Exodus 16 - Sabbath, Worry & Faith

Turn to Exodus chapter 16 and we're gonna pick up right around verses 14 15 16 right in that area. That's where we left off last time. So obviously we don't have the television, but I'm gonna play it through the Bluetooth speaker.

Hopefully once I start playing it will be an at an acceptable volume, but let's pray and then we'll start. Heavenly Father we thank you that you brought each one of us here safely and the the rainstorm I Asked that you would please hold off any thunder and lightning and certainly some.

Hold off any loss of power, but we're just thankful to be here safe. And Lord be with us as we look at your word here in Exodus chapter 16. May we learn something tonight that we would be able to apply to our lives and and help others.

We pray all this in Jesus name. Amen. Exodus 16.

And when the layer of Jew lifted there on the surface of the wilderness Was a small round substance as fine as frost on the ground. So then the children of Israel saw it they said to one another What is it for.

They did not know what it was.

And Moses said to them. This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat This is the thing which the Lord has commanded. Let every man gather it according to each one's need. One Omer for each person according to the number of persons.

Let every man take for those who are in his tent.

Then the children of Israel did so and gathered some more some less. Measured it by Omer's he who gathered much had nothing left over and he who gathered little have no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need and Moses said.

Let no one leave any of it till morning.

Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses but some of them left part of it until morning and it bred worms and stank and Moses was angry with them. So they gathered it every morning every man according to his need and when the Sun became hot It melted and so it was on the sixth day that they gathered twice as much bread to Omer's for each one.

And all the rulers of the congregation came and told.

Then he said to them. This is what the Lord has said Tomorrow is a sabbath rest a holy sabbath to the Lord Bake what you will bake today and Boil what you will boil and lay up for yourselves all that remains To be kept until morning.

So they laid it up till morning as Moses commanded and it did not stink nor were there any words in it.

Then Moses said eat that today. Today is a sabbath to the Lord. Today, you will not find it in the field six days. You shall gather it, but on the seventh day the Sabbath There will be none.

Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather But they found none and the Lord said to Moses.

How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See for the Lord has given you the Sabbath. Therefore he gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place. Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

So the people rested on the seventh day And the house of Israel called its name man. And it was like white coriander seed and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

Then Moses said this is the thing which the Lord has commanded Fill an omer with it to be kept for your generations That they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness When I brought you out of the land of Egypt and Moses said to Aaron take a pot and put an omer of manna in it and Lay it up before the Lord to be kept for your generations.

As the Lord commanded Moses So Aaron laid it up before the testimony To be kept. And the children of Israel ate manna 40 years Until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.

The Manna in Exodus 16 and God’s Provision

Okay, so last week we began Exodus 16 where Israel is in the wilderness and what are they doing? They're grumbling against Moses and Aaron why? Because they're hungry so the children of Israel who said last week have a Short memory they saw how the Lord delivered them at the Red Sea but now just several weeks later now there they've forgotten all about that and You know, they would think that or they should think that the Lord delivered us from the Red Sea.

He can certainly give us food to eat, but they're not trusting in God and they have this sinful accusation against Moses and Aaron. You just brought us out here into the wilderness so that we're gonna die of hunger.

So Despite this accusation God is gracious and he feeds them with the manna the bread from heaven. So last time remember we compared the bread from heaven with what Jesus said in John chapter 6 How Jesus said I am the true bread which comes down from heaven.

One thing we did not cover last time is how the Lord was testing them in regard to his law. In regard to the Sabbath, so look at verse 5 Says and it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare What they bring in and it shall be twice as much as they gather Daily so while the Ten Commandments won't be given until what chapter 20 20.

This chapter if you look at it kind of jumps ahead a little bit it ends with them Entering into the land of Canaan. So technically the Ten Commandments have not been given yet. But it might be just this word of preparation that they are to Start to get into the mindset.

To observe the Sabbath day. Which is going to play a major role in the history of the children of Israel so much. So that when Jesus arrived some 1 ,500 years later, this is the major dispute. One of them but one of the big disputes between Jesus in the Pharisees over the Sabbath day so want to spend a little time talking about the Sabbath and how this applies to us or if this applies to us.

