"This is a matter of enough importance to warrant our giving it a little further consideration, and the account of the giving of the manna completely settles it; for it is certain that “the seventh day” of the fourth commandment is identical with “the seventh day” of the record in Exodus 16. Read the record again, and note the following features:— - The manna fell and could be gathered on six consecutive days.
- None could be found on the seventh day.
- If more were gathered than was necessary for one day’s eating, it would not keep, but “bred worms, and stank.”
- On the sixth day, however, the people were commanded to gather twice as much as usual, so as to have a supply for the seventh day, when none fell; and in this case it kept good and sweet.
Let us now place ourselves in the camp of the Israelites, and proceed on the theory that “the seventh day” means one day in seven, and see how we fare.
means one seventh part of time, or one day in seven, then of course “the sixth day” means one sixth part of time, or one day in six.
In order that everybody may clearly see the result of our experiment, we will spread out before us the calendar for six weeks, beginning with Jan. 1, 1899.
It will be noticed that every “seventh day,” which in this instance is without controversy the seventh day of the week, is marked with a star, and that every “sixth day,” not of the week, but simply the sixth day after five, is marked with a “+”.
We will now begin to gather manna according to our “interpretation” of the commandment.
For the first week we get along very well. Our theory works beautifully. We gather a double portion on the sixth day, and are well supplied for the Sabbath.
We will not place ourselves among those who went out on the seventh day to gather, although our theory would really make us do it. But as we have enough food for that day, we stay in.
--On the first day of the week we begin again to gather manna.
We find no difficulty on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
--But Thursday is our “sixth” day, because according to our new theory the “sixth” day means the sixth day after five. So on Thursday we go out and gather twice as much as on other days, and lay it up for the morning, when, lo, we have a mass of corruption. It did not keep.
And yet the Lord told us that if we gathered twice as much on the sixth day as on other days, it would not spoil! What can be the matter? Is it possible that the word of the Lord has failed? Not at all; we have simply been hitting with it.
Let us go through our calendar on this basis.
We will not be thrown off our theory by one rebuff, but will carry it to the end. We still persist that the “sixth day” does not mean the sixth day of the week, but simply one sixth part of time.
Now since it is only on the sixth day that we are to gather a double portion of manna, and our “sixth day” does not come on Friday any more for six weeks, we must not gather a double portion on that day.
So when the next Sabbath comes, we shall have to fast, and so on
But now we come to the close of the sixth week. We have doggedly stuck to our theory that “the seventh day” means a seventh portion of time, and that “the sixth day” means the sixth part of time.
On the sixth day we must gather a double quantity, and on the seventh day we must gather none.
--But lo, this week, our “sixth” and the seventh day are one and the same day; and we are under the necessity of gathering a double portion on this day, and at the same time we are forbidden to go out to look for any, and are assured that if we do we shall find none! Surely every one will agree that if we do not give up our absurd theory now we deserve to starve.
Let it be noted that we should fare even worse if we did not start out right, as in this instance we did.
In this case we have begun with the first day of the week, so that the “seventh day” falls regularly on the seventh day of the week, just as the Lord indicated.
There is but one period of seven days, and that is the week which was known from the creation.
God worked six days, and in those first six days He finished the work of creation; “and He rested the seventh day from His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” (Genesis 2:2,3)."
E.J.Waggoner