In Exodus 16 we will see that when God is in control, He will provide us with the very best, even if He has to create it at that moment in time. God creates the opportunity of His Elect and those that truly want to serve Him. When you know the plan of God and the truth from His Word, then you are God's planting, just as He is that "Great Fir Tree". Our Heavenly Father Himself told us that He symbolically is that ever living Fir Tree.

Exodus 16:1 "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."

The word "Sin" in the Hebrew text means "Bush, or Bushy". While the word "Sinai" in the Hebrew Text means "the Bush of Yah" of God. So stop and think for a moment; The children of Israel had departed on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the death Angel had Passed over Egypt, claiming the lives of all the firstborn in the land. The time that the first month of each year was to start, was established by God Himself. That date is set by the Sun itself, and it was set at the Spring Vernal Equinox. Passover is to be on the fourteenth day of that month, which started at sundown of the prior day. So on that fifteenth day we celebrate the Passover feast. That is the day the children of Israel left Egypt in haste.

So the children of Israel have departed Egypt, traveled to the Red sea, and saw God's hand in dividing the Red sea so they could pass through, and afterwards, buried the Egyptian army, horses and man alike under the sea. They Praised God for the victory, and started through the wilderness on a southern route so that they would not come in contact with the Philistine warring army. So this pinpoints exactly where the children of Israel are thirty days after they started their journey.

What condition are our people in, in that they are out in the middle of this bushy desert and there are no farms, stores, or market places to supply their needs? The People are completely in the hands of the Lord to provide for their needs. The food and supplies that they took with them from Egypt is running out. You just don't keep food past thirty days in the desert. As they become more hungry, they start to worry about all sorts of things, and their imaginations take hold. They have their young and old people right there with them, and are concerned for their families, which is just common sense for any person. The next stage of hunger is a short temper, and complaining over the little things. So this sets the stage for this whole chapter.

Exodus 16:2 "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:"

Can't you see each of them passing Moses and Aaron as they walked by in the desert, and and telling them what they are running out of, and what their needs are. The entire congregation complained to Moses and Aaron.

Exodus 16:3 "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." 

Here the children of Israel are out there in the desert, and free as an eagle, yet they are starving to death, and they know it. So of course their minds go back to those times in bondage that they sat by their flesh pots, and there was bread on their table. When those hard times came, their minds loose sight of the bondage that they were in, and focuses only on the cries of their bellies.

Put this in the spiritual application, and apply it to the churches of today. Today we have an enormous number of church, the cafe's of spiritual food around our land, but they are all locked and closed for giving out spiritual food in the form as God intended it to be given out. There are very few of them that teach chapter by chapter and verse by verse, giving the truth of the entire Word. Do you ever wonder why churches fail? Take a look at what spiritual food was given out in that church. We are living in the latter days, in the very end times, and Amos warned us of this in Amos 8:11.

Amos 8:11 "Behold the days come, Saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:"

This is God's warning to us, the generation living in the latter day. Stop and look around. How many of those preachers know who the Kenites are, or what really happened in the Garden of Eden? How many are prepared to meet Satan, when he arrives at the sixth trump, and are they preparing their congregations for that time?

Amos 8:12 "And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."

You can run from coast to coast, and run to any country in the world, and the truth is just not given out. People seek the truth, but there is only lies, fairy-tales and so called traditional doctrine. Sure they read a verse or two from the Word, but then go off in their sermons that come from man's traditions. Their fairy-tales of fly-away doctrine that goes against the Word of God, or their sermons are geared to the tithe to relate to their money needs. Hunger is what people all over the world will lack in the end times, and it is very biblical. It is one of the signs that we are in the latter days. The people need to be fed when they are hungry, or they will start to Murmur, and it is no different whether the shortage is from physical food or spiritual food. Will God feed them? Yes, just as He will feed you when you are starved for the truth, and seek the truth from His Word.

Exodus 16:4 "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."

