But they did not listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. But they did not listen to MosesThis phrase highlights the recurring theme of disobedience and lack of faith among the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "listen" is "שָׁמַע" (shama), which implies not just hearing but obeying. In the context of the Exodus narrative, this disobedience reflects a deeper spiritual struggle. Despite witnessing God's miracles, the Israelites often faltered in their trust. This serves as a reminder of the human tendency to doubt and the importance of faithfulness to divine instructions. and some people left part of it until morning
The phrase underscores the specific act of disobedience regarding the collection of manna. The Hebrew word for "left" is "נוֹתַר" (notar), meaning to leave behind or reserve. This action was contrary to God's command to gather only enough manna for each day, except before the Sabbath. The Israelites' decision to keep some until morning reveals a lack of trust in God's provision. It serves as a lesson on the importance of relying on God's daily sustenance and not hoarding out of fear or doubt. and it became infested with maggots and began to smell
This vivid description of the manna's decay symbolizes the consequences of disobedience. The Hebrew word for "maggots" is "תּוֹלָע" (tola), which can also mean worm or grub. The rapid spoilage of the manna serves as a tangible sign of God's displeasure and a reminder of the futility of human efforts when they go against divine instructions. It illustrates the principle that God's commands are not arbitrary but are designed for the well-being of His people. So Moses was angry with them
Moses' anger reflects righteous indignation, a response to the people's persistent lack of faith and obedience. The Hebrew word for "angry" is "קָצַף" (qatsaph), which conveys a strong emotional response. Moses, as God's appointed leader, was frustrated by the people's failure to trust in God's provision. This highlights the burden of leadership and the challenges faced by those who guide others in faith. It also serves as a call to patience and perseverance in the face of repeated human failings. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt. He serves as a mediator between God and the Israelites. 2. The IsraelitesThe people of God who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and are now in the wilderness, learning to trust and obey God. 3. MannaThe miraculous bread from heaven provided by God to sustain the Israelites in the wilderness. It symbolizes God's provision and faithfulness. 4. The WildernessThe setting where the Israelites are journeying towards the Promised Land, a place of testing and reliance on God. 5. DisobedienceThe event where some Israelites disobeyed God's command through Moses by keeping manna until morning, resulting in spoilage. Teaching Points Obedience to God's InstructionsThe Israelites' failure to obey God's command regarding manna serves as a reminder of the importance of following God's instructions fully. Partial obedience is disobedience. Trust in God's Daily ProvisionJust as the Israelites were to trust God for their daily manna, we are called to trust God for our daily needs, relying on His faithfulness rather than hoarding or worrying about the future. Consequences of DisobedienceThe spoilage of manna illustrates the natural consequences of disobedience. When we fail to trust and obey God, we may face unnecessary hardships. Learning from Past MistakesThe Israelites' experience teaches us to learn from our mistakes and grow in our faith journey, seeking to align our actions with God's will. Spiritual NourishmentBeyond physical sustenance, we are reminded of our need for spiritual nourishment through Christ, the true bread from heaven. Bible Study Questions 1. What does the spoilage of manna teach us about the importance of following God's instructions precisely? 2. How can we apply the lesson of daily reliance on God in our modern context, especially in areas where we tend to worry about the future? 3. In what ways does the account of manna in the wilderness connect to Jesus' teaching about being the "bread of life"? 4. How can we identify areas in our lives where we might be practicing partial obedience, and what steps can we take to fully align with God's will? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's provision in a surprising way. How did that experience strengthen your faith and trust in Him? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 16:4-5Provides context for God's instructions about gathering manna, emphasizing obedience and trust in God's provision. Matthew 6:11Jesus teaches us to pray for our "daily bread," echoing the lesson of daily reliance on God seen in the provision of manna. John 6:31-35Jesus refers to Himself as the "bread of life," drawing a parallel to the manna and highlighting the spiritual sustenance He provides. Philippians 4:19Paul assures believers that God will supply all their needs, reinforcing the theme of God's provision. People Aaron, Ephah, Israelites, MosesPlaces Canaan, Elim, Sin Desert, SinaiTopics Angry, Attention, Bred, Bringeth, Didn't, Evil, Foul, Full, Hearken, Hearkened, Kept, Leave, Listen, Maggots, Morning, Notwithstanding, Offensive, Paid, Rotted, Smell, Stank, Stinketh, Till, Worms, WrothDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 16:20 5183 smell
5791 anger, human Exodus 16:1-30 8131 guidance, results Exodus 16:16-22 5616 measures, dry Exodus 16:19-20 8718 disobedience Library The Bread of God
'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: …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureSeptember the Twenty-Eighth the Daily Manna
"I will rain bread from heaven for you." --EXODUS xvi. 11-18. And this gracious provision is made for people who are complaining, and who are sighing for the flesh-pots of Egypt! Our Lord can be patient with the impatient: He can be "kind to the unthankful." If it were easy to drive the Lord away I should have succeeded long ago. I have murmured, I have sulked, I have turned Him out of my thoughts, and "He stands at the door and knocks!" I yearn for "the flesh-pots," "He sends me manna," "Was …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year Dining with a Pharisee. Sabbath Healing and Three Lessons Suggested by the Event.
