Why did God tell Israel to gather twice as much manna on the sixth day?
God commanded a double portion on the sixth day because the seventh day was the holy Sabbath, a day of rest. The extra manna was to be baked, boiled, and kept until morning, allowing Israel to rest. God instituted the Sabbath before giving the law.
Les explains that in Exodus 16, before the law is given in chapter 20, God institutes a commandment that on the sixth day Israel shall gather a double portion of manna. The reason is the Sabbath. Verse 23 calls the next day “the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord.” They were to bake and boil what they would eat and lay up the remainder until the morning. Les connects this to Genesis 1, where God brought everything onto the scene in six days and rested on the seventh. It was not that God was tired, but He was setting up something for man’s own good. That pattern of six days of labor and one day of rest carries even into our own economy, because God still knows we need one day out of seven for rest.
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
See the restAnd God spake all these words, saying,