176
From Eternity Past
Holy Spirit of God. It is not the will of God that His people should be
weighed down with care.
Our Lord does not tell us there are no dangers in our path, but He
points us to a never-failing refuge. He invites the weary and care-laden,
“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest.” Lay off the yoke of anxiety and care that you have placed
on your own neck, and “take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your
souls.”
Matthew 11:28, 29
. Instead of murmuring and complaining,
the language of our hearts should be, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
forget not all His benefits.”
Psalm 103:2
.
God was mindful of the wants of Israel. He said to their leader, “I
will rain bread from heaven for you.” Directions were given that the
people gather a daily supply, with a double amount on the sixth day,
that the sacred observance of the Sabbath might be maintained.
Moses assured the congregation that their wants were to be sup-
plied. “The Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in
[203]
the morning bread to the full.” And he added, “What are we? your
murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.” They must be
taught that the Most High, not merely Moses, was their leader.
At nightfall the camp was surrounded by vast flocks of quails,
enough to supply the entire company. In the morning there lay upon
the ground “a small round thing, ... like a coriander seed, white.”
The people called it “manna.” Moses said, “This is the bread which
the Lord hath given you to eat.” The people found that there was an
abundant supply for all. They “ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar,
and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it.” “And the taste of it was
like wafers made with honey.”
Numbers 11:8
;
Exodus 16:31
.
They were directed to gather daily an omer for every person and
not to leave of it until the morning. The provision for the day must be
gathered in the morning, for all that remained upon the ground was
melted by the sun. “He that gathered much had nothing over, and he
that gathered little had no lack.”
How the Sabbath Was Honored
On the sixth day the people gathered two omers for every person.
The rulers hastened to acquaint Moses with what had been done. His