Exodus 16 – Got A Complaint Against God?

After leaving Elim, the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. They arrived at the Wilderness of Sin on the 15th of the second month after departing Egypt. The entire congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron. The name, “Wilderness of Sin” is just the name of the region. “Sin” in this sense is not speaking of immoral behavior. However, it is ironic that the Israelites are continuing to sin by complaining while in the Wilderness of Sin. The children of Israel said, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Here they go again, glorifying their time in Egyptian bondage because they are seemingly facing adversity in the wilderness! Didn’t God just provide them with twelve wells of water at Elim? Once again, how quickly they forgot! How quickly we forget as well when God grants us a victory, then we face uncertain times! Looking back at past victories should remind us of God’s track record. If He did it before, He can do it again! The Lord told Moses that He would rain bread from heaven for them. The people were to go out and gather a certain quota each day. God was testing them to see if they would walk in His law or not. On the sixth day, they were to gather twice as much as they gathered daily. So, Moses and Aaron told the children of Israel that at evening they shall know that the Lord brought them out of Egypt. After the ten plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea on dry land while the Egyptians drowned and the provision of water at Elim, it’s sad that Moses and Aaron had to keep reminding them it was the Lord who victoriously led them out of Egypt. How many times do we have to be reminded of the victories God has given us? They told the children of Israel that they would see the glory of the Lord the next morning because He heard their complaints against Him. Besides, who were they (Moses and Aaron) that they complained against them? They will know it’s the Lord giving them meat to eat in the evening and bread to the full in the morning. Moses repeated that the Lord heard their complaint against Him and who are they for the Israelites to complain against them (Moses and Aaron). He said to the people, “Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.” So, the question is, “Got a complaint against God?” Have you ever had a complaint against God? Moses told Aaron to tell the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.'” This is the third time in as many verses (7, 8, and 9) where it’s stated that the Lord heard their complaints. This is serious! Even with all of their complaints against Him, God still did not forsake them. Praise God for His patience! As Aaron spoke to them, they looked toward the wilderness and saw the glory of the Lord appearing in a cloud. The Lord told Moses that He heard the complaints of the children of Israel and told him to tell the Israelites that at twilight they shall eat meat and in the morning they shall be filled with bread. God said, “And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.'” Since God told Moses to tell them what He said, I’m guessing that the people only saw the glory of the Lord in the cloud, but did not hear Him speaking to Moses. Do you think that God hears your complaints against Him?

Quails came up at evening and covered the camp. In the morning, dew laid all around the camp. When the dew lifted, on the surface of the wilderness was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they questioned what the substance was. Moses told them it was the bread the Lord was giving them to eat. He explained to them that they were supposed to only take enough according to their need, one omer for each person in their tent. An omer was an ancient Hebrew measure of grain that equals about two and one half US dry quarts. The Israelites did as they were told. Some gathered more and some gathered less according to the number in the family. As they measured the omers, those who gathered more had none left over and those who gathered less did not lack anything. Moses told them that none should be left until the morning. Of course, there were some who did not listen to Moses and left part until the next morning. There’s always some in the crowd who will be disobedient. The bread that was left bred worms and stank. Moses was angry with them. Some have to learn lessons the hard way. Every morning, they gathered the bread according to their need and when the sun was beaming hot, it melted. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. The rulers of the congregation went and told Moses. The people are doing what they were told, now the rulers seem to be clueless. Go figure! Moses told them, that is what the Lord instructed them to do. The next day was going to be the Sabbath to the Lord. They were to bake what they were going to bake, boil what they were going to boil that day and save for themselves all that remained for the next morning. They did it and the next morning, there were no worms in it nor did it stink. On the Sabbath, they were to eat what they had for the day, because they would not find any bread on that day. Six days, they gathered, but on the seventh day which is the Sabbath, there wouldn’t be any bread to gather. On the seventh day, some of the people went to gather bread and there wasn’t any. Again, some will be disobedient. It makes me wonder if those who went out on the seventh day were disobedient on the sixth day and gathered only one omer per person rather than two omers per person. If they were disobedient, I guess they were hungry on the Sabbath. The Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? God said that He gave them the Sabbath and He gave them two omers on the sixth day. They got bread for two days. On the Sabbath, no man was supposed leave his tent. So, the people rested on the seventh day. The people called the bread Manna. It was like white coriander seed and the taste was like wafers made with honey.

Moses told the people that the Lord commanded that they fill an omer with the bread to be kept for future generations. They would see that the Lord fed them with the manna in the wilderness when He brought them out of Egypt. Moses told them to put an omer of manna in a pot and lay it up before the Lord to be kept for their generations. As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. For forty years, the children of Israel ate manna until they came to the inhabited land; until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

An omer is one-tenth of an ephah, which is equivalent to a bushel.

Next week, we journey to Exodus 17.

To God Be The Glory!

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