It was full of maggots and began to smell.

“However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.”

Exodus 16:20 (NIV)

THE QUESTION

In the wilderness, God gave the Israelites manna fresh every morning. What happened when some of them tried to keep leftovers for the next day?

A) It doubled overnight

B) It turned to dust

C) It was full of maggots and began to smell ✓

D) It quietly disappeared

A closer look

Every morning in the wilderness, the ground was covered with thin flakes like frost, and every family gathered what they needed for the day. Moses told them not to keep any of it overnight. Some tried anyway, just in case tomorrow’s didn’t come. By morning it was crawling, and it stank.

Here’s the twist. On the sixth day they were told to gather double and keep half for the Sabbath, and that batch stayed perfectly fresh (Exodus 16:23–24). The manna wasn’t the point. Trusting God for tomorrow was.

That’s the same lesson as today’s verse. “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22–23). You can’t stockpile yesterday’s mercy, and you don’t need to. Tomorrow’s will be waiting when you wake up.

See you tomorrow for a new verse, prayer, and trivia. Have a blessed day. ♡