Exodus 16:16-20 "This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them."
In our walk with God, there is something that we always need to be aware of. That something is the thing which the LORD has commanded, whatever that “thing” be. In this instance, the command had to do with the LORD’s provision of bread for the children of Israel. They were to measure an omer for every man. While I cannot find an exact definition for an omer, some scholars have indicated that it is about a pint.
This does not seem to be a significant amount, and some gathered more while others gathered less. Regardless of how much was gathered, or by whom, every man was measured out an omer. The significant lesson here is that he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little did not lack. Every man had that which was sufficient for his appetite.
The children were to gather and eat every day. Nothing was to be left over for the next day. When they tried that, they found it full of worms and stinking. Moses was angered that the people would not heed the word of the LORD, even in something so simple.
We are plainly taught in the Scripture of the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). The manna was simple; God provided it every day. Their gathering was simple; no man had too much or too little. God’s rule concerning this example of His grace was simple; use it and leave nothing until the next day. Every time we try to put our “stamp” on the things of God and do it our way, the result is wormy and rotten. May we live in the simple grace that He does all things well.