What is the meaning of Exodus 16:24?

So they set it aside

– This simple act shows the Israelites finally obeying after earlier failures (Exodus 16:20).

– Obedience always begins with a choice to trust that God’s instructions are better than our instincts (Proverbs 3:5-6).

– Gathering an extra portion on the sixth day (Exodus 16:5) required faith that God would provide for the Sabbath.

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until morning

– Leaving the manna untouched overnight forced the people to rest instead of labor on the seventh day (Exodus 16:23).

– God’s mercies are “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23), so He could certainly keep bread fresh for one night.

– Waiting until morning models patient dependence—an echo of Psalm 30:5, where joy comes with the dawn.

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as Moses had commanded

– Moses spoke for God; obeying him was obeying the Lord (Exodus 16:28; Deuteronomy 5:33).

– Spiritual authority protects and blesses when received humbly (Hebrews 13:17; John 14:15).

– Their compliance here contrasts with earlier grumbling (Exodus 16:2-3), reminding us that repentance is proven by new actions.

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and it did not smell

– Earlier leftovers “smelled” (Exodus 16:20); the difference now highlights a deliberate miracle of preservation.

– God can override natural decay (Isaiah 40:8); His word sustains both bread and people (Matthew 4:4).

– The sweet aroma points ahead to Christ, “a pleasing aroma” to God (2 Corinthians 2:15), whose body saw no corruption (Acts 2:31).

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or contain any maggots

– Maggots symbolized judgment for disobedience (Exodus 16:20); their absence now signals divine approval.

– Treasure kept in heaven “where moths and rust do not destroy” (Matthew 6:19-20) mirrors this incorruptibility.

– The preserved manna foreshadows the imperishable life Jesus offers: “I am the living bread…whoever eats of this bread will live forever” (John 6:51).

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summary

Exodus 16:24 shows that when God’s people act in obedient faith, He actively preserves their provision. The Israelites trusted enough to set aside the manna, waited through the night, honored the command given through Moses, and witnessed a miraculous absence of decay. The verse reassures believers that obedience invites God’s sustaining power, pointing ultimately to the incorruptible life found in the true Bread from heaven.