Commentary - Exodus 16:22-30

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, we see God instituting a central rhythm of life for His covenant people before the law is even given at Sinai. This is a foundational text. The Sabbath is not a late addition, some legalistic imposition, but is rather woven into the very fabric of God's provision for His people in the wilderness. He is teaching them how to live by faith, not by sight. They are to work six days, trusting Him to provide, and they are to rest on the seventh, trusting Him to provide. This weekly cycle of work and rest, of gathering and ceasing, is a tangible sermon preached to them every week. It points to the ultimate rest that is found in Christ, but it is also a real, physical rest that God gives as a gift to His people. The rebellion of the few who go out to gather on the seventh day is not just a minor infraction; it is a profound display of unbelief. It is a refusal to live within the rhythm of grace that God has established. God's response is sharp because their disobedience strikes at the heart of the covenant relationship He is building with them, a relationship based on His gracious provision and their faithful obedience.

This entire episode with the manna is a picture of our dependence on Christ, who is the true bread from heaven (John 6:32-35). Just as Israel had to gather the manna daily, we must daily feed on Christ and His Word. And just as they were to rest on the Sabbath, we are to enter into the gospel rest that Christ has secured for us. The structure is simple: God provides, God commands, and God's people are called to trust and obey. The failure of some to do so simply highlights the universal human problem of unbelief, a problem that only the grace of God in Christ can ultimately solve.

Outline

Context In Exodus

This passage is situated squarely within the wilderness wanderings, a period that serves as a crucible for the faith of Israel. Having been miraculously delivered from Egypt through the Red Sea, they are now in the school of God's providence. The immediate context is the grumbling of the people over the lack of food (Ex. 16:2-3). God's response is not just to provide food, but to provide it in such a way that it teaches them profound spiritual truths. The giving of the manna, and the instructions surrounding it, is a key part of God defining His relationship with this newly redeemed people. He is their provider, their lawgiver, and their God. It is significant that these detailed Sabbath instructions are given before the formal giving of the Ten Commandments at Sinai in Exodus 20. This indicates that the Sabbath principle is foundational, rooted in the creation order, and is now being reapplied and taught to God's redemptive community as a sign of His covenant grace.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 22 Now it happened that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. Then all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.

The people are being obedient. They were told to gather an omer a day, but on the sixth day, something different happens. They find they have gathered twice as much. This is not a result of their own cleverness or extra effort; it is the provision of God. He made the double portion available for them to gather. This is a test of faith in action. The leaders, seeing this unusual abundance, rightly come to Moses. They are not complaining, but are seeking clarification. They see something outside the established daily pattern and they bring it to the proper authority. This is a sign of a community beginning to function in an orderly way, looking to their God-appointed leader for guidance when the providence of God presents them with a new situation.

v. 23 And he said to them, “This is what Yahweh has spoken: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to Yahweh. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is in excess put aside to be kept until morning.”

Moses reveals the reason for the double portion. God had this planned all along. The sixth day's abundance is directly tied to the seventh day's rest. Notice the language: a "sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to Yahweh." This is not just a day off. It is a day set apart, consecrated to the Lord. The practical instructions follow. Prepare your food for the next day now. Bake what you bake, boil what you boil. This is practical wisdom. The work of food preparation is to be done on the sixth day so that the seventh day can be a true rest. The command to put the excess aside is a direct counterpoint to the earlier command not to leave any until morning. God is teaching them that His commands are specific and contextual. What was disobedience on days one through five is now an act of obedience on day six.

v. 24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had commanded, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.

Here we see the intersection of obedience and miracle. The people obey Moses' command, which is God's command. And God, for His part, does what only He can do. He suspends the natural process of decay. The very thing that would have bred worms and stunk up the camp on any other day is now perfectly preserved. This is a powerful confirmation for the people. It is a sign that they are walking in God's will. God does not just give commands; He confirms His word with His power. Their obedience is met with a tangible demonstration of God's faithfulness. This would have built their confidence and reinforced the holiness of the day to come.

v. 25 And Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to Yahweh; today you will not find it in the field.”

