INTRODUCTION:

(Deuteronomy 4:2 [KJV])
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

(Proverbs 30:5, 6 [KJV])
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

(Isaiah 28:10 [KJV])
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

(Isaiah 28:13 [KJV])
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

(2 Peter 1:20 [KJV])
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

All of the studies found here, whether book studies or topical studies, are done with research with mainly two things: The KING JAMES BIBLE and a plain old, 1828 Webster's Dictionary. Why? Outside of actually studying secular and Jewish history recorded in the Word of God and in any ancient records from many, which records support it, plus archaeology, one needs nothing more. You do not need foreign, dead languages that no one speaks, nor lexicons, nor concordances, nor commentaries, because they differ not only with one another and with the KING JAMES BIBLE, they create division, confusion, debate, and unbelief, apostasy, and a falling away from God Himself. We do not need them. That Word of God, written and preserved for us in our own language, is supposed to be enough, like the Old Testament was for the Jews, and as the New Testament was for the early Christians in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, etc.

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King James/Authorized Bible

There are studies within as tangents on words, subjects found within the two testaments, as to broaden the scope of the study, to learn more, deeper truths. This is not an intellectual site with PhDs, theologians, and no worldly wisdom.. Check everything out, everything. Not just here, but with everything you read and see and hear. Be Bereans:

(Acts 17:11 [KJV])
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

(1 Thessalonians 2:13 [KJV])
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Always research for yourself, use all of the context, and never privately interpret!

Introduction/Start of study

Exodus Chapter 16: GRUMBLING FOR FOOD, MANNA FROM HEAVEN

A lot of pastors who love to correct our English Word of God with "the Hebrew" (that they do not speak) say manna literally means "what is it?". Jesus is the manna from Heaven, and He is not a "what's it?". It was a type of bread, today maybe sort of a sweet cookie, an unleavened wafer, piece of sweet bread, whatever, as it says it was like bread, a type of bread. While they did not ever eat it before, nor know what it was, it was new to them. Whatever they called it, it was a bread, a food of bread.

MANNA FROM HEAVEN

(John 6:32 [KJV])
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

(John 6:49-51 [KJV])
Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

(John 6:58 [KJV])
This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

(Revelation 2:17 [KJV])
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

White was the color, as bdellium is white. Whatever it was, it was sweet like honey and coriander seed and they ate it, being hungry, for forty years, while wandering in the wilderness, not yet in their land
It was also to be stored in a pot as a remembrance of what God did for them, for generations to come
Jesus said it was bread, comparing Himself to it, in John

(Exodus 16:15 [KJV])
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

(Exodus 16:31 [KJV])
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.

(Exodus 16:33 [KJV])
And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.

(Exodus 16:35 [KJV])
And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

(Numbers 11:6-7 [KJV])
But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

(Numbers 11:9 [KJV])
And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

(Deuteronomy 8:3 [KJV])
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

(Deuteronomy 8:16 [KJV])
Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

(Joshua 5:12 [KJV])
And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

(Nehemiah 9:20 [KJV])
Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.

(Psalms 78:24 [KJV])
And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

(John 6:31 [KJV])
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

(John 6:49 [KJV])
Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

(John 6:58 [KJV])
This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

(Hebrews 9:4 [KJV])
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

(Exodus 16:1 [KJV])
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

So they have been walking for over am onth now, them, their families, their animals, and this is only the start

(Exodus 16:2-3 [KJV])
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

They had enough provisions leaving Egypt for this amount of time, now running out of food
This was unleavened bread, definitely not the Passover lamb, as that was burned that was left over (Exodus 12:10)

(Exodus 16:4 [KJV])
Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

Unleavened from themselves to unleavened from Heaven
God knows all things, so He knew ahead of time if they would follow Him; this test was for them, to show themselves when they were following God and when they walked away

(Exodus 16:5 [KJV])
And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

This is their first mention of the Sabbath rest, for now
Jesus is our Sabbath rest

(Exodus 16:6-7 [KJV])
And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?

