Question: Why did God tell the Israelites not to keep food until the morning when they were leaving Egypt?
Answer: To “keep food” means saving it to eat later or the next day, usually when someone has eaten enough and doesn’t want to waste what’s left. They might save it for later if they’re too full at the moment.
On the night the Israelites were leaving Egypt, God gave them specific instructions. They were to slaughter a lamb, put its blood on the doorposts, and eat the lamb that night. This command was for every family. Each family slaughtered a lamb, applied the blood on the door, and ate it. God also gave instructions on how to cook it: they weren’t to boil it but to roast it over fire, eat it with bitter herbs, and do so in a hurry so they wouldn’t end up eating into the morning, which would have been a sin.
Along with all these instructions, God gave another important command: each family was not to leave any lamb meat until the morning. They were to finish it all, or if anything was left, they had to burn it by dawn. The key was that nothing should be left by morning. If any family ignored this, it would be considered a sin. This command was given to the Israelites to reinforce their dependence on God, teaching them to obey His instructions fully, without altering or adding anything according to their own plans. You can find these instructions clearly in Exodus 12:1-13.
Exodus 12:10:
“Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.”
This command emphasized obedience to God’s detailed instructions and served as a test of their faith. God wanted them to trust His provision fully, not to rely on their own provision for the future.
Why Did God Give These Instructions?
The reason was to teach the Israelites to trust God completely. They shouldn’t worry about tomorrow—what they would eat or wear—but instead, focus on God. If God hadn’t given these instructions, people might have eaten a little that night, saved some for breakfast, and worried about their next meal, rather than trusting God to provide for them.
God’s intention was to teach them daily dependence. In the same way that He provided manna in the wilderness, He wanted them to understand that He would provide daily, and they didn’t need to hoard resources or place their trust in material possessions.
Exodus 16:4-5:
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.’”
Even the manna (bread from heaven) God provided each day was meant to be gathered daily. God told the Israelites not to store it up for the next day. They were to gather food just for that day, and if they kept any for tomorrow, it would spoil. This was to teach them not to worry about tomorrow, because God would provide again the next day.
Exodus 16:19-20:
Moses said to them, ‘Let no one keep any of it until morning.’ But some of them did not listen to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, and it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.’”
This serves as a reminder that we must not try to control or manipulate God’s provision based on our own desires and security. We are to live each day in obedience to His commands, trusting that He will provide.
Matthew 6:31-34:
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Jesus teaches that God knows our needs and that we should trust in His provision, placing our focus on His kingdom and righteousness.
This is also a lesson for us: once we are saved, we shouldn’t worry too much about our lives, what we will eat or wear, even if we don’t see a way to get through tomorrow. We need to trust that God will provide.
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:25, “
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” God will provide for us, and our task is to trust Him fully.
How Should We Save According to God’s Will?
Let’s look back at the example of manna. If you continue reading, you’ll see what kind of savings God approved. Let’s read:
Exodus 16:21-25:
“Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.
On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses.
He said to them, ‘This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’
So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.
‘Eat it today,’ Moses said, ‘because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today.’”
Notice that when they saved food for the Sabbath, they weren’t saving for their own comfort or luxury, but for the purpose of resting and focusing on God. They saved it so they could honor God, not just to avoid work. That’s why their savings didn’t spoil.
Exodus 16:23:
“This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.”
This shows that God’s instructions for saving were connected to His command for His people to rest and honor Him. Saving with the intention of focusing on God’s purposes is what pleases Him.
However, when they saved food simply to accumulate wealth for their own future pleasures, it became spoiled. Luke 12:16-21 illustrates this point:
Luke 12:16-21:
“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.
And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
This passage highlights the futility of storing up wealth without regard to God’s purposes. The man in the parable thought he could secure his future through his own resources, but his life was demanded that very night. The lesson is clear: if our savings are for selfish gain and not for God’s glory, they are ultimately meaningless.
In conclusion, God’s commands to the Israelites about not saving food until the morning were meant to teach them to trust in Him, not worry about tomorrow, and honor Him with their lives. Similarly, when we save, we must do so with God’s kingdom and purposes in mind, not for selfish gain.