16:1.
“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.”
Sin means
thorn: clay: mire, and it would be difficult to find a more apt
typological description of this present evil world, for thorns are the
evidence of the earth’s cursed state, see Genesis 3:18; while clay is the
material from which man’s physical body is created, see Genesis 2:7; and of
that body Paul has declared, “I know that in me, that is in my flesh,
dwelleth no good thing,” Romans 7:18. Mire speaks eloquently of man’s evil
deeds, see Isaiah 57:20, “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it
cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”
Israel’s
coming to “the wilderness of Sin” therefore teaches the truth that while the
believer is no longer “of” this world, he is nevertheless still in it, and
must remain here as a witness for God until he is taken home to heaven.
For the
significance of Elim see comments on
15:27; and for the significance of Sinai see
comments on 3:7.
The factors of
15 are 3 and 5, three being the number of resurrection; and five,
that of responsibility, so that their coming into the wilderness of Sin on
the fifteenth day points symbolically to their being spiritually on
resurrection ground (as is every believer), and to their being responsible
to walk in obedience before God (as is also every believer). Their physical
geographical location is a symbolic picture of our spiritual position. We
are in a world which for us has become a desert, a spiritual wilderness.
Since two is
the biblical number of witness or testimony, their coming into the
wilderness on the second month serves to remind us of our responsibility to
be God’s witnesses to others. And since a month is the twelfth part of a
year we are being further reminded of our responsibility to obey God.
16:2.
“And the whole congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in
the wilderness:”
As has been
discussed already Moses represents the Law; and Aaron, grace, so that
Israel’s murmuring, grumbling, and complaining against these two leaders is
the reminder that we duplicate their evil conduct every time we resent God’s
ordering of our lives, forgetting that His will is “good, and acceptable,
and perfect,” Romans 12:2, and that “... all things work together for good,
to those who love God,” Romans 8:28.
16:3.
“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.”
This has been
duplicated in the lives of some new converts faced with the reality of
having to sever themselves from associations incompatible with the
profession of faith in Christ as Savior and Lord, e.g., certain types of
business or business associations such as the sale or service of liquor,
gambling operations, entertainment, Sunday business, et al. Those who
haven’t had to make such decisions can easily underestimate the courage and
faith needed to make such decisions.
16:4.
“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.”
The “bread” of
course was the manna with which God fed the people for the forty years of
their sojourn in the desert, that food being a type of the spiritual food,
the written Word given for the nourishment of our souls during our passage
through the wilderness of this world on our way home to heaven. As they
were to “gather a certain rate every day” so are we to daily read, meditate
on, and obey what we read, see 1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”
We must note
however, that the manna wasn’t just to be picked up and eaten: it was to be
baked or boiled, see Exodus 16:23, that cooking
process being the equivalent of reading and meditation. It isn’t sufficient
just to mechanically read a chapter a day as though we were reading a book.
Without meditation and obedience the mere reading will be of little profit;
and he who has no desire to meditate on Scripture would do well to examine
whether he has really been born again, as Paul exhorts, “Examine yourselves
whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves,” 2 Corinthians 13:5. One
infallible proof of the reality of our professed faith is whether we love
the written Word.
Relative to
baking and boiling, fire is an essential element, and fire is one of the
biblical symbols of the Holy Spirit. His enlightenment is imperative if we
are to understand the deeper spiritual significance of what we read, but
when we grieve Him by doing what He forbids, or quench Him by refusing or
neglecting to do what He commands, we automatically deprive ourselves of His
illumination.
We must note
also the distinction between baking and boiling. Baking requires only fire,
but boiling involves also the use of water, one of the biblical symbols of
the written Word, see Ephesians 5:26, and the lesson being taught in boiling
is that one of the methods used by the Holy Spirit is to have us compare
Scripture with Scripture, as it is written, “Which things also we speak, not
in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual, but the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned,” 1
Corinthians 2:13-14.
As food is
boiled by being bubbled up, so does Scripture become our spiritual food as
the Holy Spirit bubbles up in our minds what we have already learned from
previous study of the Word, and uses that knowledge to help us understand
the verse or passage presently being studied.
16:5.
“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.”
The amount to
be gathered on the sixth day was to be sufficient for two days, so that
there was no gathering on the sabbath, see verse 22.
