square miles to accommodate them. According to this view, the Bible states that quail were sent by the Lord to feed this group, and that the quail covered the ground all around camp to the extent of a day’s journey in every direction, and to a solid depth of two cubits. The Colonel contended that a “day’s journey” was 28 miles, and since the quail covered the ground on all four sides of the camp, there were 4,569 square miles of quail piled up 44 inches deep on the surface of the earth! Parenthetically, it should be remembered that all these figures are from the Colonel’s brief. Deducting from this area the 144 square miles of the camp, we have left 4,425 square miles of quail. The Colonel then assured us that he knew from experience that 64 quail could be counted in each cubic foot, and then proceeded to figure the cubic area of the mass of quail. He came out of this mental huddle with the positive statement that there were twenty-nine trillion, six hundred thirteen billion, nine hundred ninety-one million, two hundred sixty thousand, one hundred and seventy-one quail in the pile. Then he divided this number by the two and a half million people in the company, and found that every Jew had to eat twelve million, two hundred sixty-six thousand, one hundred seventy-one quail to get rid of the ration which he insisted had been sent them. To this was added the difficulty that every member of the Horde would have to pick and carry to camp, ninety-seven birds per second for thirty-six hours. This he concluded, was a scientific impossibility, and he demanded the reward on the ground that he had thus “proved” a scientific error in the Bible.In answer to his complaint, Rimmer says:
We pointed out that the “day’s journey” of the wandering was never twenty-eight miles, but nearer an average of three miles. We showed him that the quail were on only two sides of the camp, so that he did not have a square to figure from. Then we pointed out that the quail were flying low, two cubits high above the face of the earth, and had to be netted or knocked down by the hunters. All of which changed the alleged factors of his calculations so completely as to destroy his case. [3]Instead of accepting the answer, the Colonel brought a lawsuit against Dr. Rimmer and the Bureau for one hundred dollars. The case was tried in New York with the eminent Christian lawyer, James E. Bennet, defending Dr. Rimmer. The court decided that no error had been proved and that no award was due!
As is true in case after case, a careful reading of Scripture eliminates many of the problems.
However, the provision of quail was but one part of God’s provision for Israel.
Manna in the Morning
So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. When the sons 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, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. “This is what the Lord has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’” And the sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat (Ex. 16:13–18).The Meaning of “Manna”
Many students of the Old Testament agree that the short Hebrew phrase mān hū (מָן הוּא) in verse fifteen is best translated “What is it?” or “What is this?” This was their expression as they looked upon the strange substance on the ground. They did not know what it was. Manna—“What is it?”
The Description of the Manna.
When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.
And the house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with honey (Ex. 16:14, 31).
- It appeared in flakes or small round grains (v. 14).
- It was like coriander seed: white (v 31).
- It tasted like wafers made with honey; (v. 31).
- It fell with the dew and appeared when the dew left the ground (v. 14; Num. 11:9).
The most popular current view links the manna with tamarisk thickets in the wadis of the central Sinai mountains. Here during the month of June a granular type of sweet substance up to the size of a pea appears on the tender twigs of these bushes for a period from three to six weeks.… These drops are small, sticky, light colored and very sweet. [4]Such an explanation, however, does not satisfy the text. The biblical manna was available to them throughout the full forty years, all year long, from Egypt to Canaan (Ex. 16:35). The tamarisk “manna” is found only in the Sinai peninsula and only during the months of June and July. It can be satisfactorily kept for several days, but it cannot be used for baking purposes. The differences are so drastic that any serious student of the Bible must conclude this was a supernatural phenomenon.
Yahweh Himself calls it “bread from heaven” (v. 4; cf. Psa. 105:40; 78:24ff).
The Instructions Concerning the Manna.
And Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. And they gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.Now it came about on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, then he said to them, “This is what the Lord meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul, nor was there any worm in it. And Moses said, “Eat it 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.” And it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded, ‘Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the Lord, to be kept throughout your generations” (Ex. 16:19–27, 32–33).
They were to collect it early in the morning after the dew evaporated, but before the sun melted it (vv. 14, 21).
- They were to collect about an omer each (v. 16), about two quarts.
- They were to collect this for five days.
- They were to double the amount on the sixth day to last them over the Sabbath (vv. 16–18). There would be no supply provided on the Sabbath (v. 25). This instruction was perhaps in anticipation of the establishment of the seventh day as a special sabbath day in Israel (vv. 22–23). It is apparent that the seventh day was being set aside as a holy day to Yahweh (v. 23). However, “it is not entirely clear that this Sabbath had been fully revealed as a national sacred day as is found in the Sinai covenant” [5]
- They could not keep the manna overnight normally because it would decay and be filled with maggots (vv. 19–20).
- The extra manna which was to be kept for the Sabbath was preserved by baking it beforehand (vv. 4–5, 22–24).
- An omerful was to be preserved in a jar and placed before the Lord. It was to be kept throughout their generations (vv. 32–33) as a reminder to future generations of God’s faithfulness and gracious provisions (Deut. 8:3). Later it was preserved in the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle.
It was a test of Israel’s obedience.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction” (Ex. 16:4).
And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (Deut. 8:2).God’s ways have not changed. Day after day He leads us into situations calculated to test us, to surface our true hearts, our evil natures, our willfulness and rebellion, and thus to humble us before God.
Do not misunderstand. God Himself does not tempt anyone (Jas. 1:13). Although He certainly tests us to do good, He never tempts us to do evil. And what is the purpose of such testing? It is always positive. Sometimes it is to bring out the best in us (Gen. 22). Other times it is to surface a weakness in order that it may be corrected (Deut. 8:2). Not so with Satan. He tests or tempts us in order to bring out the worst. His purpose is only negative.
