Moses Tells Israel About The Expectation of Sabbath Rest

Exodus 35:1-3:

¹ Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do:

² “For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the Lord; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

³ You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day.”

Thoughts on the Passage

Moses was about to get the people organized to build and furnish the tabernacle. He had to share all the instructions about that project that God had given him on the mount. But first there was something of greater importance that he had to share with them – and that was a top priority for God, although as it turns out – it was God’s gift to man. I’m talking about Sabbath rest.

The first thing we note here is that “all the congregation” had been assembled to meet with Moses. So, any instruction here is not just for leaders, or one of the genders, or for children.  It is for everyone.

Secondly, what Moses was passing on was not embellished by his own thoughts, ideas, preferences, etc. He must on the Word of God as it was given to him by God. [That’s a good model for any servant of the Lord – don’t add your own opinions in a way which may deflate or inflate the intention that God had in mind for His communication, to the best of your ability. In today’s environment, we can think of it as being the difference between two types of journalists -- a ‘news reporter’ and a ‘columnist or editorial writer’.]

The first item on the agenda is the matter of ‘Sabbath rest’. They were to do tabernacle-building work (and other chores of daily living) for six days a week, but on the Sabbath, the seventh day, no work was to be done at all. That concept has had a great impact on our societies through the ages. I remember first coming to Canada as a child and the limited stores or services that were available on Sundays. Then slowly some retailers started getting permission to open on Sundays but after one o’clock or so, allowing all of us to attend church without competition. And then slowly that gave way to the full-out availability of all retail all day on Sunday.

The concept of Sunday being special also plays a role in Labor Relations where many organizations pay a higher premium or allowance for hours worked on Sunday versus the rest of the week, recognizing that requiring people to work on that day is taking them away from their normal Sabbath rest.

Some Jews still value it greatly and even start to observe it one hour before sunset on the day before and continue for one hour after sunset on the Sabbath.  Those extra hours were a type of ‘insurance’ or an indication that they really wanted to obey this most important request of the Lord’s, showing, as Matthew Henry suggests, how glad they are to approach Sabbath and how loth they are to part with it.

The key here is that while it is a Sabbath of rest (for our body’s, mind’s, and spirit’s sake), it is rest unto the Lord and devoted to His honor.

There is, as we read, a penalty of death attached to not adhering to the requirement, as given to the Israelites. Many would wonder if God really intended that. But as I read the passage again, and recognizing it was a specific instruction (at this time) for the Israelites in the desert, it makes sense. God wanted them to build a tabernacle. They had to adhere to strict rules in order to accomplish the work on time, and Moses needed the backing of penalties if he was to keep order in the camp. To Guzak, this was a way of God calling us to simple obedience first and foremost prior to allowing us to do His work.

Of particular interest is the special mention of no starting of fires for the purpose of doing trades job (e.g. blacksmith) on the Sabbath. To me, this indicates God’s real intent for the Sabbath was that man would have “rest”.  And thus, we come to the statement of Jesus in Mark 2:27 that “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath”.  Guzak supports this when he points out that there are two words for the Hebrew word for ‘work’ – avodah and melachah. The former is a general word for work, the latter refers to work related to business. So it seems here that God is not prohibiting all work (e.g. helping your neighbor get their car out of a ditch), but only that related to your business. Thus, Jews today won’t use fire or heat for business but are permitted to use it to give them light or allow healing. Interesting.

David Guzak says this passage teaches us that “anything we do for the Lord must grow out of our rest in Him, and rest in His finished work on our behalf.”

Chuck Smith takes a most modern perspective on the Sabbath rest. He says this is just God’s gift to you. It’s “a day in which you do nothing. A day in which you just kick back and rest. A day in which you just lie around all day long doing absolutely nothing, not even kindling a fire, just a day of total relaxation. You would be so much healthier mentally and every way else if you would just take a day off and just cruise, just nothing; just totally relax. . .. You can take it and enjoy it if you want. If you don’t take it, it is not going to damn you or condemn you. . .you would be much better off if you observed it. Not spiritually, it won’t make you any more righteous than anybody else, but just physically you would be a lot better off, mentally better off.”

On the one hand, I totally agree with Smith but I am afraid that too many would misuse his position as an excuse to stay in bed all day on the Sabbath. On the other hand, while we may not be condemned for working on this day, we certainly need to be aware that for one reason or another God wants us to rest our bodies and minds regularly and not taking that rest is contrary to the Manufacturer’s Manual.