It can scarcely be doubted that some at least would give thanks on the
sabbath for the gracious provision that delivered them from the necessity of
having to go out to gather the manna as on the other six days, reminding us
that Israel’s seventh day has become for us the first day of the week, and
is the day appointed by God for us to assemble around the Lord’s table to
remember His death, and to present our worship for Him Who is the true Bread
Who came down from heaven, He Himself declaring, “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 ... I am the bread of life: he that
cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never
thirst” John 6:32-36.
16:6.
“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:”
This prompts
the question, In what way could God’s giving the quails confirm the belief
of the Israelites that it was He Who had delivered them from Egyptian
bondage? and the answer may be that the death of the quails would remind the
Hebrews of the death of the Passover lambs whose blood had preserved each
firstborn Israelite from death.
It is
instructive to note that the quails were given twice: here in grace to meet
their need as they began their journey to Canaan, and again in anger to
punish their rebellion, see Numbers 11:4-33, the obvious lesson being that
the Christ Who came once as Savior, the living bread for believers, is
coming again as Judge to destroy the wicked, the unbelievers.
16:7.
“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?”
That
revelation of God’s glory is recorded in verse 10. No specifics are given
relative to that glory, but it is generally believed to have been an
effulgence of dazzling brightness impossible to look upon except from a
distance or through a vail, see for example Exodus 33:20-23, “And he (God)
said (to Moses), Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me,
and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt
stand upon a rock; and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by,
that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my
hand while I pass by: and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my
back parts; but my face shall not be seen.”
Moses in the
cleft of the rock is a type of each believer, for the cleft rock is a figure
of Christ slain at Calvary, while Moses, from that safe place, being
permitted to see only God’s back parts, represents each believer safe in
Christ, and being enabled to “see” God on the pages of Scripture. While
here on earth however, “... 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,” 1
Corinthians 13:12. In other words, we now see only as it were God’s “back
parts,” but at the end of life’s journey we shall see Him “face to face.”
16:8.
“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.”
This was
fulfilled by God’s giving the quails in the evening, and the manna in the
morning, as recorded in verse 13. Those quails given once, and having to be
slain to feed Israel, portray Christ given once to die for the expiation of
our sins, and to give us spiritual life. The manna given every day during
their wilderness wanderings portray Him in resurrection as our spiritual
food set before us in the Scriptures.
16:9.
“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.”
16:10.
“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.”
There is
special significance in its being said that the congregation saw the glory
of God, veiled in a cloud, as they looked toward the wilderness. It is only
as man turns his back on the things of this world - symbolically portrayed
here in Israel’s looking toward the wilderness - that he can see God, for
the more he is taken up with earthly things, the more clouded will his
spiritual vision become. But even the most spiritual man can see God only
dimly here on earth, as noted already, “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,” 1 Corinthians 13:12.
16:11.
“And the Lord spake
unto Moses, saying,”
16:12.
“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.”
16:13.
“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.”
16:14.
“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.”
The quails
given here represent Christ given to die once for the expiation of man’s
sin, but the manna given thereafter every day as their food for the forty
years of their wanderings in the wilderness portrays Him in resurrection as
the spiritual food of those who have been redeemed by His precious blood,
that food being the written Word which nourishes the believer’s new
spiritual life obtained by faith in Christ as Savior and Lord.
The quails
given in the evening, the end of the day, portray Him given to die for our
sins even while we were in nature’s darkness “dead in trespasses and sins,”
Ephesians 2:1, as it is written, “... once in the end of the world (age)
hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself,” Hebrews
9:26. The manna given every day speaks of Him as the believer’s spiritual
food presented in the Scriptures, and given for the nourishment of his new
spiritual life.
“... on the
ground” reminds us of the Lord’s coming down to earth as the living Word, of
which it is written, “The word is nigh (near) thee, even in thy mouth, and
in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach,” Romans 10:8.
The dew
represents the Holy Spirit by Whom the Word is ministered to us as our
spiritual food. The manna’s being “small” speaks of Christ as despised and
rejected by the unbelieving world; but its being “round” speaks of Him as
the eternally existing One, having neither beginning nor end; and “hoar” in
the present context means white, the color of purity, and speaking of
His sinlessness.
16:15.
“And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is
manna: for they wist (knew) not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This
is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”
Manna is
defined in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance as “a whatness (so
to speak), i.e., manna (so called from the question about it),” but
Moses the man of God knew; and so is it still: spiritual men recognize the
Scriptures as man’s spiritual food, given by God to sustain the believer’s
new spiritual life, the Lord Himself declaring, “Except ye eat the flesh of
the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth
my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up
at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink
indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and
I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so
he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 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,” John 6:53-58.