The Sabbath, Legalism, and the Lord’s Day

Really? I think there's two extremes. I like to Teach with a contrast of two extremes and oftentimes the truth is right in the middle. Sometimes what God says seems extreme and the truth might be over here or over here.

But usually if you look at two extremes the truth is somewhere in between so basically what could happen is you could just ignore the Sabbath, right? That's one extreme or As the Pharisees did they observed the Sabbath they took what God said.

They just pushed it way too far. So you have two extremes ignoring the Sabbath and taking it just way too far and either way. It was it was wrong. So what did the Sabbath? Become it became a burden to the Jews instead of what it was intended to be which was a blessing.

You think a day off from your labor and this is great everyone loves to have a day off, but it became such that the rules and the Regulations were such where the Jews were just afraid to do anything. We're afraid to do anything because it might be considered quote work.

So that's that was a real Tragedy now for us today as New Testament Christians. We're not under the Mosaic law. That's something that all Christians will agree on we're not under the law of Moses to observe The seventh day Sabbath in this day of rest there will be some Christians who would argue with that like you you do know that exists.

But we're not that's my position the position of this church. We are not under the Mosaic law. So that means we are not under the seventh day Sabbath, which would be Saturday so we believe as Christians.

How does this apply to us well? We can take a principle that one day a week should be set aside to the Lord of course every day Belongs to the Lord, but Hebrews 1025 is a common verse. We would refer to that Christians are not to forsake the assembly.

New Testament Christians since the first century have gathered on Sunday. Which we call the Lord's Day in honor of Christ's resurrection from the dead Sunday morning and you can find that in Acts chapter 20 verse 7 first Corinthians 16 verse 2 and then Revelation chapter 1 mentions the Lord's Day, so it's always been my position.

Because I don't want to take it too far in either direction. I don't want to just ignore it and stay home every Sunday. But I don't want to push it too far and make all these rules of what you know Christians are supposed to do or not.

Supposed to do so it's always been my position that Christians should assemble on Sunday morning with the church. I mean that seems pretty safe. Now just one quick comment on that because I know there are people out there who anytime they hear something that sounds like rules people bristle at rules.

People don't like rules or they like their rules. They don't like other people's rules but anytime someone hears something that sounds like rules or a command the Automatic thing a lot of people will jump to is Wait a minute.

This is legalism or this is Legalistic so is this legalistic? What was the Sabbath? Legalistic Is worshiping corporately on Sunday as an expectation is that Legalist and of course the answer is no all right if you think it's yes I don't know who taught you that but you need to cancel all all of what you heard first of all Moses gave the law.

Moses was not a legalist. Is that is that a new thought for anyone? Moses was not a Legalist. The children of Israel were under the Old Covenant of the law, but that's not the same as legalism. Mark this down.

Obedience to God is not legalism. Let me say it again obedience to God is not Legalism so Moses was not a legalist. Moses never taught because what is legalism? It's teaching salvation through works. Salvation through the works of the law, that's what legalism is.

Moses Never taught that a person is saved by keeping the Ten Commandments. He never taught that being legalistic is maybe when you focus too much on rules and That's the emphasis is all on rules instead of faith and in the Lord and loving the Lord with all your heart or making up new rules that God never made okay, that's Legalistic so what we're talking about here.

This is not legalism. Moses was not a legalist however over time the children of Israel did Fall into because of their leaders and what they were taught the children of Israel did fall into Legalistic behavior, and they did it through corrupting the Sabbath day which at times They did ignore it as well so that again there there was both extremes.

So I'll give you a chance to make a comment or ask a question in a moment just remember Remember this we can make one of two errors. We can either ignore what God says or we can take what God says and just take it Further than what he intended so ignoring what the Lord says is wrong taking what he says too far.

Both are errors all right now of all that I said about the law and the Sabbath and the New Testament Church and the Lord's Day, I know somebody has to have something to say or a comment or question anybody.

