Saturday, June 27, 2020

Exodus 16:22-31 comments: gathering manna





Exodus 16:22 ¶  And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23  And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24  And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 25  And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26  Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27  And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29  See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30  So the people rested on the seventh day. 31  And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
The Sabbath day, the seventh day, was a gift for man, a day of rest. It was holy to God, as a day set apart. You have a God-given right to a day off and any system, government, or person who denies you that is a godless tyranny over you. God ordained a day of rest, one out of seven.
Genesis 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
As part of the Law given to Moses for the Hebrews, the children of Israel, they were to observe this day as a special day.
Exodus 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 12  Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
The religion of the Hebrews was primarily a physical one, with observances, and special days, and requirements for carrying out physical duties. The religion of the Christian is a spiritual one with no sacred spaces outside of the Christian’s own heart. The Jews had a tabernacle and a temple. However, for the Christians;
1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1Corinthians 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
The Hebrews had a Sabbath day, a physical day of rest, and there were other special Sabbaths, as well. Many Christian faith traditions tried to call Sunday the Christian Sabbath all the while making it not a day of rest but a day of obligation. The truth is that early Christians, as history provides evidence, worshipped before dawn on Sunday and then went to work. Sunday was not a day off from work for three hundred years after Christ. If it were truly the Christian Sabbath then from sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday you would do nothing, not even light a candle in your home.
27  And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
Notice here, though, one common thread between Hebrew and Christian. God gave a command and told them how it was going to be and yet they still tested reality to see if it were true what God said. Do we not all do that and should not God be angry when we presume upon Him with our doubting disobedience?
God will lay out moral laws, confirming what had always been His standard. Modern man and woman will test these laws and suffer judgment from disobeying them but typically just don’t ‘get it.’ Sexual immorality, stealing, lying, cheating, and tolerating those who do under the excuse of tolerance typically results in suffering but many people still don’t see what they’ve done in defying the standards that God set down. These are physical facts just as much as gravity. You might jump off the roof and not break your leg but usually something like that happens. You might regularly commit sexual sin and get away with it but many times it will result in disease, lowered self-esteem, even unwanted pregnancy and poverty. ‘Pushing the envelope’ or ‘dancing on the edge’ are two euphemisms we have for testing limits. Life is hard enough when you do the right things and suffer misfortune but you are a fool when you practically beg for judgment on your behavior.
Don’t test what God has said to see if it is indeed true. There are some things you should never do, not even to think about them.
Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

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