After coming out of Egypt, the whole Israelite community started grumbling against Moses and Aaron as they ran out of food.
“If only we had died by God’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!”
Then God spoke to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.”
That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, something white like coriander seed appeared on the ground. The people of Israel called this manna.
“This is what God has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. No one is to keep any of it until morning.’ ”
However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.
On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much.
“Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to God. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.”
So they save it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it doesn’t stink or get maggots in it.
“Eat it today, because today is a Sabbath day. You will not find any of it on the ground today.”
Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.
Then God rebuked the people who did not observe the law: “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?”
Although the Israelites cried out and grumbled so much, God gave them daily bread so that no one would starve. The people, however, disobeyed God’s command and left the manna until the next day or went out to the fields to reap on the Sabbath day.
As we are walking the desert of faith now, such history is a lesson we should learn from. If you are in trouble or in a difficult situation, work harder to keep the word of God. Once you overcome the test to prove whether or not you keep the commandments and the laws of God, God will lead you to a rich blessing in the end.