[Please share with me if you disagree with my thoughts and/or are finding this study helpful. I appreciate the dozens of readers who take time to follow along with me in this study.]

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We Were Taught To Work Hard Even Under Deadlines. But Was That Right?

For most of us around the world, the Christmas and New Year's festivities are over.  People have gone back to work.  Many students are back in school.  People will be going to doctor appointments.  Pursuits set aside for a few days, will be picked up again.  Some who, through the love and care of others, were able to forget their lot in life temporarily, will once again, find themselves struggling to survive -- be it financially, physically, emotionally, relationally, or spiritually.

In short, life goes on as they say for all of us, no matter our lot in life. Whether that lot becomes an exciting journey or the following a rut created over time will depend on how well we realize and rely on the fact that true joy and hope cannot be based on our circumstances, but on our personal relationship with God.

Here is the passage of Scripture I studied today and some thoughts on it:

Exodus 34:21-24

"You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.
"And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
"Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
"For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God."

Thoughts on the Passage

I don't know about you, but I was to work hard, especially while there was work to do.  And I certainly tried to pass that on to my children. However, as I read this passage, I realize that I may have been all wrong.  Clearly, God is saying to His people that one day a week they must rest "even during. . . harvest". And He is emphatic about it, saying, "you shall rest". We need to rethink our attitude towards "workaholism".  I'm not saying God wants us to be slouches or to avoid work. No, not at all. He Himself is a God of Creation and active involved in the lives of His people. But what God is saying is that He knows how He created us and we need periodic rest.  Ignore that advice from Him, and you'll soon find yourself in bed, or worse still, in a casket, unable to do any work.

And the Israelites were to celebrate The Feast of Weeks and the Feast of the Ingathering which is also known as the The Feast of Tabernacles.  It is also known as Sukkot.

We can get all caught up in the intricacies of all these special feasts, many of which Jesus himself participated in later on, and we can also argue as to whether or not they are for New Testament Christians after Christ's Resurrection. Instead, I suggest we just focus on the fact that some of these various feasts had as their purpose to remind the Israelites Who it is that supplies all their needs. And it seemed that, in a farming economy, the end of harvest after all the reaping is completed is a great time to stop and give thanks.  This is not unlike our more modern-day Thanksgiving Day celebration that was started by the Pilgrms to America.

We can do this once a year at Thanksgiving, or we can do it monthly, or weekly.  Some of us do it every time we thank God when we eat.

But here is the most interesting part of the passage. Next, God tells the Israelites that all their males are to appear before Him three times a year. And I think the emphasis is indeed on all. That means no male is to be left to act as guards from the enemies, or to attend to other work.  Otherwise, why does God make a point of saying that no one will 'covet' or take their land while they are doing this.  God will protect their property.

On a personal or individual scale, this suggests we can trust God with our property at all times, but especially when we go to appear before Him and worship Him. On a national scale, this suggests that if we have our priorities right, putting God first, God will bless a nation.  David Guzik suggests that these three times are those that are referred to in Exouds 23:14-17 where God commanded that at three feasts each year (Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles), each Israelite man should gather before the Lord. And in this passage, Guzik continues, God even promised a supernatural protection for an obedient Israel when they went to these feasts.

We can only pray that our political leaders would call and ask for such an action for all the males in our nation. But we can pray and actually do something about it in our churches.  And even more at home, we can encourage the men in our families to do so.  If we are the man of the family, we can resolve to do it.

Recently, we noted again what God would do even today if His people actually turn to Him and pray for something.  This happened in December 2017 -- after five years of no rain in Israel, thousands prayed at the Western Wall, and God answered big-time.  What will God do for you? Your family? Your church? Your city? Your country? The World? -- What will He do in the days ahead? It all depends on what you and I are willing to do in obedience to Him.

Please share your own thoughts on this passage or on my comments above.  If this blog helped you at all, please feel free to tell others about it.

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God's Response To Your Prayers For Others

Finding Favor In God’s Sight 

Exodus 33:12-16: Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, Thou dost say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But Thou Thyself hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Moreover, Thou hast said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee, so that I may find favor in Thy sight. Consider too, that this nation is Thy people.” And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If Thy presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not by Thy going with us, so that we, I and Thy people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”

We long to find favor in the sight of someone (a person we are devoted to) or we hope that circumstances will favor us (for a goal we are chasing). Having favor is a good thing. Some work to be the favorite son/daughter. Some work toward having the teacher’s favor or the the boss’s.  But throughout history, a few good men and women have chosen to desire the favor of God. And they weren’t losers. Contrary to what some people think, those with high IQs are just as likely to seek God’s favor as the rest of us.  Moses was one of those people.