(Probably Peræa.) ^C Luke XIV. 1-24. ^c 1 And it came to pass, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him. [The Pharisees were an unorganized party, hence their rulers were such not by office, but by influence. Those who were members of the Sanhedrin, or who were distinguished among the rabbis, might fitly be spoken of as rulers among them. The context favors the idea that Jesus was invited for the purpose of being …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Beauty and Glory of the Risen Body.
We have seen in the foregoing chapters that, in the Beatific Vision, the human soul sees, loves, and enjoys God, and that her essential happiness consists in that unfailing, blessed vision. But, although the blessedness she now enjoys is far greater than words can express, it is not yet integral or complete, and never will be, except when she is again clothed in her own body, beautified, and glorified after the likeness of her Saviour's body. However, although her happiness is not yet complete, you …
F. J. Boudreaux—The Happiness of Heaven Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Tithing
There are few subjects on which the Lord's own people are more astray than on the subject of giving. They profess to take the Bible as their own rule of faith and practice, and yet in the matter of Christian finance, the vast majority have utterly ignored its plain teachings and have tried every substitute the carnal mind could devise; therefore it is no wonder that the majority of Christian enterprises in the world today are handicapped and crippled through the lack of funds. Is our giving to be …
Arthur W. Pink—Tithing The Personality of Power.
A Personally Conducted Journey. Everyone enjoys the pleasure of travel; but nearly all shrink back from its tiresomeness and drudgery. The transportation companies are constantly scheming to overcome this disagreeable side for both pleasure and business travel. One of the popular ways of pleasure travel of late is by means of personally conducted tours. A party is formed, often by the railroad company, and is accompanied by a special agent to attend to all the business matters of the trip. A variation …
S.D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on Power Epistle xvii. To Felix, Bishop of Messana.
To Felix, Bishop of Messana. To our most reverend brother, the Bishop Felix, Gregory, servant of the servants of God [246] . Our Head, which is Christ, to this end has willed us to be His members, that through His large charity and faithfulness He might make us one body in Himself, to whom it befits us so to cling that, since without Him we can do nothing, through Him we may be enabled to be what we are called. From the citadel of the Head let nothing divide us, lest, if we refuse to be His members, …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great How Subjects and Prelates are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 5.) Differently to be admonished are subjects and prelates: the former that subjection crush them not, the latter that superior place elate them not: the former that they fail not to fulfil what is commanded them, the latter that they command not more to be fulfilled than is just: the former that they submit humbly, the latter that they preside temperately. For this, which may be understood also figuratively, is said to the former, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: but to …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great 1 to Pray is as it were to be on Speaking Terms with Me...
1. To pray is as it were to be on speaking terms with Me, and so by being in communion with and abiding in Me to become like Me. There is a kind of insect which feeds upon and lives among grass and green leaves and becomes like them in colour. Also the polar bear dwelling among the white snows has the same snowy whiteness, and the tiger of Bengal bears upon its skin the marks of the reeds among which it lives. So those, who by means of prayer abide in communion with Me partake, with the saints and …
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet Appendix viii. Rabbinic Traditions About Elijah, the Forerunner of the Messiah
To complete the evidence, presented in the text, as to the essential difference between the teaching of the ancient Synagogue about the Forerunner of the Messiah' and the history and mission of John the Baptist, as described in the New Testaments, we subjoin a full, though condensed, account of the earlier Rabbinic traditions about Elijah. Opinions differ as to the descent and birthplace of Elijah. According to some, he was from the land of Gilead (Bemid. R. 14), and of the tribe of Gad (Tanch. on …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Deity of the Holy Spirit.
In the preceding chapter we have seen clearly that the Holy Spirit is a Person. But what sort of a Person is He? Is He a finite person or an infinite person? Is He God? This question also is plainly answered in the Bible. There are in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments five distinct and decisive lines of proof of the Deity of the Holy Spirit. I. Each of the four distinctively Divine attributes is ascribed to the Holy Spirit. What are the distinctively Divine attributes? Eternity, omnipresence, …
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 16:20 NIVExodus 16:20 NLTExodus 16:20 ESVExodus 16:20 NASBExodus 16:20 KJV
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