The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 55

yet able to give some good gifts; and God will hold them responsible thus to givo what they can. The peculiar and transcendent gifts of grace they are not able to bestow; b11t seeing God has constituted them the channels of certain blessings, woe be to them if they block up the channels, or in any way diminish the flow of blessings through them. II. A SUFFICIENT SUPPLY IS PROVIDED FOR. Some gathered more and some less; but the gathering amounted to the same thing in the end. There was neither defect nor superfluity. We may take it that those who gathered more did it in a spirit of unbelief and worldly wisdom, a spirit of anxious questioning with regard to the morrow. They wanted to make sure, lest the morrow's manna did not come. God disappointed their plans, and doubtless soon altered their conduct, by reducing the quantity gathered to the stipulated omer. Thus unbeliefs labour was lost. And those who gathered less did so through straitened opportunity. It may be they had less time; it may be they were feeble or aged. But we are sure that, whatever the cause of their deficiency, they must have been those who did their best-; and God honoured their honest endeavours by making up the deficiency. If they had been careless, it is pretty certain they would have had to go starving. God has ever taken care of the principle that, if a man will not work, neither shall he eat. All that is required is, that we should do our best according to our opportunities; but so much, at least, assuredly is required. Hemember the teaching of the parable (Matt. xx. 1-16). The lord of the vineyard gave the same amount to those coming in at the eleventh hour as to those who began early in the morning. He considered pressing need to be as important a thing as actual exertion. But at the same time he had his eye on what had really been done. 'J'hose who entered at the eleventh hour had to do their best even though it was but for a short time. Thus the lord of the vineyard respected need on the one hand and disposition and embraced opportunities on the other. And so with the manna in the ,'l'ildemess: every Israelite had to do his best, with a believing mind and an industrious hand. Then God took care that he should have enough; and "enough is as good as a feast." Ill. GoD MADE PLAIN THAT IT WAS TO BE A DAILY SUPPLY. He did this, first of all, by diminishing the quantity gathered to the stipulated omer. Then, when the omer was secured, he made the daily character of the supply still more evident by commanding that none should be left till morning. 'l'his was but carrying the former provision-that of gathering an omer full-out to its logical conclusion. Nor must we take this to mean, of necessity, that all the manna was to be eaten up. "Leave it not till the morning" can only mean "leave it not as food." '!'here could hardly have been an obligation on the Israelites to eat more tha.n nature demanded or appetite desired. Let no fond. economising parent quote this regulation to a child by way of enforcing the request to eat up its food. How much harm is done by forcing children to empty the plate, lest anything be wasted! Surely it is more waste to cram a recalcitrant stomach than to throw undemanded food away, if that be the only alternative. Evi- dently what God meant here is, that Israel should not keep its manna for to-morrow's supply. There is more likelihood. of imperilliDg the spirit of faith than the habit of economy. Note, too, that the eJficacy of this regulation was soon exempl(tied when the peopl,e broke it. Indeed. it is curious to notice how, all through the passage, the regu- lations and the exemplification of them are mixed up. They were regulations which came into operation at once; for t~ere w~ a pr~sent ne~, and the people learnt to meet it by paying at first the penalties of disobedience or imperfect obedience. They c-0uld put away the manna; but they could not therefore preserve it. Putting it away vas only turning it into one of the treasures which moth and rust corrupt. Even if we could imagine that it had been possible to seal the manna hermetically, and keep it from the germs of corruption in the air, the result would have been the same. What- ever the precautions adopted. it would have bred worms and stunk by morning, God is ever turning our boasted prudence into ridiculous folly; faith and obedience are tho only real prudence. lV. Not only was it a daily supply, but A MORNING SUPPLY,· An early morning supply, for when the sun waxed hot the manna was melted, '!'hey were to go out and gather the manna the first thincr, and then, whatever else might be lacking that day, tho ~real temporal necessity of food was provided for. God demanded of hi~ people that en. XVI. 19-36.] THE IlOOK OF EXODUS. 67