Why did Moses instruct, "No one may keep any of it until morning"? Setting the Scene Exodus 16 records Israel’s first full month in the wilderness. Food stores from Egypt were gone, and the people grumbled. God answered with “bread from heaven,” the manna. Verse 19 says, “Then Moses said to them, ‘No one may keep any of it until morning.’” The Instruction Stated • Daily, each family gathered enough manna for that day. • Any attempt to save leftovers (except before the Sabbath, vv. 22–24) caused the manna to rot and breed worms (v. 20). Reasons Behind the Command 1. Daily Dependence on the Lord • God intended Israel to trust Him every sunrise. • Deuteronomy 8:3 recalls: “He humbled you and let you hunger; then He fed you with manna… so that you might know that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” • The pattern foreshadows Jesus’ prayer, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). 2. Protection from Greed and Self-Reliance • Hoarding reveals fear and covetousness. • Proverbs 30:8-9 asks for “neither poverty nor riches” lest the heart stray. • God was teaching contentment with today’s portion (cf. 1 Timothy 6:6-8). 3. A Test of Obedience • Exodus 16:4: “I will test them whether they will walk in My law or not.” • Simple instruction—gather, eat, trust—exposed whether hearts would submit. • Jesus ties love to obedience (John 14:15). 4. Preservation of the Sabbath Principle • Only on the sixth day could manna be kept overnight without spoiling (vv. 22-25). • This miracle underscored God’s sanctification of the seventh day (Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:8-11). 5. Reminder of God’s Faithfulness • Fresh manna each dawn testified that the Lord “new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). • Israel could awaken to tangible evidence of His covenant care. Lessons for Today • Trust God for present needs rather than stockpiling security apart from Him. • Resist the urge to grasp more than He assigns; contentment is worship. • Daily Scripture intake parallels daily manna—spiritual life nourished one day at a time. • Obedience in small matters reveals genuine faith. Looking Forward to Christ Jesus identified Himself as the true bread from heaven (John 6:32-35). Just as Israel lived by manna, believers live by continual reliance on Christ. The command not to keep manna overnight pointed toward a relationship grounded in constant, fresh fellowship with the living Bread who never spoils. |
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