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Patriarchs and Prophets
At nightfall the camp was surrounded by vast flocks of quails,
enough to supply the entire company. In the morning there lay upon the
surface of the ground “a small round thing, as small as the hoarfrost.”
“It was like coriander seed, white.” The people called it “manna.”
Moses said, “This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”
The people gathered the manna, and 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.”
Numbers 11:8
. “And the taste
of it was like wafers made with honey.” They were directed to gather
daily an omer for every person; and they were not to leave of it until
the morning. Some attempted to keep a supply until the next day, but
it was then found to be unfit for food. The provision for the day must
be gathered in the morning; for all that remained upon the ground was
melted by the sun.
In the gathering of the manna it was found that some obtained
more and some less than the stipulated amount; but “when they did
mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he
that gathered little had no lack.” An explanation of this scripture, as
well as a practical lesson from it, is given by the apostle Paul in his
second epistle to the Corinthians. He says, “I mean not that other men
be eased, and ye burdened: but by an equality, that now at this time
your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance
also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: as it is
written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had
gathered little had no lack.”
2 Corinthians 8:13-15
.
On the sixth day the people gathered two omers for every person.
The rulers hastened to acquaint Moses with what had been done. His
answer was, “This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the
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rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake
today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay
up for you to be kept until the morning.” They did so, and found that it
remained unchanged. “And Moses said, Eat that today; for today is a
Sabbath unto the Lord: today 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.”
God requires that His holy day be as sacredly observed now as
in the time of Israel. The command given to the Hebrews should
be regarded by all Christians as an injunction from Jehovah to them.