Exodus 16 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes

Exodus 16 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• According to Exodus 7:7, Moses was 80 years old when he stood before Pharaoh as the representative of God (1491 B.C.).

• God delivered the Israelites from slavery in approximately 1491 B.C.

• The events in Exodus 16 occurred 1 month after the exodus (16:1).

CHARACTERS:

• Israelites (Hebrews) – They were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and they grew into a great nation of people during their time in Egypt.   

• Moses – A Hebrew who grew up in the house of Pharaoh. He fled Egypt in Exodus 2 and went to live in Midian. God called him back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from slavery.

• Aaron – Moses’ brother who God selected to help him lead the Hebrews through the wilderness.

WHERE:

• The exact location of the Red Sea crossing is unknown.

• God led the Hebrews from the Red Sea to Marah and then on to Elim.  

• Leaving Elim, they went to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.

OUTLINE:

• THE ISRAELITES GRUMBLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO FOOD (16:1-3):

  • A month after leaving Egypt, the people of Israel were wandering in the wilderness of Sin and complaining they didn’t have any food.

  • They told Moses they would rather go back to Egypt where they at least had enough bread to eat.

• GOD GIVES BREAD FROM HEAVEN (16:4-31):

  • Moses warned the people that their complaining wasn’t against him and Aaron, but against God.

  • God’s glory appeared in the pillar of cloud and He told Moses He had heard the grumbling of the people and would send them meat at twilight and bread in the morning.

  • That evening, God sent quail into the camp.

  • In the morning, when the dew evaporated, a small, fine, flake-like bread appeared on the ground.

  • It was unlike any bread the people had ever seen.

  • God instructed each family to gather enough bread to eat for one day, no more and no less.

  • Some people tried to gather more but it spoiled overnight and bred worms.

  • The only day they were told to gather extra was on the 6th day of the week, because God set the 7th day apart as a special day of rest.

  • The 7th day of the week was the Sabbath day.

  • The people called the mysterious bread “manna.”

  • “It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.”

  • God told Moses to preserve a small amount of the manna in a jar as a memorial of how God fed the Hebrews in the wilderness.

  • The Hebrews ate the manna for the 40 years they were in the wilderness.

APPLICATION:

• Many people try to characterize the “God of the Old Testament” as a heartless, impatient judge would loves punishing people.

• But the people who promote that portrayal of God have probably never read through the Old Testament.  

• Notice God’s patience in this passage? He delivered the Israelites from slavery with magnificent miracles and how did they respond? By constantly complaining after they received their freedom.

• Yet, through their complaining, God was patient with them and even blessed them with the things they requested.

• Make sure to discover God’s character through reading the scriptures, don’t depend on someone else to tell you who He is.

• There are a lot of so-called “experts” misrepresenting the character and nature of God.