Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Exodus
Book: Exodus
Chapter: 16
Overview:
The Israelites come to the
Wilderness of Sin. They murmur for
Food,
God promises
Bread from
Heaven.
(1-12) God sends
Quails
and
Manna.
(13-21) Particulars respecting the
Manna.
(22-31) An
Omer of
Manna to be preserved.
(32-36)
1-12 The provisions of
Israel, brought from
Egypt, were spent
By the middle of the second
Month, and they murmured. It is
No
new thing for the greatest kindness to be basely represented as
the greatest injuries. They
So far undervalue their deliverance,
that they wished they had died in
Egypt; and
By the
Hand of the
Lord, that is,
By the plagues which cut off the Egyptians. We
cannot suppose they had plenty in
Egypt, nor could they fear
dying for want in the
Wilderness, while they had flocks and
herds: none talk more absurdly than murmurers. When we begin to
fret, we ought to consider, that
God hears all our murmurings.
God promises a speedy and constant supply. He tried whether they
would trust him, and
Rest satisfied with the
Bread of the
Day in
its
Day. Thus he tried if they would serve him, and it appeared
how ungrateful they were. When
God plagued the Egyptians, it was
to make them know he was their
Lord; when he provided for the
Israelites, it was to make them know he was their
God.
13-21 At
Evening the
Quails came up, and the people caught with
ease as many as they needed. The
Manna came down in
Dew. They
called it "
Manna, Manhu," which means, "What is this?" "It is a
portion; it is that which our
God has allotted us, and we will
take it, and be thankful." It was pleasant
Food; it was
wholesome
Food. The
Manna was rained from
Heaven; it appeared,
when the
Dew was gone, as a small round thing, as small as the
hoar
Frost, like
Coriander seed, in
Colour like pearls. The
Manna fell only six days in the
Week, and in double quantity
On
the sixth
Day; it bred worms and became offensive if kept more
than one
Day, excepting
On the
Sabbath. The people had never
seen it before. It could be ground in a
Mill, or beaten in a
Mortar, and was then made into cakes and baked. It continued the
forty years the Israelites were in the
Wilderness, wherever they
went, and ceased when they arrived in
Canaan. All this shows how
different it was from any thing found before, or found now. They
were to gather the
Manna every morning. We are hereby taught, 1.
To be prudent and diligent in providing
Food for ourselves and
our households; with quietness working, and
Eating our own
Bread, not the
Bread of idleness or deceit.
God's bounty leaves
room for
Man's duty; it did
So even when
Manna was rained; they
must not eat till they have gathered. 2. To be content with
enough. Those that have most, have for themselves but
Food and
raiment; those that have least, generally have these;
So that he
who gathers much has nothing over, and he who gathers little has
No lack. There is not such a disproportion between one and
another in the enjoyment of the things of this
Life, as in the
mere possession of them. 3. To depend upon
Providence: let them
sleep quietly, though they have
No Bread in their tents, nor in
all their
Camp, trusting that
God, with the following
Day, would
bring them in their daily
Bread. It was surer and safer in
God's
storehouse than their own, and would come thence sweeter and
fresher. See here the folly of hoarding. The
Manna laid up
By
some, who thought themselves wiser, and better managers, than
their neighbours, and who would provide lest it should fail next
Day, bred worms, and became good for nothing. That will prove to
be most wasted, which is covetously and distrustfully spared.
Such riches are corrupted, Jas 5:2,3. The same
Wisdom, power,
and
Goodness that brought
Food daily from above for the
Israelites in the
Wilderness, brings
Food yearly out of the
Earth in the constant course of nature, and gives us all things
richly to enjoy.
22-31 Here is mention of a seventh-
Day Sabbath. It was known,
not only before the giving of the
Law upon
Mount Sinai, but
before the bringing of
Israel out of
Egypt, even from the
beginning, Ge 2:3. The setting apart one
Day in
Seven for holy
work, and, in order to that, for holy
Rest, was ever since
God
created
Man upon the
Earth, and is the most ancient of the
Divine laws. Appointing them to
Rest On the seventh
Day, he took
care that they should be
No losers
By it; and none ever will be
losers
By serving
God.
On that
Day they were to fetch in enough
for two days, and to make it ready. This directs us to contrive
family affairs,
So that they may hinder us as little as possible
in the work of the
Sabbath.
Works of necessity are to be done
On
that
Day; but it is desirable to have as little as may be to do,
that we may apply ourselves the more closely to prepare for the
Life that is to come. When they kept
Manna against a command, it
stank; when they kept it
By a command, it was sweet and good;
every thing is sanctified
By the
Word of God and
Prayer.
On the
seventh
Day God did not send the
Manna, therefore they must not
expect it, nor go out to gather. This showed that it was
produced
By Miracle.
32-36 God having provided
Manna to be his people's
Food in the
Wilderness, the remembrance of it was to be preserved. Eaten
Bread must not be forgotten.
God's miracles and mercies are to
be had in remembrance. The
Word of God is the
Manna By which our
souls are nourished, Mt 4:4. The comforts of the
Spirit are
hidden
Manna, Re 2:17. These come from
Heaven, as the
Manna
did, and are the support and comfort of the Divine
Life in the
soul, while we are in the
Wilderness of this world.
Christ in
the
Word is to be applied to the soul, and the
Means of Grace
are to be used. We must every one of us gather for ourselves,
and gather in the morning of our days, the morning of our
opportunities; which if we let slip, it may be too late to
gather. The
Manna must not be hoarded up, but eaten; those who
have received
Christ, must
By Faith live upon him, and not
receive his
Grace in vain. There was
Manna enough for all,
enough for each, and none had too much;
So in
Christ there is
enough, but not more than we need. But those who ate
Manna,
hungered again, died at last, and with many of them
God was not
Well pleased; whereas they that feed
On Christ By Faith, shall
never hunger, and shall die
No more, and with them
God will be
for ever
Well pleased. Let us seek earnestly for the
Grace of
the Holy
Spirit, to turn all our knowledge of the doctrine of
Christ crucified, into the spiritual nourishment of our souls
By
Faith and
Love.