This is the thing which Jehovah has commanded Gather of it every man according to what he can eat, an omer a poll, [according to] the number of your persons ye shall take every man for those that are in his tent.
The bread lies on the ground, and God attaches a rule to it: one set measure each, and every man gathers for his whole tent. Commentators read that rule as a picture of how a believer feeds on Christ, and of who else depends on it.
The manna is more than desert food. Commentators identify it with Christ Himself, in His lowly life on earth.
What, then, is the Manna for the believer? It is Christ come in human flesh — a humbled Christ… So Christ is the Manna in all that He was in the flesh. He is the Manna in the expression of what He was, both as the revealer of the Father and as the perfect man. His grace, compassion, sympathy, tenderness, and love; His meekness and lowliness of heart; His patience, forbearance, and long-suffering; His example — all these are found in the Manna. God has given us that Manna as our food for the journey through the wilderness.
The measure is fixed. Older translations read "an omer for every man," and one writer shows what that says about God's thought for each person.
In the giving of the manna, you remember, God said, "an omer for every man." Whether one gathered much or little, it was all measured. Each one had his full quota — "an omer for every man." A full Christ for every man was the thought of God… So the omer was the measure of Christ coming into this world. He came to meet the need of man, and in doing so to show the grace and glory of God.
The omer was an everyday household measure. So the gift came sized to the person, not to the crowd.
An omer was the measure people used in the tents of Israel for ordinary purposes. It held the usual portion of a man's daily food. So it made the gift of the manna personal to the need of every single person in the camp.
The verse ties each man's portion to what he can eat. One writer turns that into a test of the believer's desire.
First, they were to gather it every man according to his eating (vv. 16-18). As a result, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. The appetite governed the amount collected. How strikingly true this is of the believer! We all have as much of Christ as we desire — no more, and no less. If our desires are large, if we open our mouth wide, He will fill it. We cannot desire too much, nor be disappointed when we desire. On the other hand, if we barely feel our need, we shall have only a little of Christ.
How does one fixed measure fit appetites that differ? Commentators give two explanations.
Some explain that although several in a family went out to gather the manna, when it was brought home and measured it came to just an omer for each of them. The more likely explanation is that an omer was the average portion for each. Some needed more and others less, so every one gathered "according to his eating," according to what he knew he would need. That way every one had enough, and nothing was wasted.
The bread lay free on the ground, yet nobody was fed without going out for it. One writer notes the effort and the posture it took.
Human responsibility went together with divine goodness. The heaven-sent provision lay around Israel's camp, yet each Israelite still had to be diligent to make that provision his own portion… To gather the manna, a man had to stoop, for it fell on the ground. Without question, the lowliest find for themselves the most of Christ.
The verse does not stop with the individual. It reaches the whole household.
But they must gather the manna "according to each one's need" (v. 16). This would take time, and would also mean bending down. First it says "an omer for each person." God would provide for each one individually. But it is also specifically said that each man should gather for all who were in his tent. The head of the household is responsible to share with his whole house the preciousness of the Lord Jesus.
The New Testament takes this scene out of the desert and applies it to money given for believers in need.
The earlier part of the passage comes up again in 2 Corinthians 8:15. It shows that when believers make a collection for poor fellow believers, this divine principle of "equality" should be worked out: what some have in abundance supplies the need of others.
- Given — the manna is Christ in His lowly life on earth, God's own provision for the journey.
- Measured — the omer is one fixed portion for each person: a full Christ for every man was God's thought.
- Gathered — the supply is equal, but the intake follows appetite; we have as much of Christ as we desire, no more and no less.
- Stooped for — the bread lay on the ground, so a man had to bend; the lowliest find the most of Christ.
- Shared — each man gathered for his whole tent; the same principle of equality later shapes giving among believers.
And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some much, some little.
The manna has just fallen for the first time, and the whole camp goes out to gather it. The amounts differ from person to person — a detail commentators read as a picture of how believers feed on Christ, and as the seed of a rule Paul later applies to money.
The chapter opens with complaint, not faith. Heaven answers with bread:
Exodus 16 shows us Israel murmuring again, but the Lord answers with nothing but grace... Their absolute need was now plain. In the wilderness, who but God could supply bread for such a multitude? But He did supply it generously, and at their doors. "Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat." ... It is Christ, the true manna from heaven, who gives eternal life and brings us into rest.
The bread lay all around the camp, but nobody ate it without going out for it. One writer puts God's giving and man's effort side by side:
But the manna had to be gathered. Human responsibility went together with God's goodness. The heaven-sent provision lay all around Israel's camp. Even so, each Israelite had to work at gathering it before it became his own portion... To gather the manna, a man had to stoop, because it fell on the ground. Beyond all argument, the lowliest find for themselves the most of Christ.
Why did some gather more and some less? The supply was not the limit — appetite was:
First, each man was to gather as much as he could eat (vv. 16-18)... The appetite governed the amount collected. How strikingly true this is of the believer! We all have as much of Christ as we desire — no more, and no less. If our desires are large, if we open our mouth wide, He will fill it. We cannot desire too much, nor be disappointed when we desire. On the other hand, if we are only feebly conscious of our need, only a little of Christ will be supplied.
Hours spent are not the same thing as hunger, and another writer keeps the two apart:
You cannot have too much of Christ... On the other hand, the amount we have does not depend on the time or effort we spend gathering. Not the amount of time, but the amount of heart, counts with God, and that is where the fruit is.
The verse notes the difference between the big gatherer and the small one, and blames neither. One writer keeps it that way:
When the children of Israel gathered the manna, some gathered more than others (v. 17). But there was no difficulty. The larger amount was not too much, and the smaller was not too little. Each had gathered just what he could eat. One may have a larger capacity to enjoy Christ, another a smaller capacity. Neither one carries any stigma.
