What lessons on obedience can we learn from Exodus 16:24's instructions? A Brief Look at the Moment “So they set it aside until morning as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink or have maggots.” (Exodus 16:24) What the Command Required • Gather twice the usual manna on the sixth day. • Keep it overnight for Sabbath use, something God had previously forbidden on the other days (vv. 19-20). • Trust that the LORD would preserve it from decay for that one night. Key Lessons on Obedience • Immediate compliance matters. Israel “set it aside…as Moses had commanded.” Obedience is not negotiation; it is prompt action (cf. Exodus 12:28). • God’s word can override past experience. Earlier attempts to store manna bred worms (v. 20). When God alters instructions, we submit—even if it contradicts what we just learned. • Obedience flows from trust in God’s character, not in visible circumstances. The people had no proof the manna would stay fresh, yet they acted. • The test of obedience often centers on ordinary tasks—gathering, storing, resting. Faithfulness in the mundane reveals the heart (Luke 16:10). • Obedience prepares us for worshipful rest. The stored manna made Sabbath observance possible; obedience enabled the God-designed rhythm of work and rest (Exodus 20:8-11). What Obedience Produced • Supernatural preservation: “it did not stink or have maggots.” God intervenes to sustain what He commands. • Provision without toil on the Sabbath: obedience yesterday became blessing today (Proverbs 10:22). • A visible testimony of God’s faithfulness—fresh manna in a desert jar proclaimed, “The LORD keeps His word.” A Cautionary Contrast Verse 20 records earlier disobedience: some kept manna on ordinary days, “and it bred maggots and stank.” The same wilderness, the same people—different outcome determined solely by whether they honored God’s specific word. Living the Principle Today • Let Scripture set the agenda, even when culture, habit, or prior experience push back (Psalm 119:105). • Respond quickly: delayed obedience is disobedience in slow motion (James 4:17). • Expect God’s enabling grace to accompany every command (Philippians 2:13). • Guard the Sabbath principle—regular, obedient rest testifies that God, not our striving, sustains us (Hebrews 4:9-10). |
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