3136.— Building a Fire on the Sabbath Day
By Editor
Kindly say whether the instruction of Ex. 35:3 is still binding. C. R. M. Evidently the instruction there given had to do with the wanderings in the wilderness wholly. It was a warm land; they needed no fire for comfort. Afterward, when they were settled in Palestine, the case was different. They had all kinds of climate nearly, from the northern snows of Hermon to the warmer section down near Egypt. God is not against His children; He is for them. God does not design to deprive them of that which is necessary for physical well-being. The Sabbath was not made to be a burden, but a blessing. Our Lord interprets it truly when He says, "The Sabbath was made for man," not against him. But the principles that are set forth in Exodus 16 and Isa. 58:13 certainly ought to have a bearing upon its observance by Christians. Just as far as possible, they ought to bake what they can bake and boil what they can boil on time previous, that no unnecessary work be done on that day. All work for the necessities of humanity ought to be minimized in order that there may be more time for the honor and worship of God.