On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'" So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none." On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day. Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
Exodus 16:22-31
The persistence of Israel's perverse attitude is sorrowful to behold. Not only did they gather manna for more than one day at a time when they should not, but they failed to gather two days' supply for the Sabbath when they should. Here was a double unbelief, a double unwillingness to submit themselves to the commandment of the lord. They were trusting in merely fleshly considerations, and expecting heavenly, spiritual provision to operate in accordance with merely natural laws. But God's provision is conditioned by His directions, not our own natural assumptions, and it is surely wisdom to pay heed to what He says (28). The fundamental distinction placed between the Sabbath and other days is a salutary reminder to Israel of their separation unto God, and it is significant to notice that the day is a 'sabbath unto the Lord'. It is His day, not ours, and important to Him before it is blessed to His people. It is His pleasure, before ours, that is paramount in the keeping of it. This is the real heart of the Sabbath question; it is a day when the Lord takes special pleasure in His people (Psalm 149:4), a day which He devotes exclusively to taking and finding pleasure in them; therefore, in neglecting or violating its sanctity, we are not only hurting ourselves, but grieving Him and depriving Him of the pleasure for which He created us. This is the real meaning and force of the fourth commandment.