God is going to provide the entire congregation a daily portion of bread, but first He is going to put some laws and regulations on them to see if they follow My instructions. God is talking to Moses, but notice that the promise of this provision is made only to Moses. They people are going to get the benefit of the promise, but first they are going to have to listen to God's laws and regulations, and follow them. This will be a test by God, on the children of Israel. This truth or bread that comes down from heaven is called "manna". The true meaning of "manna" is the question "What's that?", not bread. Yet manna has become accepted as meaning bread. When the People saw the manna, that is exactly what they said; "What's that?"

Manna is angels food, and that is exactly what people today say when they hear the truth for the first time. "What's that?" They just don't recognize the truth when they hear it. These restrictions and regulations apply even today, as to the amount of truth that can be absorbed in a day.

Exodus 16:5 "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." 

On the sixth day, God is going to give each of His Children a double portion, and double portion is firstfruits. Everyone will gain their firstfruits offerings from God, and that double portion will keep through both the sixth day and the Sabbath day.

Exodus 16:6 "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:"

God is telling Moses and Aaron that by evening of that day, you will know that I brought you out of Egypt. It wasn't just an accident that all those plagues hit Egypt, and that the Red sea parted at just the right time to bring you through to safety. By that evening the people will be well fed and the children of Israel will know that their God will take care of them.

Exodus 16:7 "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?" 

God is telling you that when the people are murmuring against His leaders, you are murmuring against God Himself.

Exodus 16:8 "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 against Him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord." 

It is a dangerous thing to doubt God, and murmur against the Lord.

Exodus 16:9 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.' " 

Anytime God is going to speak to the congregation, it is important to listen and understand exactly what is said. When you offer your prayers to God, every word and thought from your mind is heard and understood. Here God will tell Moses what He will do for the people, and Moses will relate that information to Aaron.

Exodus 16:10 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."

Exodus 16:11 "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,"

This cloud that God spoke through was as a thundercloud. Aaron is relating the the message from God to the congregation.

Exodus 16:12 "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.' " 

The flesh was quail, and the bread manna that appeared each morning on the ground. Don't try to cover over this that somehow the quail migrated into the desert where they was nothing to eat, and in such massive numbers to feed over two million people. No, my friend, God put the quail there in sufficient numbers that it would sustain the people. Quail form their cubbies in a spot and that is where they stay, they do not migrate like other forms of birds. This was a miracle by God, and God used a bird for this job of feeding His people so that there would be no doubt where the quail came from. God did this for one purpose and that is; "Ye shall know that I am the Lord your God."

God is just as able today of taking care of you, as He was these two million People of the children of Israel some thirty five hundred years ago. God will take care of you one day at a time; the point is that you must have the faith in Him for that one day. It is up to you to look to the Lord, and know in your heart and mind that Father can provide for each of our needs.

Exodus 16:13 "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"

That evening the massive amounts of quail covered the entire camp, and there was sufficient quail meat for everyone. Then in the night the dew from heaven was formed, and lay on the ground at sunrise.

Exodus 16:14 "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."

When the due, or frost milted away, there was this "small round thing", in the Hebrew text, "thin flakey thing" that they people said, "What's that?" or "Manna". This small piece of bread was enough to give the people their daily needs to fill their diet.

Exodus 16:15 "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."

When the children of Israel saw this small clump of flakey bread they said, "What is that? [manna]" and that is exactly what the bread became know as. Just as that bread was given to the children of Israel to eat, so also the entire Word of God was given to you and I to eat of daily. It is the bread of Life. God sent this letter personally to you, for your daily instruction for the care of every part of your life. It will make you successful and give you peace of mind. At first the people did not know what the manna was, and they started to eat it and rely on it, and it sustained them for forty years. It was angels food given by our Heavenly Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ's body became that bread of life.

Revelation tells us that there are two types of churches the were acceptable to Him, and they were the church of Smyrna and Philadelphia, for they knew who the Kenites were, those that were out to deceive the church, and what God expected of them.

Revelation 2:17 "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.' "

The word "stone" as it is used here is related directed to the word "count", as given in Revelation 13:18; "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six." That number identifies the number of the beast and it is given as "a stone worn smooth over a long period of time, counting." But counting what? It is counting all the generations of the Kenites, and knowing who and where they are. In The churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia God liked because they knew who the Kenites were, and would not let their traditions and dogma into their midst. That is having the key of David, knowing the true genealogy of Christ, and the children of God, and knowing those that crept in unawares, taking over the priesthood, and calling themselves of Judah, when in fact they are of the synagogues of Satan.

