Monday, May 24
“And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning” (Exodus 16:23). Skim through Exodus 16, the story of the manna provided to Israel, in the desert, before Sinai. Notice what this account reveals:
1. Only a regular portion of manna could be used each day, but on the sixth day a double portion was to be gathered.
2. No manna was given on the Sabbath.
3. The extra portion needed for the Sabbath was preserved from the sixth day unspoiled, while the manna would not keep on any other day.
What does this story reveal about the sanctity of the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Sinai? (See Exodus 16:23-28.)
“In fact, the equation of the Sabbath with the seventh day, the statement that the Lord gave the Israelites the Sabbath, and the record that the people, at God’s command, rested on the seventh day, all point unmistakably to the primeval [at Creation] institution of the Sabbath.” — G. F. Waterman, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 5, p. 184.
There is a lot more than first meets the eye in Exodus 16 about the Sabbath. Look what it teaches us:
1. Which day is the preparation day for the Sabbath?
2. Which day of the week is the Sabbath?
3. Where did the Sabbath come from?
4. What kind of day should the Sabbath be?
5. Is the Sabbath a day of fasting?
6. Is the Sabbath a test of loyalty to God?
How does your understanding of the Sabbath today match with what is taught about the Sabbath in Exodus 16?
