DBG - January 25 - Exodus 16-18

In this chapter we see God’s provision of manna to feed the Israelites until they reached the Promised Land.

vs. 1 – The word Sin may refer to thorns, clay, or the Mesopotamian moon god Sin.  There seems to be a lot of uncertainty about it.  Their arrival at the wilderness of Sin is exactly one month since the Passover.

vs. 2-3 – The two primary needs of man are food and water.  The Israelites had been tested at Marah in 14:23 with no water.  Now they are tested with no food.  God responds graciously in both cases and provides for the needs of His children.

vs. 4-5 – The God-provided food would have to be gathered daily, except on Friday they gathered enough for that day and the Sabbath.

vs. 6-12 – God moves once more to reveal his greatness in the evening when Israel had assembled to hear Moses and Aaron.

vs. 13 – God’s provision begins with a singular feast on quail.  This is different from the latter sending of quail in Numbers 11.

vs. 14-15 – Manna literally means “what is this?”.  The full description of their appearance and taste is in vs. 31.

vs. 16 – an omer is equal to 2 quarts.  1 omer of manna is the daily ration for an individual.

vs. 18 – God supernaturally acted so that no one would have an overabundance or a lack of food.  No matter what they gathered, when measured out it was 1 omer per person.  No one could corner the market on the supply.

vs. 19-20 – The manna did not last overnight, with the exception of when gathered the day before the Sabbath.

vs. 21 – The manna supply was only available in the morning hours.

vs. 22-26 – God made the manner gathered on the day before the Sabbath last through the Sabbath.  Everyone gathered 2 omers that day.

vs. 27-30 – God commanded that the children of Israel observe the Sabbath rest on the seventh day of the week. He also provided the means to be able to observe it by providing its food supply the day before.  Some through disobedience learned this the hard way that first Sabbath morning.

vs. 31 – A coriander seed is about an 1/8 inch wide and round like a ball.

vs. 32-34 – Moses was commanded to preserve 1 omer of manna as a testimony to God’s provision.  Hebrews 9:4 tells us that was later placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, which is the meaning of vs. 34.

vs. 35 – For the next 40 years Israel will be provided with their daily rations of manna.  This will stop in Joshua 5:12 when they begin to live off the supply of Canaan.

vs. 36 – This final note is provided to ensure the correct measurement is understood.  An ephah is equal to about 6/10ths of a bushel.

In this chapter God provides water in a dry place and a victory on the battlefield.

vs. 1 – Rephidim means “places of rest”.  Much of this area is quite arid, served only by occasional springs and streams that flowed only in rainy seasons.

vs. 2-3 – The people with bellies full of manna to satiate their appetites now complain that God is not doing enough to quench their thirst.

vs. 4-6 – God provides water by commanding going and smiting a particular rock in Horeb, which means “desert”.  The terms Horeb and Sinai are practically synonyms.  DO not confuse this with a later event in Numbers 20.

vs. 7 – Massah means “temptation or trial” and Meribah means “contention or litigation”.

vs. 8 – The children of Israel face their first combat as Amalekites, nomadic descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:12,16), attack them. 

vs. 9-12 – God’s plan of battle is as follows: Joshua will lead the troops into battle.  Moses will stand on the hill holding aloft the rod go so often has used.  So long as he held the rod in the air the children of Israel prevailed.  Aaron and Hur (means “hole”) support Moses’s arms as the battle rages on throughout the day.

vs. 13 – VICTORY!  God is giving Joshua valuable experience here, 40 years before he will lead Israel in its campaign to take the Promised Land.

vs. 14 – God promises that one day the Amalekites will be exterminated.  Saul failed to do this in I Samuel 15.  The final Amalekite that we can identify is Haman the Agagite (Agag was the Amalekite king defeated by Saul) in the Book of Esther.  We will see in more incidents to come that these were a cruel and vicious people.  I liken them to modern terrorists.

vs. 15-16 – Jehovahnissi means “God is my banner”.  It is under His standard and leadership that Israel was to fight under.  With God on their side they could not fail.

In this chapter we have see Moses receive help from his father-in-law on governing so great a people.

vs. 1-6 – Moses’s father-in-law, here called Jethro, arrives with Moses’s wife and children. Jethro appears to be a title not his proper name, which was Reuel. We discussed the meaning of these names previously in chapter 2.

vs. 7-12 – Moses welcomes his father-in-law and his family. He tells Jethro of all that had transpired, over which Jethro rejoiced greatly. Jethro offers sacrifices and is honored among the elders of the nation.

vs. 13-16 – Jethro witnesses the workload that Moses has. Moses is acting as a civil magistrate and judge in many affairs.

vs. 17-23 – Jethro offers practical and sound advice. Moses should focus his attention on his divine responsibilities. Good and able men should be recruited to lead Israel in an organized system with multiple layers. This would allow minor problems to be dealt with by lesser authorities and only major problems to trickle up through the ranks to be brought to Moses. The groups of 1,000s, 100s, 50s, and 10s would be subdivisions within the families of each tribe.

vs. 24-26 – Moses puts Jethro’s practical advice to work and it is an instant success. The later Jews looked to this same system as inspiration for the 70-member Sanhedrin during the time of Christ.

We have seen in these three chapters the provision of God in the practical matters in the life of a nation.  He gave them the food and water they needed.  He led them in battle when necessary.  He allowed wise counsel to prevail and an effective government system be put into place.  So often we fall into the trap of thinking that some things are too small to bother God with.  We would do well to remember that Christ taught us that we should pray for “our daily bread”.  That is the needs of everyday life.  God is not just a God of the great things, but of the everyday and the mundane.  No part of our life should be untouched by Him.

Our hymn today is “Day by Day the Manna Fell”, written in 1836 by Josiah Conder.  It combines the message of God’s daily care for His own from the daily manna supply in Exodus to the daily bread of the Lord’s Prayer.  What worries and anxieties we have that would cease if we would only take such a message to heart!

Day by day the manna fell;
O to learn this lesson well!
Still by constant mercy fed,
Give me Lord, my daily bread.

Day by day, the promise reads,
Daily strength for daily needs;
Cast foreboding fears away;
Take the manna of today.

Lord! my times are in Thy hand;
All my sanguine hopes have planned,
To Thy wisdom I resign,
And would make Thy purpose mine.

Thou my daily task shalt give;
Day by day to Thee I live;
So shall added years fulfill,
Not my own, my Father’s will.

Fond ambition, whisper not;
Happy is my humble lot.
Anxious, busy cares away;
I’m provided for today.

Oh, to live exempt from care
By the energy of prayer:
Strong in faith, with mind subdued,
Yet elate with gratitude!