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Matthew Henry |
E X O D U S
CHAP. XVI.
This chapter gives us an account of the victualling of the camp of
Israel.
I. Their complaint for want of bread,
II. The notice God gave them beforehand of the provision he intended to
make for them,
III. The sending of the manna,
IV. The laws and orders concerning the manna.
1. That they should gather it daily for their daily bread,
2. That they should gather a double portion on the sixth day,
3. That they should expect none on the seventh day,
4. That they should preserve a pot of it for a memorial,
ver. 32,
&c.
| The Israelites Murmur for Bread. | B. C. 1491. |
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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,
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,
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
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?
(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,
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
and, as to this instance, see
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,
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. |
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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
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,”
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,
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,
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?
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,
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,
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,
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,
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. |
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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,
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,
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,
The word of God is the manna by which our souls are nourished,
The comforts of the Spirit are hidden manna,
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!
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