Our Bible Reading

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Aug 16, 1910

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 32.

Our Bible Reading

The Sabbath at the Exodus

1. What command did God give from Sinai regarding the Sabbath?

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: . . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Ex. 20: 8-11.

2. Thirty days before Israel came to Sinai what did the Lord say that He would do with His people?

"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." Ex. 16: 4.

3. Over what institution of His law were the people tried?

"And Moses said, Eat that to-day; for to-day is a Sabbath unto the Lord: to-day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on THE SEVENTH DAY, WHICH IS THE SABBATH, in it there shall be none." Verses 25, 26.

4. How did the people regard this prohibition and miracle?

"And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none." Verse 27.

5. What rebuke did the Lord utter because of their action?

"And the Lord said unto Moses, HOW LONG REFUSE YE TO KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS AND MY LAWS? See, for that THE LORD HATH GIVEN YOU THE SABBATH, therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; . . . let no man go out of his place on the seventh DAY." Verses 28, 29.

6. What was the result of this rebuke?

"So the people RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY." Verse 30.

NOTE: It is impossible to read this chapter or these scriptures with any other conclusion than that it was the Lord's design that the people should keep His Sabbath; that it was a known institution and one of His laws before His law was given from Sinai. He said He would "prove" them whether they would keep His law or not; and He proved them by bringing them back to the Sabbath, which they had not known in the days of Egyptian slavery. They were there compelled to work upon that day and consequently could not keep the Sabbath. As soon as they came under the Lord's jurisdiction He brought to them again the Sabbath to test their loyalty to Him. The Sabbath therefore was one of God's laws before the Decalogue was uttered from Sinai.

7. What complaint of Pharaoh's showed that it was the design of the Lord that Moses should bring the people back to Sabbath observance in Egypt?

"And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them REST FROM THEIR BURDENS." Ex. 5: 5.

NOTE: The word from which "rest" comes is the same word from which "Sabbath" comes. In fact, the Hebrew word "Sabbath" means rest. Moses had gone down to poor, enslaved, idolatrous Israel and told them that God had remembered His promise. One of the first things seemingly which they did was to return to the Sabbath—at least some of them. They Sabbatized. Of this Pharaoh complained that Moses made the children of Israel rest from their burdens; consequently he demanded that more work should be laid upon them so that they would get no time in the heavier tasks to keep the Sabbath of the Lord.

8. What miracle did the Lord perform in order that the day of the Sabbath might be emphasized?

"See, for that THE LORD HATH GIVEN YOU THE SABBATH, therefore He GIVETH you on the sixth day the bread of two days." Ex. 16: 29.

9. What further manifestation of His power was shown in the pointing out of the definite day?

"Eat that to-day; for to-day is a SABBATH UNTO THE LORD: to-day YE SHALL NOT FIND IT IN THE FIELD." Verse 25.

10. What further manifestation of God's miraculous power was manifested in connection with this day?

"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. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it DID NOT STINK, neither was there any worm therein." Verses 23, 24.

11. How was it with the manna which was kept over from other days than the sixth?

"But some of them left of it until the morning, and IT BRED WORMS, AND STANK." Verse 20.

NOTE: It will be observed from this that the Lord pointed out the definite day of the Sabbath in that no manna fell upon that day; a double portion fell on the day before so that food would be provided for the Sabbath; that which was kept over on any other day of the week than the sixth day bred worms and decayed; that which was kept over from the sixth day to the seventh day kept fresh and good. And when people sought manna in the fields on the seventh day the Lord rebuked them for disobedience to His laws. And this great multifold miracle was wrought in order that men might definitely know that but one day was the Sabbath, namely, the seventh day.

12. For how long did this lesson continue?

"And the children of Israel did eat manna FORTY YEARS, until they came to a land inhabited." Verse 35.