Nobody ended up with too much, and nobody with too little. One writer credits that to God, not to the gatherers' skill:
God adjusted the supply to the demand with a wisdom and power that ruled out surplus just as much as shortage. He who gave the manna from heaven measured it exactly, whatever the differing measures in man's hands. And we have to do with the same God, and He surely regulates everything in the church with no less care and love.
Paul quotes this incident in his appeal for a collection, which pushes the meaning past the personal lesson about appetite:
Verse 15 quotes Exodus 16:18 in support of this. Reading Exodus, one might suppose the verse simply meant that each gatherer of the manna was able to judge his appetite rightly and gather accordingly. The way the verse is quoted here shows, however, that there is more in it than that, since it is cited in support of the principle of sharing with others what God may have entrusted to us.
Commentators differ on how the "no surplus, no lack" result came about — some report an older explanation that the measured amount turned out to be an omer each by miracle, while others hold that each person simply gathered what he knew he needed. Either way, the outcome is what Paul presses into service:
Some explained that when several from one family gathered and brought the manna home to measure, it came to just an omer each. The more likely explanation is that an omer was the average portion for each person, but some needed more and others less. So everyone gathered as much as he could eat — what he knew he would need. That way everyone had enough and nothing was wasted. The earlier part of this passage is quoted in 2 Corinthians 8:15. It shows that a collection for poor believers should carry out this divine principle of "equality" — the abundance of some meeting the need of others.
- Grace gives. The bread falls on a murmuring camp; the supply answers need, not merit.
- Grace is gathered. What God gives still has to be picked up, and it is the lowly who gather most.
- Grace fits appetite. The amount taken in follows desire and heart, not clock-time — and you cannot desire too much.
- Grace shames no one. Capacities differ; the large gatherer and the small one are both left without blame.
- Grace overflows outward. God measured so that none had too much and none too little. That becomes Paul's rule for sharing money with poorer believers.
And they measured with the omer then he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little wanted nothing they had gathered every man according to the measure of his eating.
Israel is in the desert, fed each morning by bread that appears on the ground, and each family gathers it with a measuring pot called an omer. When they measure what they gathered, the differences between them disappear — and centuries later the New Testament reaches back to this line to settle a question about money among Christians.
The verse turns on the omer, the measure used to check each portion. Commentators differ on how it worked out.
The Rabbis explain it this way. Several in a family went out to gather the manna. When they brought it home and measured it, it came to just an omer for each of them. A more likely explanation is this. An omer was the average portion for each person, but some needed more and others less. So each one gathered "as much as he could eat," what he knew he would need. Everyone had enough, and nothing went to waste. 2 Corinthians 8:15 quotes the first part of this passage. It shows that a collection for poor believers should carry out this divine principle of "equality," where the abundance of some supplies the need of others.
Either way, the outcome is God's arithmetic, not man's.
The One who gave the manna from heaven measured it exactly, whatever the differing measures in man's hands.
Three truths sit inside this one sentence: God's side, man's side, and the result.
These words hold three things. First, on God's part, He makes equal provision for each — an omer for every person. Second, on man's part, "each of them gathered as much as he could eat." The appetite governed the amount collected. Third, whatever the amount gathered, "whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack." Both the large desire and the small one were satisfied by the amount each one obtained.
As a picture of the believer's food, the verse puts the limit in our desire, not in the supply.
We all have as much of Christ as we desire — no more, and no less. If our desires are large, if we open our mouth wide, He will fill it. We cannot desire too much, and we will never be disappointed when we desire. On the other hand, if we barely feel our need, we will receive only a little of Christ.
Hours spent do not set that appetite.
You cannot have too much of Christ… On the other hand, the amount we will have does not depend on the time or effort we spend gathering. Not the amount of time, but the amount of heart counts with God, and that is where fruit is found.
But what about the believer who takes in less than someone else?
One may have a larger capacity to enjoy Christ, another a smaller capacity, but no stigma is attached to either.
The difference between believers can look wide in daily life.
This principle holds true of soul-hunger. God's people have such different appetites for heavenly things! Some find half an hour over the Bible a long time; others meditate in it day and night. Yet though this is true of us, all the gathered manna measured out at an omer for every man. Every man had enough. Every man's need was fully met, for the measure was the satisfaction of every man.
The New Testament quotes this verse in an appeal for poor believers.
Reading Exodus, you might think the verse simply meant that each gatherer of the manna could judge his appetite and gather to match it. But the way the verse is quoted here shows there is more in it than that. It supports the principle of sharing with others what God may have entrusted to us.
The "equality" aimed at is not sameness of income.
This is not necessarily an equality in wealth or social position. It means that each one is equally delivered from need… The amount of manna gathered could differ a great deal from person to person. Some gathered much and some little. But all were alike in this: every need was met.
And God reaches that result through people, with a further purpose in it.
That was God's thought and desire for them all. But He does it through human hands, binding the hearts of His people to each other and drawing out their love. The gift, if it amounted to anything, was only the expression of that love.
- Measure — God set the omer, and He measured exactly what fell, however much ended up in each person's hands.
- Appetite — Hunger decided what each one took home. We have as much of Christ as we desire, and heart counts more than hours.
- Enough — Nobody had too much or too little. The large appetite and the small one were both satisfied, so a smaller capacity carries no shame.
- Sharing — The New Testament lifts this line into Christian giving: what God entrusts to one is meant to flow to another.
- Equality — The goal is not equal wealth. It is that every need is met — and God does it through His people's hands, binding their hearts together.