Revelation 2:9 "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich), and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." This verse applies to both Smyrna and Philadelphia in Revelation 3:9.

God gives you the hidden manna, the hidden Word that allows you to discern between good and evil. Many times you have to close your mind and shut your physical eyes before your spiritual eyes can be opened. You have to close out the false lies, and lights of this world before the truth of God's Word can be seen and heard. God's bread from heaven, which is the truth from His Word, is still falling on the ears of those that have their spiritual ears and eyes open. Jesus Christ is the Living Word, and his body is the living Bread [the manna] that falls from heaven into your mind daily. But is you that must decide if how much will be received or not.

So just like today, those children of Israel went out in the morning and there on the ground was this manna; they had no idea in the world what it was. They were just as blind to that bread, and people today are to the Living Bread. We can't make anyone believe anything, but we are to faithfully plant a seed and see if the Holy Spirit allows it to take root.

Exodus 16:16 "This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an over for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents." 

An omer is a tenth part of an ephah. That is the amount that is set for each man's portion for that day. The point here is that you take only what you and your family will eat that day. The point here for you and I is that we should absorb God's Word in the portion that we are able to understand it. Don't try to bite off to much or your mind will run in many directions. It doesn't matter if you can understand a lot or a little, but retain that part of the Word that you learned from that day. Don't add to it something that is just not there.

Exodus 16:17 "And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less."

Let those people learn on the level that they can understand form their studies. These Children of Israel were careful to gather one days supply only.

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."

In other words, each person gathered only what he could handle for that day. Learn to absorb the Word of God at your own pace and don't be rushed, and don't try to push others to study at your rate of speed. Your eating habits of the Word is set by you, and they set their eating habits for themselves.

Exodus 16:19 "And Moses said, "Let no man leave of it till the morning." 

The manna just won't keep over night. Likewise we are to absorb the Word for that day and meditate on it that night.

Exodus 16:20 "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."

When Moses heard that some of the people did not listen to God's instruction concerning the manna, he was angry with them. Spiritually speaking, this was the type that would absorb more than they were able to discern, and they in their mind they would create stories from what they didn't understand and teach it as the truth. This is how traditions and false doctrines begin. Those traditions and false doctrines stink just like these worms and bad bread stank in the tents of the Israelites. Those worms that you create from your mind, gives Satan an in to use you for his service. If your going to teach God's Word make sure you understand the subject of what God is trying to say, to whom He is speaking, and what He would have you learn from that lesson. Check out first what you are to teach from the Hebrew to see exactly what is being said. If you want to inject your opinion, that tell the class that what you are saying is just your opinion, and not from the Word. Teach God's Word in the simplicity that Christ taught it to us.

Exodus 16:21 "And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted."

So this allows us to see another side of the manna, for in the morning it comes settled under the due of the night, but as the noonday sun hits the manna, it melted away. For spiritual manna, you want to make certain that you stay under the shadow of the Almighty Father's wing, so that your manna doesn't melt when the heat of the day hits it. God will stay with you, and help you every moment of the day. God had a way of controlling the substance so one man could not uses the overage or merchandising to hold over another person. There was no gain to be made for each person had to gather for himself. What you don't use that day, God takes back, and will give another day. It doesn't die, but will allow you a better understanding when it is taught at a later day.

Exodus 16:22 "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."

On the sixth day, each person gathered two omers or portions for that day, and for the Sabbath.

Exodus 16:23 "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 he will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept unto the morning.' " 

God is telling us to prepare for our rest day, that seventh day that we are to set aside for rest. Sabbath means rest. After our Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross, was crucified, and came out of the tomb; our Sabbath or rest is Christ. We are to be in our Sabbath or rest, everyday, for He is our Rest. Today the only rest that you will find will be when you stay in Christ 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The fourth chapter of Hebrews is the chapter telling us of our Sabbath, our rest in Christ.