Dennis amen all right, that's what we like. All right. All right, well, that's good. I guess everyone agrees. Any disagreements. If you want to disagree just make sure you have a scriptural argument to back it up.

Because anyone can be wrong. Janet. Okay.

Jewish families once I was a rabbi. And he would come over to our house on Saturday morning and get into my own drive to come over and light their gas stove. They could cook but they couldn't light it all right, but he'd go to church that the Temple was up around the corner probably close to a half a mile away from where he lived.

He would walk to the synagogue and.

Preach.

Yeah, and come home and they would eat their lunch and their dinner then they would have my aunt. All right, come over and shut the gas off. All right, it was like I never did understand why they could still cook On the gas, but they couldn't light it.

Yeah, I'm sure they have.

Some logic to it, right? I mean you could say well. Driving to church is work. Some people drive for a living. Driving to church is work. We see. I mean who knows people can come up with anything, but.

All right. Anything else. Pastors preach on Sunday. Yeah. Rabbis teach on Sunday. That's true. Just like the the priests did not violate the Sabbath. Actually, it says that the priests profaned the Sabbath.

Because they would offer sacrifices on the Sabbath day. But they weren't really profaning. I mean, there's a figure of speech that obviously they had their duties.

Marcus oh, I I. It just came to my mind how they can't even lift a light switch.

Right. Yeah, you're not supposed to kindle a fire on the Sabbath. And if you turn on the light it kindles a spark or something that what it is LED should be. Okay, right?

I would think my apartment because Larry likes to have the switch a certain way. When the light is on mine I can go down to turn the light on Switch. Yeah, but I I do have a I do have a.

Mazusa, yeah.

Just for the fun of it. Well, there was one time where I preached something along these lines and somebody said to me Yeah, but you work on Sunday. I said, yeah, but that's different. Usually that's not a good response.

But in that case, I think it was well enough. Police.

That's that's the that's the witching hour is midnight. Yeah, Saturday.

Yeah, there's essential services like you would. If an ox fell into the ditch you get the ox out. It is good to. Do good on the Sabbath. All right any I see one more hand.

Yeah, they have certain foods that they can't mix when they eat right. They have certain dishes that they use for.

Yeah.

Right and you know.

To some degree. It's a matter of conscience of what you don't feel that you should do on Sunday. But I would make this point that the Lord's Day and the Sabbath are not the same thing. Okay. All right.

Well, let's move on look at verse 16 this is The thing which the Lord has commanded let every man gather it according to each one's need one Omer for each person which was a little more than two courts according to the number of persons.

Let every man take for those who are in his tent. Then the children of Israel did so and gathered some more some less. So when they measured it by Omer's he who gathered much had nothing left over and he who gathered little Had no lack.

Every man had gathered according to each one's need and then the Apostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians 8 15 he quotes this as a pattern for a Christian giving or for generosity, so Basically, what happened is the people who had a lot they shared with people that were Lacking so this is a charitable spirit that we should certainly take note of.

We should help people who are in need. So if you have all this extra and you see somebody who is lacking Share with them and that that's the way that it's supposed to be now on the other hand when it comes to someone who's persisting in bad behavior or they're persisting and reckless and Irresponsible behavior, you don't just give to them and give to them because then you become an Enabler and you really become a partaker of their their evil deeds.

So we need to balance that out obviously, but Christians certainly should help that's what's happening happening here Verse 19 and Moses said let no one leave any of it till morning notwithstanding. They did what?

They.

Did not heed Moses and some of them left part of it until morning and it bred worms and stank. Okay, the the NIV. What does it say a bread maggots and stank?

So.

That's what you get for not listening to Moses. You got maggots in your tent. So the Lord through the Sabbath and these instructions. For them to only collect what they needed. What's God trying to do?

He's trying to teach them to rely on his provision. He was directing them so that they would walk by faith. Day by day. Walk by faith. Trust in the Lord the Lord will provide. Did they break his rule?