The command is simple: eat the food God has provided and preserved. The reason is stated plainly: it is the Sabbath, and there will be no manna to gather. God is training His people in a new rhythm. The rhythm of the world is relentless work, driven by anxiety about tomorrow's provision. The rhythm of the covenant is work from a position of rest, trusting that God has already provided. Moses states it as a fact: "you will not find it in the field." This is not a suggestion; it is a divine reality. To go out looking would be an act of foolishness and unbelief.

v. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.”

Moses summarizes the principle for them. The pattern is explicit. Six days of labor, one day of rest. This is the creation pattern (Gen. 2:2-3) being instituted into the national life of Israel. The Sabbath is not a burden; it is a gift. It is a weekly reminder that Yahweh is the Creator and the Provider. Their life is not in their own hands. Their sustenance comes from His hand. The absence of manna on the seventh day is as much a part of the lesson as its presence on the other six.

v. 27 Now it happened on the seventh day, that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.

Despite the clear command, the double provision, and the miracle of preservation, some still did not believe. This is the hard-heartedness of man on full display. They had to see for themselves. Perhaps it was greed, thinking they could get even more. Perhaps it was anxiety, not truly believing that the stored manna was sufficient. Whatever the motive, the root was unbelief. They went out against God's explicit word, and they found exactly what God said they would find: nothing. Their futile effort serves as a stark contrast to the restful feasting of the obedient.

v. 28 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?”

God's response is one of holy frustration. He addresses Moses, but the rebuke is for the people. The question "How long?" indicates that this is part of a pattern of rebellion and unbelief. The sin of the few is treated as a corporate refusal. This is because in a covenant community, the sin of individuals affects the whole. Notice that God refers to "My commandments and My laws," even before Sinai. God's will has been clearly communicated, and their disobedience is a rejection of His rightful authority over them. This is not just about gathering food; it is about covenant loyalty.

v. 29 See, Yahweh has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”

God reiterates the logic of grace. The Sabbath is a gift: "Yahweh has given you the sabbath." Because it is a gift of rest, He provides accordingly. The double portion is the enabling provision for the commanded rest. The logic is grace-provision-command, not command-performance-reward. The final command is sharp and clear: "Remain every man in his place." This is a call to cease from their own striving, to stop their anxious activity, and to simply trust God and enjoy the rest He has provided. It is a command to be still and know that He is God.

v. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

The episode concludes with corporate obedience. The rebuke has its intended effect. The people as a whole submit to God's command. They learn the lesson, at least for this week. They enter into the rest that God has ordained and provided for them. This is the desired outcome: a people living in sync with the rhythms of their Creator and Redeemer, trusting His provision and obeying His word. It is a foretaste of the true rest that all God's people will one day enter through Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath.

Application

The central lesson here is about the nature of faith. Faith is not a vague feeling; it is trusting God's word and acting on it, even when it runs contrary to our own instincts. The Israelites' instinct was to gather food every day, because that is how the world works. But God called them to a different way of life, a life structured by His gracious provision and His holy commands. The Sabbath was a weekly test of this faith.

For us today, the principle remains. We live in a world that tells us to hustle, to strive, to never stop working because our provision depends entirely on our effort. But God calls us to a rhythm of work and rest. Our ultimate Sabbath rest is in the finished work of Christ. We do not work for our salvation; we work from our salvation. The Lord's Day, the first day of the week, is our weekly celebration of that resurrection rest. We begin our week with rest, with worship, reminding ourselves that our life and our provision come from God, not from our own frantic efforts.

We must also see the warning in the disobedience of those who went out to gather. Unbelief is always lurking. It whispers that God's provision is not enough, that His word cannot be trusted, that we need to take matters into our own hands. We must fight this unbelief by remembering God's past faithfulness, just as Israel should have remembered the parting of the Red Sea and the daily provision of manna. When we are tempted to anxiety and to workaholism, we must preach the gospel to ourselves. Christ is our manna. He is our Sabbath rest. In Him, we have all the provision we need. Our task is to trust Him, obey His commands, and enter into the rest that He has so graciously given us.