The Lord of
course was referring to the written Word, and declaring that all who
believed that Word, and trusted in Him Whom it presented, would receive
God’s priceless gift of eternal life, the life of God Himself, that life
being nourished by the daily reading and obeying what is written in
Scripture. He who claims to be a believer, but who evinces no desire to
read, study, and obey the written Word, is a false professor.
The teaching
of Roman Catholicism, that in the Eucharist the bread and wine become by
transubstantiation the literal body and blood of Christ, is unsupported by
Scripture. The Lord was very clearly appointing the bread and wine to be
symbols of His body and blood. On the night when He instituted the
Lord’s Supper, the bread was literal bread, and the wine literal wine, and
so has it been ever since. There is nothing in Scripture to support the
idea of transubstantiation.
16:16.
“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.”
An omer was
about the equivalent of three quarts dry measure; and the head of the family
was to gather the manna for his household. The lesson is easily read. The
head of each household is responsible to gather from the Scriptures each day
what will minister to the spiritual needs of his family. The fact that it
was to be gathered early in the morning before “the sun waxed hot” verse 21,
teaches the additional truth that we are to begin each day with the reading
of Scripture.
16:17.
“And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.”
16:18.
“And when they did mete it with an omer, he that had gathered much had
nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every
man according to his eating.”
This is the
typological declaration of the truth that we have varying capacities
relative to understanding the deeper spiritual truth woven into the fabric
of the Bible’s literal language. It is not to be expected that the new
convert, the babe in Christ, will have the same ability to discern the
deeper truths of Scripture as does the mature spiritual believer; but it is
also true that when the Holy Spirit is quenched and/or grieved by carnality,
His power to enlighten is correspondingly reduced, hence the need of
obedience if we would enjoy the full measure of His ministry.
This certainty
of each man’s having sufficient for his individual daily need translates
into the assurance that as we are faithful in reading and studying His Word
each day so will He also be faithful in using that Word to meet our need for
each day.
16:19.
“And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.”
This refers to
the case of the man who gathered more than he had need of for one day in
expectation of saving himself the trouble of having to go out and gather
again the next morning. He represents the man who refuses to recognize the
need of nurturing his soul each day with a fresh reading of and meditation
on the written Word. The lesson God would teach is that there is to be a
daily feeding on the written Word, for it is written, “Sufficient unto
the day is the evil thereof,” Matthew 6:34. As each day brings its new
portion of evil, so is it necessary to fortify our souls with a
corresponding fresh intake of God’s Word appropriate to that day’s need.
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.”
This teaches
the folly of refusing to read and study a fresh portion of Scripture each
day, the literal corruption resulting from Israel’s disobedience pointing to
the moral defilement that accompanies neglect of God’s Word. We do well to
heed what is written in Psalm 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse
his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
16:21.
“And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and
when the sun waxed hot, it melted.”
The emphasis
continues to be upon the need to begin each day with the reading and study
of a portion of Scripture, for the melting of the manna when “the sun waxed
hot” sounds the warning that effective study is impossible amid the
distractions and cares of daily living.
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.”
Their
gathering a double amount of manna on the sixth day clearly implies
instruction from God to do so, but leaves unexplained the ignorance of the
rulers relative to that instruction. There is no easily discernable reason
for His not having commanded them also to gather a double portion, one
explanation which suggests itself being that the common people were in
closer touch with God than were the rulers, a state that is unfortunately
sometimes duplicated in the local church today. Another reason may be that
God doesn’t leave us entirely dependent on men for teaching. While He
certainly does use men for this ministry, He would have us remember that
ultimately it is the Holy Spirit Who teaches us, He enabling us to discern
between sound and unsound doctrine.
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
today, and seethe (boil) that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over
lay up for you to be kept until the morning.”
During this
present dispensation of grace the order for the keeping of a day of rest has
been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week, the spiritual
truth being declared in this changed order being that under law man sought
rest through works, but under grace he enters into the enjoyment of present
rest through faith in Christ’s perfectly completed work at Calvary. In this
age of grace the believer begins the week by assembling with other believers
around the Lord’s table to eat the Lord’s Supper, and present his worship
for all that God’s grace has provided through Christ.