Yes. But the reason here's the key though. The reason they broke the commandment is because they lack faith. So if I can put it this way because they were worried. Well, what if what if the Lord doesn't feed us tomorrow?

What if the man is not there tomorrow? We need to save some. So it's a lack of faith. Is what it is. So I'd like to put it this way breaking God's command is the symptom. But the lack of faith is the disease.

The lack of faith was the root. Breaking the commandment is the fruit. God told them that he would feed them. But what if God doesn't keep his word? What if we wake up? There's no man on the ground. We better store it up.

Just in case. So this is what they were saying through their actions that we're not really sure the Lord is going to be faithful. We know he said this. But we're not really sure. Do you remember what Jesus told his disciples to pray in the Lord's prayer.

Try to make the connection between? Exodus 16 and what Jesus told us to pray.

Right.

Matthew 6 verse 11 give us this day our daily bread. That's obviously based on the Israelites in the wilderness with the manna also along those lines. Jesus said in Matthew 4 verse 4 man shall not live by bread alone.

But by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So this is how God's people in the Old Testament were to live this is how Christians today are to live. We rely on God we trust in his word. The just shall live by faith and that's really moment to moment.

Day by day right. Give us this day our daily bread. God doesn't want you worrying about next week. God doesn't want you worrying what's gonna happen a year from now or 20 years from now. Give us this day see if we can do that.

That's gonna make things a lot easier when you start thinking ahead to the future and oh, no, what about. What you start stretching it out further. What does that lead to? Well, it leads to more worry and Sense of anxiety so.

What about the future. What about the future. What could go wrong in the future. What's a few things that could go wrong in the future.

Right.

Yeah.

All you have to do is turn on the news and they'll tell you about all the terrible things that might happen tomorrow next week. A month from now. We don't need to get into all the examples. We know what they are.

But that causes what it causes anxiety it causes us to worry all the uncertainty. But what did Jesus say about that same chapter that he was? Telling them in the Lord's Prayer telling us give us this day or daily bread.

What did Jesus say? But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things that you're worrying about. All these other things will be added unto you and then he says therefore do not worry about tomorrow.

For tomorrow will worry about its own thing sufficient for the day is its own. Trouble now the scripture also says balance this out. It says we're to walk Circumspectly in the world, you know, we should be wise we should not take too many risks.

So we we balance that out the scripture says be anxious for nothing, but we don't want to make foolish decisions. We should plan and be smart about things. I made this comment several years ago in a sermon and someone.

Someone got upset with me. I said worrying. Demonstrates a lack of faith. What were the children of Israel worried about? Well, I can't have any food. What about tomorrow there might not be any food for us.

So I said worrying demonstrates a lack of faith and this person got all insulted because they worried a lot. But like, you know, don't take it personally every everybody does this. I do it at times you do it at times.

So the fact remains though as believers we should at the very least learn to worry less trust more. Worry less Larry. Well, I see that worrying works. Because most of the things that we ever worry about never comes to pass.

Yeah, so the more you worry the better the chances it won't happen. Makes the problem worse anyways, because you start manufacturing things that you don't even know that. And obviously it's easier said than done.

I know there's. There's some people in this room worry very little but they still worry at times others worry more. You know, we're not down on anyone, but we should worry less. Casting all your care upon him.

For he cares for you first. Peter 5 7 so the children of Israel lacked faith. They were worried about starving in the wilderness. That was wrong. Instead. They should have trusted the Lord's promise and his provision.

Jesus said and again, John 6 34. He literally says don't worry. That's what he said. So as Christians we should we should take his advice. Amen.

All right.

Count it all joy, even when you're hungry. You won't starve. Hey, like I said the planning preparation that's that's fine if you got one of those. If you have a bunker. You know and you're preparing for Armageddon.

The.

Manna won't last. We know that. The buckets of survival food they do apparently last 20 years or more. I won't. But along with along this line like if you're worried about something, okay, what are you gonna do about it?

You know if you're gonna worry, what are you gonna do about it? Let's say you are worried about the future. You're worried about your health. Well, you can stop smoking. You can start exercising. You can eat healthier.