In the preceding segment of our discussion, we learned that Moses was comfortable enough with God as he had the privilege of speaking with the Almighty ‘face to face’ figuratively speaking, as one friend speaks to another. With that kind of relationship that God and he had established, Moses was not afraid to challenge God lovingly, and he did, for good purpose – the saving of his people, the Israelites.

So Moses asks God to tell him who God intends to send with Moses and the people as he takes them to the promised land. “You want me to do this, God, but you won’t tell me who you are going to send with me, since you’re not coming.”  Wow.

And if that’s not enough, he continues: “God, You said You have known me by name; and that I found favor in Your sight. But if that’s the case, why are You not letting me know Your ways?” I think Moses was appealing to the fact that they had a good relationship, that they had spoken to each other as friends. And friends share their plans.

It is important to note here that because Moses has found favor in God’s sight, he expects to know the ways of God (to know what God was thinking or planning). But seeking that is not about having extra knowledge himself through which he could succeed in his own endeavors, but rather as the text says, he wants to know God’s ways in order that he may “know” God. Is that the end purpose for knowing God’s ways? Not really. Moses says, “I want to know Your ways so that I may know You and that will bring me right back to where I really want to be, in a place where I have found favor in Your sight.” You see, it is a circular process. We find favor in God through obedience; we learn His ways as He shares them with us; and in so doing we know Him better; and this in turn, gives us more favor with, or keeps us in the favor of, God. I think that any child of the Creator who follows that process sincerely and passionately, would be sending to God a sweet aroma of praise and adoration – music to His ears from His beloved child.

And then Moses keeps on going. “And look God, consider this. This is not just about You and me. This nation of the Israelites that I represent is your nation, your people. What about them?” Many of us who approach God find it so easy to ask things of Him on our own behalf. “God, I really need You to come through for me here. My little girl is hurting right now and I can’t bear it, Lord. I need this job Lord for my family. And so on.” We’re pretty good at doing that, even if it is with honorable requests as Moses had just asked of God – to know Your ways, in order to know You.

But what about entreating the Almighty strongly on behalf of many others? The extended family? The whole department at work? The entire class at school? The whole team you play with, including the opposing side? The body of believers you worship with? That’s a lot harder, isn’t it? And yet, I believe that God appreciates our sincere interest in others.

And how does God respond to Moses? Moses is concerned about his people and God’s people, and God responds to say His presence “shall go with you (singular) and I will give you (singular) rest.” It’s nice that Moses cares about the people, but God only promises to be with him and to give him peace and rest. What does that say to us? What does that say to us when we’re praying for the salvation of others? What does it say to us who may be praying for something with respect to our children – their family, their jobs, their health?

I think the message is clear: keep on praying for others and interceding on their behalf; that says a lot about us to God and He hears it; but what He promises in return is His presence with us and His peace and rest for us. Like the old Greyhound Bus Lines slogan, “Leave the Driving to Us”, we are to leave “the saving” or the “helping” to Him. And as far as whatever He does with respect to others, we can be certain of one thing that will help us with respect to His decisions – He will be present with us and give us rest and peace. I believe understanding that process of how we are to pray and react to God’s decisions on behalf of others is paramount to living a victorious Christian life.

But somehow Moses wasn’t there yet for he continues to push God. Instead of saying “thank you, God”, he comes back at the Almighty once more with the plural, avoiding the singular. “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” Still more evidence to God that Moses really cares about his people and he’s not in it just for himself.  If God wasn’t to lead the people, then He should not make them go forward for without Him they would perish.

God does not interrupt him. And Moses goes on with his last argument. And in so doing, appeals to God this time on the ‘singular’ level of the conversation on which He was focusing and promising.  “God, how will others know that I have found favor in Your sight,” but then adds the plural aspect because to him it is also about the people, “I and Your people?”  This was a rhetorical question to God; Moses already knew the answer and he tells God.  “Why, the only way for people to know that is for You to go with us.”

Our testimony is based not on what we do, but on God being seen by others to “go with us”. Moses says, “God, that’s what distinguishes us from all the other people on earth.” Wow.  Can’t wait to see how God responds to that.

