Exodus 16:22-36

²² On the sixth day they collected double the amount of bread, two omers for one person. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, ²³ he told them, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a sacred rest day, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'” ²⁴ So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. ²⁵ Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. ²⁶ Six days you shall collect it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” ²⁷ On the seventh day some of the people did go out to collect, but they found none. ²⁸ And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? ²⁹ See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days for this reason. Each of you stay in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day. ³¹ The house of Israel called its name man.[1] It was white like a coriander seed, and it tasted like wafers made with honey. ³² Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the desert, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'” ³³ And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of man in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations.” ³⁴ Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept just as the LORD commanded Moses ³⁵ The people of Israel ate the man forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the man till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. ³⁶ (An omer is one tenth of an ephah.)

two for one Fridays

On the day before the Sabbath, a double portion of the manna appeared. The Israelites collected it and what was left over did not spoil. This was another of the seven miracles associated with God’s provision of manna. It enabled every Israelite to take day off from their regular work. This gift of rest was more than just a rest. It was an opportunity for every Israelite to cease regular activity, and spend time at the feet of their Savior and teacher. It was time for spiritual sustenance. It was time for reflection on the meaning of life, the meaning of their walk through the desert. It was time to dream of the promised land.

The LORD wants to give you and me some time off as well. The Sabbath laws do not apply to non-Israelites, but the Sabbath principle is an important one to learn for all believers. That principle is not a legalistic one. It simply calls us to spend regular time with the LORD, reflecting on our relationship with him, eating from the bread that he has provided for us in his word, and in Christ.

It is also the principle of freedom by grace. We are set free from the task of trying to earn our own salvation through cruel toil for an enemy. The LORD calls us to rest in his provision. He will do the work. We are to simply collect the gift.

LORD, thank you for the gift of grace, enabling us to rest in your completed work, and worship you regularly.

[1] In the Hebrew OT, and in verse 16:14 of the LXX, it is called man, an old pronunciation of mah (=”what”). In the rest of the LXX, and the NT, it is rendered manna (Exod. 16:31, 33, 35; Num. 11:6f, 9; Deut. 8:3, 16; Josh. 5:12; Neh. 9:20; Psa. 78:24; John 6:31, 49; Heb. 9:4; Rev. 2:17).