If you're worried about finances. Stop buying scratch tickets.

You know.

Stop buying things. You don't need create a budget like if you're worrying there are some things that you can actually do. To help and I know some people don't like this phrase and I don't know why. I have always been a big believer in this.

God helps those who help themselves. There's probably some reason why people don't like that. But at least in this sense, I think that's. I think that's true. But the bigger point here spiritually the thing you need to be concerned about trusting God today.

The Israelites in the wilderness if they just would trust God day by day. They would have been so much better off. But of course they didn't always do that. Exodus 16 verse 21. So they gathered it every morning the manna every man according to his need and when the Sun became hot It melted and so was on the sixth day that they gathered twice as much bread to Omer's for each one and all the rulers of the Congregation came and told Moses then he said to them This is what the Lord has said tomorrow is a Sabbath rest a holy Sabbath to the Lord bake what you will bake today and boil what you will boil and lay up for yourselves.

All that remains to be kept until morning so they laid it up till morning and Moses commanded. As Moses commanded and it did not stink nor were there any worms in it? So I think a spiritual principle.

That we can take away from this. God will bless those things that are done according to his will and according to his word. There was really no Natural explanation as to why the manna would rot during the week, but it wouldn't rot that one night that went into the Sabbath.

It didn't just happen. God Preserved it that one time. So there's no natural explanation. Right and it came for 40 years and then it stopped right when they entered into the promised land which we'll see at the end.

So if you want God's best. Yeah, obey do things God's way. From a human perspective. There's always that, you know. Rationalizing things. Well, it makes more sense though to do it this way. Right. Let's just keep a little man.

I know the Lord said don't but let's just keep a little Leftover. I mean that makes sense. It doesn't make sense to ignore God's Word, but it logically would make sense. Let's just keep a little Little leftover.

But what happened it turned into a rotten stinky mess and you know, that's what happens when we ignore God's Word. When we don't do things God's way it turns into a rotten stinky mess. Did the Israelites in the wilderness learn this lesson doesn't seem like they.

They learned very well. And as Paul writes to the Corinthians these things were written for what or Admonition, right? So this is an example of what not to do and you say pastor you said that last week in the week before.

Why do you keep repeating that? Well, I keep repeating it. So you'll remember. Right, so you will remember this is what the Lord told the children of Israel. You know talk about these things. Teach them to your children when you get up in the morning when you go about your business during the day when you lay down at night.

Teach them and and talk about these things. Why. Because it reminds people it Reinforces what God has said you said well, I don't need to hear it again, you know going back to the Sabbath discussion I don't need to go to church every week.

I Already know all of this stuff. You've thought that don't tell me you've never thought that I already know all of this. Well, are you doing it? But I guess you need to go to church. Every week for the reminder.

And it needs to be reinforced repeated. Reinforced and say well pastor that sounds like brainwashing. I'll tell you what's brainwashing people are being brainwashed in this world 24 -7 television the music industry Hollywood the educational system with critical race theory and.

Evolution.

Okay, it's nothing but worldliness all day every day. So people are being brainwashed in this world and they don't even know it. So God forbid that we come and speak about the things of the Lord for a couple hours a week.

So now now I'm preaching. So let's. Let's look at verse 25 then Moses said. Eat that today for today is a Sabbath to the Lord today. You will not find it in the field six days. You shall gather it. But on the seventh day the Sabbath there will be none.

Now it happened that some of the people what did they do? Unbelievable. They went out on the seventh day To gather but they found none and the Lord said to Moses how long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws.

And now skip down to verse 35 and this is where we will close and the children of Israel ate manna 40 years. Until they came into an inhabited land. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan so what does this tell us the Lord fed them all of those years in the wilderness until.

The very day I think that's so cool until the very day they entered into the promised land. Why did they no longer need the manna. Because it was just like God promised. It was the land flowing with milk and honey.

So even though the children of Israel were unfaithful God still provided for them. And if we have faith he's gonna provide for us, too.