But get the picture here. Is God with you today? Are you living a life of distinction from others by having God readily event in your life by how you talk and act and work? I pray that each of us reconsider these questions as we study this remarkable relationship between God and his friend, Moses.

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Now that we're under Grace and not the Law, what about the Sabbath?

What God Expects On The Sabbath

Exodus 31:12-17: And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.’”

As I continue with this “layman’s look at the Bible” I must state to all reading it that I just came out of a conference with Andrew Farley, author of many books including The Naked Gospel and lead pastor of Church Without Religion in Texas.  I have a new appreciation of the Law of the Old Testament as a result, but have also come to realize what I believe to be more of its appropriate role in our passage from death to life.  You may be detecting some of my growth in that area in the pages ahead.

In this passage, God once again has something to say to the Children of Israel and He does it through Moses, their leader. The topic this time is how they are to treat God’s Sabbath.

God makes some pretty strong statements about the Sabbath.  First, that the Children of Israel were to “surely” observe it, primarily because it’s a perpetual sign of the covenant between He and them, but also because it is “holy” to them, and finally because if they do not, they will be cut off from their people through death. We also note that these days are “His” Sabbaths and the implication is clearly that we dare not keep from God what is rightfully His.

Now keeping the Sabbath is just one of the ten commandments.  And the ten commandments were only a very small percentage of the entire Mosaic Law that Jews were required to keep in their Covenant with God. The complete list included 613 commandments, taking into account both the “do’s” and the “don’ts’s” (yes, that’s how my computer says it is spelled).  Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that even breaking one law of those 613 makes us guilty of falling short in meeting the Law, period.  (James 2:10 reads, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”) Since no one could keep them all, God had to provide another way (the sacrifice of His Son) to clear us once and for all, of all our sins – past, present, and future.  The problem was not the Law for it was good and pure and reflected the character of God. The problem was man. He couldn’t keep it.  But the principles of the Law while they no longer have to be kept in order for us to keep our salvation are still a reflection of God.  And once we have Christ living in us, we now want to reflect as much of that character as possible – only now it becomes volitional rather than compulsory.

So then, while no longer being bound by the Law, we want to consider how keeping them (not for the purpose of our salvation, but because God loves us and we love Him) will enable us to better reflect as much as His character as possible.

In the case of the Sabbath, there are also some beneficial benefits in keeping it. First of all, keeping the Sabbath reminds us, our text says, that it is the Lord Who sanctifies us. That is, we become holy by keeping the Sabbath.  What does that mean? Well, it’s not that by somehow not working on the Sabbath, something miraculous happens and the cells of our body turn ‘holy’. No, the intent here is to convey that by keeping the Sabbath, we are, to a certain extent, fulfilling the meaning of the word, ‘holy’.  And if you look that word up as used in Scripture, there are two meanings that apply here – apartness and separateness.  Keeping the Sabbath is just one small indication of how we are different from others in our desire to reflect God’s character.

Secondly, it provides our physical bodies a complete rest. For those well familiar with computer-talk, we are not talking about putting our ‘physical body computer’ to sleep, but rather a full shut-down when it comes to ‘work’. Recently my iPhone froze and I took it in to the repair depot. The technician asked me one question.  “When was the last time you turned it off?” I told him we had been going through some challenging times and we had to have it on in case of an emergency call 24/7 for at least a month.  He said, “That’s your problem.  These machines need a rest just like you do.” He did his magic (really one small technical step), and lo and behold, everything was fine, but he advised that I turn it off more regularly and let it rest.  Since then, no problems.  Similarly, our bodies were created with what Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Dallas calls a built-in drum rhythm that goes like this – ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, bang; ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, bang; etc.  In case you missed it, each ‘ba-boom’ is a two-day cycle; there’s three of them; and then a new sound “bang” – the rest day.  Our bodies, as well as our minds and hearts need refreshing that keeping the Sabbath can give us.

And God, too, rested on the seventh day of creation. If we are to reflect His character, we would do well to keep this particular law (out of the 613) to the best of our ability.

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Everything and Everyone Needs A Rest -- Exodus 23:10-12:

“And you shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat.  You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.  Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor; in order that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves.”
 

At face value, this instruction is addressed to those who farm the land. But does that excuse the majority of us who today find ourselves otherwise occupied? I don’t think so. This “6 and 1” rhythm seems to have been established earlier in scripture.  Back in Genesis we noted that God Himself worked six days and then rested on the seventh. Earlier in Exodus (chapter 20) we are told we must do all our work in six days and then rest on the seventh. And now here, God says that “6 and 1” rhythm is good for the land as well. Farm it for six years, reap the harvest that it yields, and then let it rest. If God rested, and if He requires that His creation (the earth) rests, how much more important is it for our working animals and us to rest?

