Exodus 16:13-26 - Quail came up and covered the camp

16:13-21

So in the evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning dew covered the ground. After the dew had gone, the manna was left behind. The people had never seen this stuff before, and Moses told them that it was the bread that God had provided for them. Moses then gave them instructions on collecting the manna. They were to gather as much as they needed to eat. Everyone had just the right amount. They were also told not to leave any of it till the morning. Some, however, did not obey this command and did keep some. But in the morning any that had been kept over went utterly putrid. We cannot draw any general conclusions against storing things, for there is a time to store stuff (e.g. Joseph and Egypt), but there are times when God will literally provide day by day. Moses was angry with them. Moses’ anger was a feature of his life and would cause trouble.

16:22-26

On the sixth day they gathered twice the usual amount. This was because the seventh day was a “holy Sabbath”. There would be no food on the Sabbath. This is the first mention of the word “Sabbath”, though the concept is introduced in Genesis  2:1-3. We should note that the Sabbath concept is introduced before the Law. The extra manna collected on the sixth day did not go fusty on the next day. We see here that God is in absolute and detailed control of the provision.