Exodus 16:24 "And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any wrm therein."

God is telling us that when we follow God's instructions as He gives it daily through His Word, things for that day will be working out fine; there will be no worms, and that deal that looks so good, will not turn into a stinking mess. Learn to trust the Lord's Word and instructions and He will take care of those problems for you.

Exodus 16:25 "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."

God declared to the people that they were to eat what they had prepared for the Sabbath from the sixth day, for there will be not bread or manna in the field on the Sabbath. When they went out, sure enough there wasn't any there.

Exodus 16:26 "Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none." 

God had Moses and Aaron tell the congregation to gather the bread on the sixth day for the seventh two time; but watch what some of the congregation will do.

Exodus 16:27 "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 are always some people that listen but just can hear. Some of the people just didn't believe God at His Word, and they had to see for themselves. However, the congregation saw that God kept His Word, and there was no manna on the ground that seventh day. It's no different today than it was in Moses day, some people just don't have the faith to believe God at His Word. This group you would have to classify as nonbelievers. The faster you can settle it in your mind that just as God's Word states something, that is the exact way that it will happen. When God's Word gives us instruction on a matter, that is the way that it will be. This is stressed in the Gospels, when Christ would be asked a question, His response started with, "Haven't you read?" or "It is Written...", and Jesus would then state what was written. When you would not believe what was written the Word, they that makes you a nonbeliever. His Word will give you the strength that you need for each and every day.

Exodus 16:28 "And the Lord said unto Moses, "How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?"

When God sees those people out searching for manna, God is asking Moses, "How long are those idiots going to refuse to believe Me and keep My commandments and My laws?" God notices when you do things that go against His Word, and say things that just are not in His Word.

Exodus 16:29 "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."

God is telling Moses to go back and tell the people again that He will give you the bread on the sixth day for the two day. Stay at home and respect His Sabbath, and no man is to go out of His home on the seventh day. That is the day set aside for rest, for the Sabbath. It is the Lords. God noticed all those bread seekers that were out seeking for the manna, and remember that this bunch of Israelites had seen the Lord working many miracles, cleaning up the water in wells, parting the Red sea, and all the miracles that were done back in Egypt, and yet here they are still not believing God at His Word. Now God is providing food daily for these nonbelievers, and they just can't see what is right before their eyes. They still did not have to have faith to believe God even through all these miracles that they witnessed. They were part of the miracles, yet they still had disbelief. This group was far more responsible than the people living today, that are having all the false doctrine and traditions dumped on them.

Exodus 16:30 "So the People rested on the seventh day."

The People rested, but the priests didn't; they had to work. All of God's elect are priests in the service of the Lord, and the work of planting of seeds of truth in God's work, not yours, and that work never ends.

Exodus 16:31 "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."

The Massorah, Appendix 30 contains a list of all the occurrences of this expression of "The House of Israel". This is the first time it was used in the Scriptures. Later it will be used to identify a different division of this nation, when the two houses are separated after the death of Solomon. then the house of Israel will represent ten tribes, with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin forming the "House of Judah". The Levites will be scattered amongst all the tribes.

The manna had a taste to it, and here we are given a complete description of what the manna looked and tasted like. We know it tasted like honey, fluffy, thin wafer, thin as the layer of frost in the morning.

Exodus 16:32 "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."

God ordered that a sample of that manna would be placed in the Ark of the Covenant for future generations to see and be reminded of, as to How our Heavenly Father took care of His children. The Ark of the covenant would be a reminder of how God brought His people out of the land of Egypt, protected and fed them while they were traveling the forty years in the wilderness. Though God is telling Moses here about the items that will go into the Ark of the covenant, it hadn't even been made yet.

Exodus 16:33 "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." 

Put a bowl or omer full of manna, and put it in the Ark of the Covenant. This ark will be kept for generations to be a reminder of the time of bondage in Egypt, and how God brought them out of bondage. The point is that we see the portion that God sends down each day from heaven, and make sure that we don't miss the portion set aside for each of us. So where is the Ark of the covenant today in this final generation? Revelation 11:19; "And the Temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His Temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightning's, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." God has His ark of the Testimony with Him in heaven.

