Exodus 16:22
And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
On the sixth day, the preparation day Friday, Israel gathered twice as much bread as usual, two omers for each person, and the rulers of the congregation reported this to Moses. All baking and boiling was to be done on that sixth day, with what remained laid up and kept until the morning to be eaten on the Sabbath, so that nothing would be gathered and no such work done on the seventh day. What was kept for the Sabbath did not stink and had no worms but stayed fresh, unlike manna kept over on other days, while on the seventh day none fell and none could be found in the field, for manna is to be gathered six days but on the seventh there is none. The doubled amount on the sixth day, the absence on the seventh, and the freshness through the Sabbath form a threefold miracle to impress the sacredness of the Sabbath and show divine care, and this weekly withholding and preservation continued through nearly forty years to constantly remind Israel of the appointed rest-day. The double gathering was part of a test whether Israel would walk in God's law, repeating the Sabbath law given at creation in Eden and proving the seventh-day Sabbath binding before it was proclaimed in the Decalogue, for God had brought Israel out of Egypt where taskmasters forced Sabbath labor to a place where they might keep it holy unmolested.
Manna Doubled Before Sabbath
On the sixth day, the preparation day, Friday, Israel gathered twice as much bread as usual, two omers for each person, and the rulers of the congregation came and reported this to Moses. The extra gathering was preparation because the next day is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord, when no manna would fall. The sixth day was therefore the time to prepare food for the Sabbath rest.
All baking and boiling was to be done on the sixth day, with what remained over laid up and kept until the morning to be eaten on the Sabbath. The Lord provided enough on Friday for Friday and the Sabbath, so that no gathering and no work would be done on the seventh day and rest was made possible. The doubled supply was part of God's provision for their needs, so the people could observe the Sabbath without gathering food that day.
What was baked and boiled on the sixth day and laid up until the morning did not stink and had no worms and stayed fresh, unlike manna kept over on other days which spoiled. On the seventh day no manna fell and none was to be found in the field, since manna is to be gathered six days but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there is none. The double amount on the sixth day, the absence on the seventh day, and the freshness through the Sabbath form a threefold miracle meant to impress the sacredness of the Sabbath and show divine care and love. The manna was food from heaven provided through the angels.
This weekly withholding of manna and miraculous preservation of the double portion continued through nearly forty years of wilderness wandering and constantly reminded Israel of God's appointed rest-day and its sacred obligation. The doubled supply belonged to an education embracing all habits of life under divine care and law, for everything concerning Israel's well-being was the subject of divine care and even in providing food God sought their highest good. The manna with which He fed them was of a nature to promote physical, mental, and moral strength, so that notwithstanding the hardships of wilderness life there was not a feeble one in all their tribes. God's miraculous provision of bread in the wilderness still required cooperation, and did not remove the need for each person to take part in the work entrusted to them.
Sabbath Sacredness and Keeping
God brought Israel out of Egypt to a place where they could keep the Sabbath holy unmolested and fulfill all the precepts of the law. In bondage their taskmasters had tried to force Sabbath labor by making the weekly work harder and more exacting. After deliverance He fed them with manna in the wilderness and by a double miracle in the manna placed His seal upon the sacredness of the Sabbath institution later proclaimed in awful grandeur on Mount Sinai. On the sixth day, the preparation day, twice as much manna fell, two omers for each person, and God miraculously preserved that double portion while withholding manna every seventh day. This continued through nearly forty years of wandering and constantly reminded Israel of God's appointed rest-day.
The recurring weekly provision repeated the Sabbath law given at creation in Eden. God thereby sustained the validity of the seventh-day Sabbath hallowed and sanctified there, proving it binding before its sacredness was proclaimed in the commandments given on Mount Sinai in the bosom of the Decalogue. On the sixth day the Israelites gathered twice the usual amount, two omers for each person, and the rulers of the congregation reported this to Moses, the extra being provided so food could be prepared before the seventh day when no manna would fall. The Lord provided enough on Friday for Friday and the Sabbath, so that no manna fell that seventh day and the double portion made rest possible. This daily provision and doubled gathering before the Sabbath continually testified to and confirmed the seventh-day Sabbath commandment.
The double gathering was part of a test by the manna whether Israel would walk in God's law. When the rulers reported it Moses declared that the next day was the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord. Going out to gather on the seventh day in spite of that direction brought God's rebuke for refusing to keep His commandments and His laws. To leave no mistake the Father and the Son descended on Mount Sinai and spoke the precepts of the law in awful grandeur in the hearing of all Israel.
The special directions on how to keep the Sabbath were recorded for the benefit of all who live to the close of time and must be listened to and obeyed. Yet this holy institution is discarded for a spurious first-day sabbath. Strangers living with the Israelites could share the food from heaven if they met the conditions, including keeping God's Sabbath.
After receiving the manna the people were ashamed of their unbelief and promised to trust God, but soon forgot their promise and failed their next test of faith. The double portion on the sixth day, its absence on the seventh, and its freshness through the Sabbath were a threefold miracle meant to impress the people with the Sabbath's sacredness, the manna being food provided through the angels. The Friday food packages serve the same practical purpose as the double portion, giving people food for the Sabbath without opening the restaurant that day. The Israelites gathered that double portion on the sixth day to provide food for the Sabbath.