For whatever reason, faith was not added to the miracles that they had witnessed, as they seem to have thought that Moses and Aaron brought them out of Egypt, that God was incidental, sort of absent
God used Aaron and Moses; God Himself did it

(Exodus 16:8 [KJV])
And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.

A million or more of them grumbling against Moses and Aaron is draining, exhausting, annoying, tiresome
Because they were the leaders between the people and the LORD, they were indeed grumbling against God
The "flesh to eat" was the quails, much to the disdain of vegetarians and vegans, Christian and "Christian" alike

FLESH, n. [I know not the primary sense; it may be soft.]

A compound substance forming a large part of an animal, consisting of the softer solids, as distinguished from the bones and the fluids. Under the general appellation of flesh, we include the muscles, fat, glands etc., which invest the bones and are covered with the skin. It is sometimes restricted to the muscles.
Animal food, in distinction from vegetable.
Flesh without being qualified with acids, is too alkalescent a diet.
The body of beasts and fowls used as food, distinct from fish. In Lent, the Catholics abstain from flesh, but eat fish.
The body, as distinguished from the soul.
As if this flesh, which walls about our life, were brass impregnable.
Animal nature; animals of all kinds.
The end of all flesh is come before me. Gen 6.
Men in general; mankind.
My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh. Gen 6.
Human nature. The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. John 1.
Carnality; corporeal appetites.
Fasting serves to mortify the flesh.
The flesh lusteth against the spirit. Gal 5 .
A carnal state; a state of unrenewed nature.
They that are in the flesh cannot please God. Rom 8.
The corruptible body of man, or corrupt nature.
Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor 15.
The present life; the state of existence in this world. To abide in the flesh is more needful for you. Phil 1.
Legal righteousness, and ceremonial services. What shall we then say that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? Rom 4. Gal 3.
Kindred; stock; family. He is our brother, and our flesh. Gen 37.
In botany, the soft pulpy substance of fruit; also, that part of a root, fruit, etc., which is fit to be eaten.
One flesh, denotes intimate relation. To be one flesh is to be closely united, as in marriage. Gen 2. Eph 5. After the flesh, according to outward appearances, John 8 Or according to the common powers of nature. Gal 4: Or according to sinful lusts and inclinations. Rom 8. An arm of flesh, human strength or aid.

(Exodus 16:9 [KJV])
And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.

Tongue in cheek here, "In the original Hebrew, this is, 'Listen up! God heard you and we are here to tell you what He answered!'"

(Exodus 16:10 [KJV])
And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

So despite murmuring, grumbling, moaning, carping, complaining, they saw the Glory of God
This is also true for unbeliever who deny God, as He is everywhere in His creation glorious (Romans 1:20-27)
This visualization, however was for them and them alone, then, not now
God can do what He wants to, but they did not have the entire Word of God yet, to hand to us, and we do now so, as we look at the Creation and read His Word, we see that same Glory of God, undeniable
The moment we decide we are done with our "I" problem, we see the LORD, in the wilderness

(Exodus 16:11-12 [KJV])
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.

Quails with the manna bread, spectacular!

(Exodus 16:13 [KJV])
And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

So God had prepared quails swimming on the Red Sea, and then brought them to Israel to eat, very much like the manna, dropping them right on the land to gather a harvest of bounty
The record in Numbers says that they murmured, groaned, grumbled while they were eating it, literally being filled by God

THE QUAILS AS BIRD FLESH, FOR FOOD, AND MORE GRUMBLING

(Numbers 11:31-34 [KJV])
And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.

(Psalms 105:40 [KJV])
The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

(Exodus 16:14 [KJV])
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.

God gave them this, they did not plant it, watch it grow, water it, fertilize it, till it, plow it, hunt it, raise it
Like salvation, it was a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5)

They said this only once, and then knew from henceforth what it was

(Exodus 16:16 [KJV])
This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.

God, knowing our bodies need a day or rest to recover and recuperate, gave them the Sabbath rest
God, knowing that we need salvation from sin eternally, gave us our Sabbath rest, the LORD Jesus Christ
This is "gather a certain rate"

(Exodus 16:17 [KJV])
And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.