Exodus 16:34 "As the Lord commanded Moses, So Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept."

This is how God spoke to the people of Israel; God spoke to Moses, and Moses told Aaron and Aaron followed the instructions as commanded, as the high priest.

Exodus 16:35 "And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to the land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan."

God fet the children of Israel manna, those little wafers every day for forty years, and that is how they lived in the wilderness. Think of how many quail it would take to feed two million people daily in a wilderness. Then the reality of the protection and care that our heavenly Father provided for his children. God gave them the tender meat of this small bird, and the people picked up each day their ration from heaven. He gave His people the very best that He had for the trip.

The manna today is His Word, for Christ is the Word. When you seek your direction from His Word, He will give you the very best care that you can possible have. Remember He know those things that are before you, and those that would do harm to you, and He will steer you clear for those problems. Daily we seek the truth, and it will be there, just as sure as that manna was under the due on the ground each morning. It is time to get into the Word and ground yourself in the time and season that you are living in. It is time to become the pillar of the home and community that you are in, and have a sense of purpose that only God's Word can give us. God is counting on you in these end times, and there is a purpose for your life today.

Exodus 16:36 "Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah."

This "omer", is not "homer" as used in Ezekiel 45:11, which states "an ephah is the tenth part of an homer." A homer is a large measurement, for the ephah was about three pecks. A peck is one quarter of a bushel. This would be far more than anyone could eat in one day. The point here is that they only ate what they could for that day, and that was the limit to their gathering of the manna. David talked about this wilderness diet in Psalms 78.

Psalms 78:24 "And had rained down manna upon them to eat, And had given them of the corn of heaven."

Manna is the corn of heaven.

Psalms 78:25 "Man did eat angels' food: He sent them meat to the full."

Manna is the food of angels. Man is made in the image of the angels, so the food that man eats is similar to the food that the angels eat; and angels can eat man's food. The word "image" is a phantom of what the other form existed at that time. Man is created exactly as his angelic form was, with identical functions to his body. The food that would sustain an angelic body in this earth age of flesh man, would also sustain the flesh body. It's just common sense. This earth body is flesh and the angelic body is a carbon copy of the body we now live in. Remember that the two bodies were like enough that the angelic bodies were able to impregnate the daughters of men, as we read in Genesis 6:1-4. It wasn't that way in the first earth age, and it won't be in the third earth age, but it is in this age of flesh man. This should give you a view in common sense, and the way these two body systems are, between man and angel.

This is why it is written that "you must be born from above", in John 3, and men have mistranslated it to be "born again". The Greek manuscripts just does not support the born again, but all souls much enter this earth age of flesh man, born through the womb of woman, from above. That is where the soul was that was born from above, that had to pass through this earth age of flesh man once and only once. If God makes one of us live through this earth age, then all are required to pass through the same. Our Heavenly Father is fair.

So this gets into those fallen angels that came from above, but were not born from above, but fell from above. The came into this dimension of the earth flesh age without being born of woman, and that was what condemned their soul to destruction. That is what Jude 6 is all about. "The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." So why did they come to earth in the first place? They came to destroy the seedling that the coming Messiah would be born into.

The Kenites took over the priesthood from the time the House of Judah was in captivity in Babylon, and when they cam out of that captivity, where wasn't one Levitical priest with the group that headed back to rebuild the streets, walls and temple in Jerusalem, and reestablish the priesthood. Ezra told us that there was not one Levi amongst the entire group, and when you understand this one point, you will start to see the can of worms that existed in the Temple in Jerusalem at that time of Christ.

I Chronicles 2:55 "And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez [Jerusalem]; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hamath, the father of the house of Rechab."

This happened about 509 B.C. Satan was out to destroy God's perfect plan of bringing each soul through this earth age innocent of those things that happened in that first earth age. Born innocent to make his or her mind up as to whether that person would follow God or Satan. Whether they would love God or reject Him.

If you let an angelic being lose on earth that has a supernatural mind, to mix with flesh men and women, then you lose that innocence. God will not force someone to love him under any condition, but it must generate from within your being. God wants your real love.