Exodus 16:18  And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
19  And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
20  Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.
21  And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
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.

There is no shortage of supply with the LORD. He proved His greatness in Creation week. He can do as He pleases with anything and everything in His Creation. Never before had anyone witnessed such an event as this. That did not stop God from providing bread in such a unique manner.
Moses instructed the people not to leave anything over till the morning. It was important for the children of Israel to understand that their trust in the LORD needed to be moment by moment. He would prove that this manna would be there to gather everyday except the seventh. However, He would provide twice as much on the sixth day to meet the needs of the seventh. There was no need to leave anything over. There was no need to stockpile it just in case.
In verse 20 we see that word “notwithstanding”. Moses’ instructions were clear and they were authoritative. However, the people did not listen. They heard the command, but they did not hear it with the intent of obeying it. Some of the people decided to leave of the manna until the morning. God showed them this was not acceptable. It bred worms and it stank. Moses had every reason to be angry with those who disobeyed. God teaches us throughout His Word that obedience is not optional, if we want His blessings. Obedience is not what saves. Obedience is the evidence of true salvation.
God requires absolute trust in Him. That is what is required to obey Him. Those who make the claim to be saved need to demonstrate that with obedience to what the LORD says. It is not possible to have the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour if you want to set the conditions for salvation and service. No truly saved person will always obey the Lord, but that is still God’s requirement. Thus we, those who are saved, need to confess our sin to Him and be forgiven.
God did not stop supplying the manna even though some disobeyed Him. He showed them disobedience was not acceptable. We read that when the sun was hot, the manna would melt and disappear. There was a time limit for them to gather the manna every day.
As commanded, on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread as on the other days, two omers per person. The rulers of the congregation came to Moses to report this “failure”. Even the rulers had a problem listening to instructions.
In verse 23 Moses reminded the rulers of that which the LORD had previously instructed them on. God was teaching the nation of Israel the importance of the sabbath among the children of Israel. The nations did not know the law of the sabbath prior to this time. In Creation week, we learn that God created the world in six days and He rested on the seventh. However, the law of the sabbath was not known until God gave it specifically to the children of Israel. We will see that this law was specific to the children of Israel.
The Seventh Day Adventists have corrupted this law and made it part of their conditions of salvation. They do not even keep it according to the Old Testament. They are in trouble with the LORD for their unbelief and for changing of God’s law.
In verse 23 we read that the seventh day was the “rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD”. The children of Israel needed to be taught how to conduct themselves on that holy day.
In verse 24 we learn that on the seventh day, the extra they had gathered on the sixth day did not stink and there were no worms in it either. The people were commanded to gather twice as much on the sixth day and God was able to preserve that properly for the seventh day.
In verse 25, Moses instructed the children of Israel further on this matter of the sabbath. They were to eat that second portion they had gathered on day six, on day seven. They would not find any manna on the ground on day seven. He further reminded them again that they were to gather manna six days of the week and on the seventh which was called the sabbath, they would not find any manna on the ground.
We read in verse 27 that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. Stubbornness is not a good quality. Wilful ignorance is also not a good quality. God had given ample instructions regarding the gathering and consumption of the manna. There was no valid reason for anyone to go out on day seven to gather manna. God was not pleased with their disobedience. God is longsuffering. He gives man many opportunities to know and obey Him. His instructions are clear. Those who reject His clear teaching will suffer the consequences. In our text, God did not give the people the option to gather manna on the seventh day. They could disobey and go out and look for it, but they would not find any. They needed to see the importance of listening to the LORD. His blessings are sure. He will provide eternal life to all those who will trust in Him. God does not want man to be confused about salvation or anything else. The confusion that is so prevalent now, is not pleasing to the LORD. It is important for those who are saved to help others to know the truth. Confusion cannot save. True faith in the LORD will save.
Pastor Bartel