How
did the people of Israel know about Sabbath observation here in Exodus 16? For
the instruction on Sabbath keeping was only specifically instructed in the Ten
Commandments given at Mount Sinai, recorded in Exodus 20:8-11. We need to know
that Sabbath keeping was an integral component of the creation account. In
Genesis 2:1-3, the Bible unambiguously say that “Thus the heavens and the earth
were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day, God
completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day
from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed
the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work
which God had created and made.” There is a high probability that from the
creation story that this principle was well understood and practised. Then God
reiterated it specifically only at Mount Sinai in the Ten Commandments.
Sabbath
keeping is recorded as the fourth of the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:8-11 say:
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour
and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your
God; in it, you shall not do any work, you or your son or your
daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner
who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the
heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the
seventh day; therefore, the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it
holy.” The verses start with a reminder. It was a call to remember to keep the
Sabbath. This gives the impression that all along the Israelites knew about the
need to observe the Sabbath.
Hence,
we keep the Sabbath not because it’s in the Ten Commandments, but because it’s
a principle God had ordained from the very beginning of creation. This is a day
set aside to enjoy God and His Creation. It is also a day we ceased from work
and enjoy the fruit of our labour. It’s a day to enter into the joy of all that
God had done. This call to rest was not just an instruction for the Israelites.
It is also one instruction for all mankind to embrace. God set this pattern
Himself in creation, it is meant for all human who is made in His image and
likeness. Being made different from all animals, this is our distinctive mark.
Of all of God’s Creation, we alone have the privilege of imitating God in the
way He operates, concerning work and rest.
Here in Exodus 16, we see God teaching the Israelites to observe this
pattern of living. He supplied manna for six days and twice as much on the
sixth day. The purpose was to enable them to observe the Sabbath rest. But
unfortunately, there were those that would not follow instructions. They went
out in the morning trying to pick mana. Exodus 16:27 says, “It came about
on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found
none.” This was such a disappointment that the Lord said to
Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and
My instructions?” It was needless for them to go out on the Sabbath,
for God had already made the provision on the sixth day. More than just not
keeping the word, this disobedience showed their distrust. They obviously did
not trust the Lord nor His word. The breaking of the Sabbath by the
Israelites gives us an indication that the people who refused to keep the
Sabbath were not even willing to serve God one day in a week. What about us?
Sabbath is a gift from God. He makes it so that we can enjoy Him. We must learn
to observe the Sabbath and to set it apart for His glory
No comments:
Post a Comment