Exodus 31:12 – 17 “And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. Keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Whoever profanes it must surely be put to death. Anyone who does work on that day must be cut off from his people. For six days work may be done, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death.
The Israelites must keep the Sabbath, celebrating it as a lasting covenant for the generations to come. It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”
At first, this command seems redundant as well as frightening. Hasn’t God already spoken about the Sabbath several times? Yes, He has, but this order is a special one. God has given instructions on how to build the Tabernacle, and the artisans are about to start. But God wants to make sure that in the rush to complete the Tabernacle, the Israelites continue to observe the Sabbath. And God is so serious about this commandment that failure to fulfill it requires the death penalty for transgressors!
Dennis Prager says, “The Torah considers the sanctification of time (the Sabbath ) more important than the sanctification of place (the Tabernacle). In addition, the Sabbath, being time – bound rather than place – bound, can be observed anywhere, while the priestly service can only be performed in the Tabernacle. By privileging the Sabbath over the Tabernacle, the Torah thus laid the foundations for a faith not dependent on a place, one that is timeless and universal.
Benno Jacob offers two additional reasons that keeping the Sabbath was more important than building the Tabernacle. First, the Sabbath represents a higher degree of holiness.: It was created by God Himself at the beginning of time, whereas the Tabernacle was made by human hands (albeit at God’s direction) at a particular historical moment. The Sabbath is the first thing God ever designates as holy. Second, the entire edifice of Judaism collapses without the Sabbath, because the observance of this day is an affirmation of Judaism’s fundamental message that God created the world. The Tabernacle, in contrast, can be (and has been) replaced by other forms of worship…. ” Prager goes on to affirm that “only the Jewish Sabbath commemorates creation.”
Prager tells us that “First, the Shabbat is the only ritual observance in the Ten Commandments. That alone assures it a uniquely important status among Torah rituals. Second, what is described here is not a mere violation of the Sabbath, but one rising to the level of “profaning” this holy day. What might that be: The Sabbath is the primary means of expressing the most fundamental of all Torah teachings, namely that God created the world. Therefore, the Israelites who violated the Sabbath in public undermined the most fundamental teaching of the Torah. An Israelite who openly and flagrantly desecrated the Shabbat was intentionally leading others to deny God created the world at the very time Moses was attempting to inculcate the basis of ethical monotheism in the Israelite people. It was the element of publicity added to the Sabbath violation that took it to the level of profane. If a Jew violated the Sabbath in private, he would not be punished, as he could not be considered to have undermined this fundamental teaching. (Dennis Prager The Rational Bible: Exodus)
APPLICATION: There is a TV show called “Air Crash Investigation.” This program describes actual airplane accidents and the results of the investigations into the causes of these accidents. A recent episode described three disasters that could have been avoided, had those maintaining the planes taken the time to do thorough maintenance with high quality materials. But in each case, maintenance crews felt that meeting a time deadline was more important than ensuring that everything had been repaired completely and was working properly. One investigation revealed an international conspiracy to re-sell used and possibly worn – out parts; this practice had led to the tragic loss of hundreds of lives.
Here in Ghana, there are tro-tro slogans that reads “God’s Time is the Best” and “No Hurry in Life.” Sabbaths are important for our physical and mental well – being. While the Jewish Sabbath commemorates the Creation, Christians also celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection in addition. Forcing a disconnect between the Old Testament and the New is pointless and ridiculous, since it is God who has been the Author of both and God is not divided into little pieces.
When I was the only pediatric surgery resident at a busy children’s hospital, I sometimes worked 120 hours a week. But what made it bearable was that I had negotiated so that one night a week I would be off – duty completely. The rest of the brutal work week was tolerable as long as I knew that I would get a complete rest on a regular basis. Later on, when I became the only doctor for a small hospital in the midst of a tribal conflict, taking time off was much more of a challenge. It was tough to leave, even to buy drugs, when I knew that my patients could not go anywhere else. But I soon learned that I had two choices: either I rested, or I would get sick. Resting took less time than recovering from an illness.
How can you honor God’s Sabbath in your own life? Do you need to avoid shopping? Do you need to make time for worship? Do you need to make sure that your rest period does not get eaten away by work commitments? Even “good” activities can sap your energy, leaving you feeling exhausted as you face a new week.
PRAYER: Father God, help all who read this devotional to realize how necessary Sabbaths are in their lives! Help them to be quiet and to seek Your Face and Your Will for their lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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