The Lord instructs the people to gain twice as much manna before the Sabbath so the people will not have to gather on the Sabbath.

“It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? See, the LORD 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.’ So the people rested on the seventh day.”

It was reasonable for the people to think they would need to gather on the Sabbath. After all, every other day of the week the manna only lasted for one day before it became maggoty and moldy. There was no reason to think that the manna gathered on Friday would be any different. No reason than that was what God had said.

Too often we disobey God because we think God is not making sense, so we correct the perceived error. It is better for us to start by trusting that God is right and worry about making sense later. That is easier said than done.

Dendron (tree) may refer to a literal or metaphorical tall woody plant.  To subscribe to this podcast please go to iTunes and subscribe to “The Koine Greek Word of the Day Podcast”.