And then God interweaves a key principle into this direction. He is in essence saying, “Don’t be so fanatical about this to the point where you do not allow others with real need to gather what I provide naturally as you allow the land to lie fallow (tilled but not seeded).” Directly or indirectly, God is saying, while you have food in your stockrooms and silos for this year of rest, you still have to be conscious of the needs of others; you still need to take care of widows and orphans.

God also shows His care for animals, for as we leave our farmland to lie fallow allowing the needy to be taken care of, so too, what they leave, will take care of the beast of the field. It never fails to amaze me how well things would work if we were to follow God’s plans in every detail. In this case, the needy, as well as the beggar on the street would be fed and so would our four-legged friends.

This passage deals with years – allowing the land to rest on the seventh after it was worked for six. The “6 and 1” rhythm principle is not to be limited to those among us who till the ground and grow our food. It is a principle that can, and should, be transferred to all of our labor activities – in the office, in the classroom, on the professional sports arena, and so on. We can transfer the idea of “years” to days in keeping with God’s other commandments. Failure to apply the principle is at our own risk. I have recently started speed walking daily with my wife but we both realize that our bodies need rest each week. If we don’t take that rest, we do not make it through the next week.

Ask yourself “Am I maximizing on the rhythm that God established for the physical aspect of my life? Am I taking the rests that I need? Am I giving my family, my workers, and my staff that rest? Am I thinking creatively about those in need?” I cannot vouch whether or not “Things Go Better With Coke!” but I can tell you “Life Is Better In God’s Rhythm!”

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Why God Made The Sabbath Holy -- Exodus 20:11

“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.”
 

In the verses preceding this one, God tells us to remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy, and that it is His Sabbath.  Here in verse 11 God arranges to record for us why He made the day holy and blessed it.

Our text says God made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in the heavens, the earth and the sea in six days.  Now, even though this was not difficult for God, our text still implies that it was ‘work’ because it says that God rested on the seventh day that followed.   He stopped creating.

(As an aside, we pause for a moment to reflect on the fact that the Bible says in this verse that God made everything that we know to exist – everything.  Not only did He make the heavens above, the earth, and the seas below – but everything in them.  That means all the planets we can see with a telescope or without; it means all creatures that we can see with a microscope or without – everything means everything.  We either believe that or we do not.  But if we believe the Scriptures to be the true and God-inspired Word of the Almighty, then we have to believe it.  No room for flexibility on this one.)

So on the seventh day God rests, the text says.  We may well ask, “Did He rest because He was tired or does ‘rest’ have a meaning other than to catch one’s breath or to allow one’s physical body or strength to recover from some strenuous activity or illness?”  Let me suggest that God does not get tired – even after creating our universe.  So let us look at the meanings of the Hebrew word translated by us as ‘rest’.

The first and primary interpretation of the Hebrew word ‘nuwach’ means to settle down and remain; or to repose and be quiet.  No recovery from anything is implied.  The secondary interpretation means to make quiet, cause to alight, set down, lay, deposit, remain, abandon.  It is only when we get to the third and last meaning of the word that we get close to something that relates to recovery – to obtain rest, to be granted rest.  And I maintain God did not need that kind of help.  He simply stopped creating.  I cannot even bring myself to say that He stopped working because I know from other Scripture that my God is always at work; He never sleeps.

So what then are we left with?  Why did God ‘rest’ on the seventh day and why did He bless that day and made it holy?  I believe it was in celebration of what was accomplished for mankind during the week and in recognition of His very being -- the Who it was that accomplished it.  And that is what I believe our reasons should be for keeping the Sabbath and making it holy.  Each seventh day we are to celebrate what God has done for mankind, and to reflect on why He did it and Who He really is.  If we want to take it one step further, we can also celebrate the opportunities God has given us in the previous six days to serve Him through our own labor and creativity.  God wants us to stop every seven days and specifically focus on His creativity, His work in creation of the universe, His provision for our salvation through His Son, and in the opportunity He gives us for service to others.

That is why He blessed the Sabbath; that is why it is Holy; and that is why we are to remember it and keep it as such.  It is not because “if God needed to rest, so do we” – at least that can no longer be our primary rationale for turning into couch potatoes on our Sabbath.

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