A helpful analogy to this can be seen in the testing of automobiles. Imagine yourself at the General Motors test track. They are testing a new Ford, Why? To discover all the flaws. Their purpose is entirely negative. They want to exploit the weaknesses. This is precisely how and why Satan tempts us.
On another track, however, they are test-driving a new G.M. product. Why? To bring out its strengths or, if necessary, to surface areas of weakness that they may be corrected before production begins. Their purpose is entirely positive. So it is with God’s testing. He tests us to bring out the finest spiritual qualities He has developed within us. Occasionally, in the course of the testing, areas of weakness are surfaced. These, then, become the center of His corrective work in our lives.
This was the case in Exodus 16. Israel failed the test. The testing of Israel laid bare their willful, rebellious, unbelieving hearts.
But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them (Ex. 16:20).
And it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none (Ex. 16:27).All this, in the wisdom of God,, was designed to humble them before God—an absolutely essential spiritual prerequisite to faith and growth.
It was a display of God’s power. God fed them with manna to show Israel and all of us that man does not live by bread alone. The power to sustain life does not rest upon bread only but upon all that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord (Deut. 8:3). Any means, designed and appointed by the Lord, sustains life. We are not dependent upon material food only. We may be sustained in any way or by any means He decrees.
In this sense our Lord quotes these words in reply to Satan (Matt. 4:4). He means He is leaving it to God to sustain His life, as God could do it in extraordinary ways, even without the common supplies of food. He can do it “by the power of His almighty word and will.”
It was a type of Jesus Christ. This is no figment of our imagination. Our Lord Himself so identified it in John 6:31–35:
“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” Jesus therefore said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” They said therefore to Him, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”Our Lord is the only “true bread out of heaven.” True, not in contrast with the false, but “true,” in contrast with the imperfect or incomplete. The manna of the Old Testament, the bread from heaven, was an imperfect foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus, the “true bread out of heaven.”
The provision in Israel’s times was purely temporary for “your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead” (John 6:49). The “true bread out of heaven,” however, provided eternal life. The one who eats or believes “shall live forever” (John 6:51).
What a wonderful truth is here portrayed for us. The Lord of Glory, the Son of God, descends from heaven to earth and becomes a man. He lives a short but significant life, teaching the truths of God. It ends in a violent death. He is crucified by both the civil and religious authorities. In His death, however, He bore the guilt of sinners, accepted our penalty, and satisfied God’s holy and just claims upon us. If we will but appropriate Him, trust Him, believe in Him, we shall have eternal life.
More than that, just as the manna was a refreshment and blessing to the hungry Israelites of old, so our Lord Jesus, the Bread of Life, satisfies the hungers and desires and aspirations of the starving soul of this age. What manna was to Israel in their wilderness experience, the Lord Jesus Christ is to every believer in our Christian pilgrimage. He is the source of spiritual sustenance. How needful it is that we feed on Him!
Practical Suggestions
Several practical suggestions may be gleaned from Israel’s experience.
Our spiritual food must be gathered. This leads us to the Word of God, to a careful reading and study of the Scriptures (1 Peter 2:2). It is here that we see the Lord and meet with Him to feast upon Him.
I like to think of this devotional time as a PREP time. The four letters of this word offer a simple outline to follow:
P— Pray—for God’s blessing as I read and study.
R—Read—a short passage of Scripture.
E—Examine—carefully bombard it with questions
- What do I learn about Jesus Christ here?
- What promise can I claim?
- What warning should I heed?
- What do I learn about myself here?
- What example can I follow?
Our spiritual food must be gathered daily. The manna they gathered today would not suffice them for tomorrow. They needed to obtain a fresh supply each day. It is just here that so many of us fail. We too need to feed upon our Lord each day. We need a daily diet of the Bread of Life.
One of Rabbi Ben Jochai’s scholars once asked him, “Why did not the Lord furnish enough manna to Israel for a year, all at one time?”
The teacher said, “I will answer you with a parable. Once there was a king who had a son to whom he gave a yearly allowance, paying him the entire sum on the fixed date. It soon happened that the day on which the allowance was due was the only day in the year when the father ever saw his son. So the king changed his plan and gave his son day by day that which sufficed for the day; and then the son visited his father every morning. How he needed his father’s unbroken love, companionship, wisdom, and giving! Thus God dealt with Israel and deals with us.”
Our spiritual food can be gathered in the morning. Although this was the specified time for Israel, it is not the only time of gathering for believers. However, it may well be the best time (Mark 1:35). What better way to begin the day than to nourish your soul by feeding on the Bread of Life? Recently I came across Stephen Olford’s helpful little booklet on this subject. It is entitled “Manna in the Morning.” What a lovely title for a guide to daily devotions. There is no better way to prep for the day.
The Secret
I met God in the morning
When the day was at its best,
And His Presence came like sunrise,
Like a glory in my breast.
All day long the Presence lingered,
All day long He stayed with me,
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O’er a very troubled sea.
Other ships were blown and battered;
Other ships were sore distressed.
But the winds that seemed to drive them
Brought to us a peace and rest.
Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I too had loosed the moorings
With the Presence left behind.
So I think I know the secret
Learned from many a troubled way.
You must seek Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day.
Conclusion
Of one thing we can be very sure. Our feeding upon Him, our meditations of Him, shall be sweet (Ps. 104:34), sweeter than the manna of old.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8).Notes
- The first was the bitter waters of Marah (Ex. 15:22–27); cf. William J. McRae, “The Wilderness Experience,” EmJ (Summer 1998): 61-69.
- John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt, 2d ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1986), 189.
- Harry Rimmer, That Lawsuit against the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1940), 11–14.
- John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt, 191–192.
- John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt, 190.
No comments:
Post a Comment