Dear Family,
Today is Sabbath, May 14, 2022, Day 7 of Week 4. This is the 28TH Day in our Count to Pentecost.
Israel was barely into the Wilderness of Sin before some of them began to murmur and complain…again. Some even accused God of having the horrible motive of bringing them into the wilderness in order to kill them with hunger.
Exodus 16:2-6 (2) And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: (3) And the children of Israel said unto them; Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. (4) Then said the Lord unto Moses; Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no. (5) And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. (6) And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel; At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:
Our merciful God did not crush the rabble-rousers. Instead, He gave all of Israel multiple blessings. He gave them manna, the bread from heaven, and an abundant feast of quail. He also gave them the great blessing of the Sabbath rest.
At first, God did not give Israel the meaning of the Sabbath. He only gave them elementary instructions on how they were to observe it. He began with very concrete guidelines that focused on how they were to gather the manna. In this way, God gave tangible proof of which day was the Sabbath. It was a specific day, not just any day in seven.
At Mt. Sinai, several weeks later, God gave more instructions regarding the observance of the seventh day Sabbath (Exodus 20:10-11). And, soon after delivering the 10 Commandments to Israel, God made the Sabbath a sign between Him and His people and defined Sabbath observance even more clearly. God told Israel it was a time of refreshing (Exodus 23:12).
Exodus 31:13-17 (13) Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying; Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. (14) Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein,
that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (15) Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (16) Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. (17) It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
Today, God is giving His Church even more understanding of proper Sabbath observance and additional understanding of its purpose. For example, we understand we are to assemble and to fellowship with one another, and with our Father and our Savior. And, we have learned that there are some wonderful promises attached to proper Sabbath keeping.
1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Isaiah 56:6-7 (6) Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; (7) Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 58:13-14 (13) If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: (14) Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Let us all remember that God created the Sabbath, and that what He does He does with great purpose! The Holy Bible says that God “rested,” setting us the example. So, let us “rest,” rejoice, and enjoy today for it is the seventh day of the week. It is God’s Sabbath, God’s beautiful gift to us of holy time.
Ben Faulkner, Pastor
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