Hoarding was not going to work here, nor not gathering enough for the day of rest
"Give us this day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3)

(Exodus 16:18 [KJV])
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.

Exactness was necessary; being obedient was necessary
Murmuring, groaning, grumbling, moaning, complaining, purloining was not acceptable

(Exodus 16:19 [KJV])
And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.

Eat everything up that you gather
This would ensure obedience

(Exodus 16:20 [KJV])
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.

It was no a matter of bad weather, of high humidity, of open air, of bacteria eating it, or of scavengers eating it, or neighbors stealing it, or of the worms and the mold destroying it; it was a matter of a lack of faith, trust, leading to a lack of obedience

(Exodus 16:21-22 [KJV])
And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 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.

Their daily bread, not weather proofed, but sufficient, only to be gathered extra one day a week for the Sabbath, according to the command of God through Moses and Aaron
It was designed to last until they gathered and ate it, by design of God, so that they were required to be obedient-or starve
They were not asked to bake it, boil (seethe) it, cook it in a frying pan, but eat it as is

(Exodus 16:23 [KJV])
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.

Proof that this was a daily bread with a time limit for gathering and eating only is the fact that God told them to cook it however of two ways on the day before the Sabbath, twice as much, so that it would make it through one extra day, that Sabbath day
The sabbath was unto the LORD, made by the LORD for man, not unto man, made for God, by man

(Exodus 16:24 [KJV])
And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.

So this obedience led to food, versus rubbish and compost

(Exodus 16:25-26 [KJV])
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. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

Obviously this was a supernatural appearance, occurrence, since God started and stopped it at His will
So God's Sabbath rest was now theirs, with preparations of food so as to eat that Sabbath without working to gather

(Exodus 16:27 [KJV])
And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.

And there were always those, and today there are always those...
They expected to find food when God said there was not going to be any, showing they thought He lied!
Since it is presumed they gathered twice as much the day before, what was the need? What was the hunger? Did they want to have extra to sell to their brethren?

(Exodus 16:28 [KJV])
And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?

This was not a suggestion, it was a commandment
It was a promise that there would be enough the day before for two days, without a need to gather on the Sabbath

(Exodus 16:29 [KJV])
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.

The "see" is a command to open one's eyes and see what the LORD has done, according to His promise
Pay attention, look for yourself, and then remember what God did for you

(Psalms 34:7-10 [KJV])
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

(Exodus 16:30 [KJV])
So the people rested on the seventh day.

Just like God did; just like God commanded.
That is Saturday for us on the Gregorian calendar
Our Sabbath is any day we choose, as we are not under the Old Testament Law, and the Sabbath rest for us to gather is mostly "the first day of the week, as in Sunday

(Exodus 16:31 [KJV])
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.

Sweet bread, unleavened, heavy enough to fill, give nourishment and strength, freely given, just gather

(Exodus 16:32 [KJV])
And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.

But God....knowing that they would either deliberately forget or not pass this miracle, this record of the provision of God, or, just to illustrate that record when they did tell it, this is the memorial of that, some manna

(Exodus 16:33 [KJV])
And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.

This would have to be preserved by a miracle, to be good to even look at for generations to come

THE GOLDEN POT OF MANNA

(Exodus 16:34 [KJV])
As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

Well, the leader is one to follow, as they follow the LORD
"To be kept" means it will not become rotten
God to Moses to Aaron to action completion, full obedience
As God said, a testimony for future generations when they ask why, and a constant reminder to these here and those later about their record, their history and what God did for them

(Exodus 16:35 [KJV])
And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

So whatever this manna was, it sustained them for all of that time, being nutritious enough for their bodies, in this supernatural manner God did for them

(Exodus 16:36 [KJV])
Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.

So about a tenth of a bushel, so not too much, just enough for the eyes to gaze at and wonder

E'PHA,
n. [Heb. properly a baking.] A Hebrew measure of three pecks and three pints, or according to others, of seven gallons and four pints, or about 15 solid inches.

PECK, n.

The fourth part of a bushel; a dry measure of eight quarts; as a peck of wheat or oats.
In low language, a great deal; as, to be in a peck of troubles.

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Exodus Chapter 17