In the second month of Iyar, Israel came into the Wilderness of Sin between Elim and Sinai, marking one month since they departed Egypt by night (Abib 15). Like the week’s fourth day, the fourth Sabbath of their seven-Sabbath journey was the mid-point. And like the fourth day, the Wednesday Passover of Israel’s exodus, the fourth week is marked by a Passover occurrence, the second Passover. The second Passover (Num. 9:9–13) on Iyar fourteen fell on the twenty-seventh day of their count, the Friday just before the fourth Sabbath (the fifteenth day of the second month, Exo. 16:1; see the Exodus Calendar in Blog 66). What is the author telling us by mentioning these details?

When the children of Israel came into the Wilderness of Sin¹, instead of recounting how YHWH had purchased and cleansed them by the lamb’s blood, watched over them with care, and brought them out of Egypt, out of exile from the Land, they complained against Moses and Aaron about having no food, longing to return to the fleshpots of Egypt. They cried, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of YHWH in the land of Egypt when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exo. 16:3). The fourth Sabbath acknowledges the nation’s unclean heart, indicating a second Passover for a new Israel. YHWH’s Passover saved their families, yet Israel murmured that they preferred He kill them like the Egyptians. Like Adam and Eve, they chose to turn away from believing YHWH and trust in themselves, eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Trusting in themselves separated them from YHWH’s Presence, the worst possible fate. What they needed was the bread from heaven, the tree of life. So, YHWH tested them to see if they would obey His law (Exo. 16:4-5).

At Sabbath’s end, He sent quail at twilight, and manna covered the ground in the morning, recalling the evenings and mornings of Genesis 1 and YHWH creating Adam out of earth’s clay to worship and obey Him in the garden land of His Presence. Like YHWH commanded Adam what to eat, YHWH gave Israel specific instructions for gathering manna, saying, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare [measure and grind] what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily” (Exo. 16:4–5). The Sabbath recalls YHWH’s triumph of creation week, a sign that He is their Creator (Gen. 2:1–3, Exo. 31:13). YHWH spoke to Moses as He spoke during the creation week and gave Israel commandment. He tested their hearts to humble them to do them good in the end (Deu. 8:16). In their hunger, Israel caved to Egypt’s indoctrination, longing to return to their old lifestyle, caring for and directing themselves, deciding what is good and not good when only YHWH knows what is good. The Israelites had yet to desire only the Creator’s doctrine as He shaped them, the clay, into His free nation.

Yeshua, the reality of the bread sent from heaven, said not to live by physical food alone but by every word of God. Israel gathered food daily, learning to trust and depend upon His Word. They must overcome the human inclination to selfishly horde or be lazy. Each morning, they learned to gather manna according to each one’s need, one omer per person, two omers (two-tenths) on the preparation day for the Sabbath (an omer is one-tenth of an ephah, 9.7 cups, Exo. 16:16). Some gathered more and some less. But when measured by omers, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. This daily miracle engaged Israel in YHWH’s Eden providence. Daily gathering manna encouraged Israel to walk by faith in Him in a deepening relationship, an experience which further sanctified them to perform all that God would ask of them. Gathering so everyone’s needs would be met, Paul wrote, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little” (2Co. 8:15, NIV). Sharing manna each day taught Israel equity and caring for their fellow Israelites (2Co. 8:14, AMP). By not gathering manna on the Sabbath, YHWH reminded Israel that He finished His creation and was creating them a new nation to dwell in His rest and oneness without lack. Developing trust in their YHWH’s words kept Israel alive and connected to His doctrine from heaven.

The manna from heaven was a type of Yeshua, sent by the Father as “the true Bread from heaven.” By ingesting what represented God’s Word, Israel was strengthened to walk daily by faith in His righteousness, counting a declared victory for YHWH’s power each day. The manna Israel ate set them apart, daily carving His laws in their hearts throughout the journey. It taught them to live only by and through dependence upon their Maker’s doctrine. God Most High, the Potter, forms the clay of Israel through Yeshua, the Bread of Heaven.

Moses told the children of Israel, “At twilight you shall know that YHWH has brought you out of the land of Egypt” when it shall be seen (Exo. 16:8, Gen. 22:14) that “YHWH” gives you meat to eat in the evening and in the morning bread to the full; for YHWH hears your murmurings which you make against Him” (Exo. 16:6–7). YHWH told Israel to come near Him, and as they looked toward the wilderness, they beheld YHWH’s glory appear in the cloud. The children of Israel knew that “I am YHWH your God” by His Passover (Exo. 16:12). YHWH’s glory is His providing meat at twilight and manna in the morning, giving the Israelites a daily reminder of the lamb sacrificed at twilight (Exo. 12:6 16:12), sparing them from death, and the spoils of His victory when they left in haste in the morning, eating unleavened bread. Even the command to not leave any manna until morning caused Israel to remember that none of the lambs were to be left until morning (Exo. 12:10, 16:19), connecting eating meat and unleavened bread into one symbol of the Passover. “To see the glory of God” recalled Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac on the Mount, where “it shall be seen” that God provided a substitute ram at the same site of Yeshua’s crucifixion. Not leaving any of it until morning, or it would stink and breed worms associated disobedience with corruption, corruption that was not allowed to be seen because God did not leave the Savior’s body in the grave but raised Him up to show Israel the path of life to His presence and fullness of joy (Psa. 16:8–11, Act. 2:24–28). As Israel drew near to God and beheld His glory in the cloud, they knew that He was the Creator YHWH who had taken them out of Egypt to form them into a people for Himself through His sacrifice and the Word of His mouth raining down as dew upon the ground (Deu. 32:1).

Takeaway:
Israel’s exiled mindset was portrayed by having no confidence in YHWH and no food to eat. Providing food for Israel revealed that YHWH was the Creator of the Garden, the place of safety and rest where He put Adam to worship Him and obey His Word. YHWH’s glory in His sacrificial love for them caused Israel to know that He was the God of the Covenant to whom they must fully trust and conform. As in Eden, YHWH commanded Israel to eat heaven’s bread and keep His Word so they would know Him, their Creator.

Fun Factors:
Exodus 16:1 has 88 letters in 23 words, totaling 5624, 8 × 19 × 37, 8 × 703; 5624 has 16 divisors that can be partitioned in two sets with the same sum of 5700, 3 × 19 × 10². The numbers 37 and 703 point to Genesis 1:1’s sum 37 × 73, God as Creator; 8 is a new beginning, and 19 indicates a complete lunar time cycle.

The “Wilderness of Sin” has a numeric value of 366, 6 × 61; 61 is the 18^th prime and 8^th Pythagorean prime; 366 = 6(5² + 6²). As YHWH created Adam from clay, Israel is being created in the Wilderness of Sin by the manna Word of God, the same God who spoke in Genesis 1, creating a Sabbath for the Adam with YHWH. The Wilderness of Sin events prepared Israel for Sinai’s Eden setting. Sin, cyn, סִין = 120 and Sinai, cyny, סִינָי = 130 together equal 250, 2 × 5³, 13² + 9².