Fire is the
essential element common to baking and boiling, but since fire is one of the
biblical symbols of the Holy Spirit, the lesson being taught here is that
there is to be preparation for our coming to the Lord’s table, that
preparation involving the reading, studying, and meditating on God’s Word,
so that when we come together the result of our previous study may furnish
material which the Holy Spirit can use in connection with the presentation
of our present worship.
It is to be
noted also that while both involve the action of fire, there is a
distinction between baking and boiling. In baking the fire works directly
on what is being cooked, but in the boiling process water is the element
through which the fire works to complete the cooking process, and the
spiritual lesson is easily read. The baking represents the Holy Spirit’s
direct revelation of the spiritual truth contained in the portion presently
being read and studied: in boiling that revelation comes by His bubbling up
in our minds and bringing to bear on the portion being studied what He has
previously revealed in connection with our earlier studies of Scripture.
While it is
essential that we come to the Lord’s Table with something prepared to
present in worship, it is equally imperative that we be sensitive to the
leading of the Holy Spirit as to when He would have us present that worship,
that leading applying not only to the right moment during the present
meeting, but also to whether He would perhaps have us offer it during a
future observance of the Lord’s Supper. Only eternity will reveal how many
remembrance feasts have been marred by the presentation of what emanated
from the flesh rather than the Holy Spirit.
16:24.
“And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink,
neither was there any worm therein.”
What results
from obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit is blessed: what is
prompted by the flesh is corrupt, and must die.
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.”
Since eating
is synonymous with satisfaction, their eating the manna on the sabbath,
without having to go out to gather it, speaks of the contentment that
results from obeying God.
16:26.
“Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath,
in it there shall be none.”
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.”
The ultimate
application here is to the eternal loss of those, who by deliberate choice
or careless neglect, come to the end of life without having appropriated the
bread of life, that is without having accepted Christ as Savior and Lord.
The literal hunger suffered by the disobedient Israelite during the sabbath,
is but a faint foreshadowing of the eternal suffering to be endured by those
who die without having received Christ as Savior, He being the true bread of
life, as He Himself declared, “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 .... I
am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that
believeth on me shall never thirst,” John 6:32-35.
16:28.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments
and my laws?”
Moses himself
had not been disobedient, but his being charged here as the representative
of the people confirms that he is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ Who
willingly assumed responsibility for our sins, and then did what Moses
couldn’t: He died to expiate them, and make available to everyone who would
trust Him as Savior, a full pardon, and God’s priceless gift of eternal
life.
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.”
16:30.
“So the people rested on the seventh day.”
God’s edict
that they rest on the seventh day was accompanied by His provision which
made obedience easy; and so is it with all His commands, see Matthew
11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.”
16:31.
“And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: for it was like
coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.”
See
comments on verse 15 for the meaning of the name
“manna.” It is clearly a type of Christ as the spiritual food for His
redeemed people, His purity being indicated in the white color of the
coriander seed, while the honey may speak of the pleasure His people find in
the presentation of Him in every page of Scripture, and unfolded to them
through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
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.”
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.”
Since, as has
been noted already, the manna is a type of Christ, this preservation of an
omer of it as a perpetual reminder to future generations, declares the truth
that Christ’s sacrifice will be remembered eternally, not only by the Father
and by the redeemed of all ages, but also by the damned who will bewail for
ever the folly that led them to reject Him as Savior.
16:34.
“As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to
be kept.”
The
“Testimony” is generally understood to have been the Ark of the Covenant
which was located in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle, so that the
memorial potful of manna was figuratively before the eye of God perpetually,
this being the typological announcement of the truth that the Father will
remember eternally that sacrifice at Calvary which has brought eternal glory
to Him, and eternal salvation to every sinner who trusts the Lord Jesus
Christ as Savior.
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.”
This is the
symbolic foreshadowing of the truth that until we finish our earthly journey
and enter heaven, we too are to feed our souls on the Christ presented in
the pages of Scripture.
Since the
factors of forty are four, the number of earth and testing; and ten, the
number of Divine government, the lesson of the forty years is that our
sojourn here on earth is a time which tests the degree of our obedience, and
which therefore determines also the measure of our eternal reward.
16:36.
“Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.”
The mention of
the tenth (ten being the number of Divine government) continues to emphasize
our responsibility to be obedient under that government.
An ephah was
about the tenth of a bushel.