Inside the most Holy Place of God’s sanctuary God had Moses place an Ark covered with gold. Of the three items God commanded to be placed inside this ark, one was a bowl of God manna.
When God delivered the children of Israel by parting the Red Sea, the children of Israel did not have any food because they were wandering around in the desert wilderness. It was less than one month after God had mightily delivered the children of Israel from the cruel slavery to the Egyptians that they were murmuring and complaining against Moses saying, “Would to God that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat and ate flesh and bread to the full; for you have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:3
What a sad report is recorded in the Holy Scriptures. Yet even in their wickedness God showed mercy and told Moses to tell the people that God was going to provide food from heaven. During the night God rained down manna for them. When the people woke up Moses instructed them to gather up the food and taught them how to prepare it. It was a small grain-like food that tasted sweet. When the people saw it they said, "What is it," which is where it gets its name, because manna means what is it.
If the people collected more than they could eat that day, it would rot during the night. On Friday God worked a miracle. He rained down twice as much manna as usual. He commanded the Israelites to collect twice as much as usual and to store half of it away. Instead of rotting like it did during the rest of the week, it stayed fresh so they could eat it the next day, the Sabbath, because on the Sabbath God did not rain any manna down from heaven, so that the people would not have to work on His holy Sabbath day. These miracles continued every week for 40 years.
This should be a testimony to us that God cares about our needs, that He is able to provide for us as we cooperate with His plan. It also shows us that God cares about His Sabbath and that no matter what God has commanded us to do He will help us to fulfill that command.
Picture originally found here
