Scripture to Read: Exodus 20:10
We have already talked about it this week, but God is ensuring that the Israelites understand how important the sabbath is in order to get some rest. In Exodus 23, God gives the Israelites a little more detail on why the sabbath is important. God said in Exodus 23:12, “…but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves.” God definitely wanted the people of Israel to set a day aside for focused fellowship with Him and be refreshed in Him. But God also knew that the servants and those who were visitors, along with all of the animals, would all need a day of rest. God repeats Himself quite a bit throughout Scripture, not because He wants to, but because He knows we must be constantly reminded to walk according to His Word. So, again, God told the Israelites in Leviticus 26:2–4, “You shall keep My sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the Lord. 3 If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, 4 then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.” Here we see God’s promised blessings when the Israelites were willing to obey God’s commands. God tells us almost the same thing in James 1:22–25, reminding us that “doing” His Word is how we too are blessed.
Challenge & Application
· From what you’ve learned this week, what is the significance of the sabbath (why was it needed)?
· How are you obeying God’s Truth each day, and how are you helping other believers do the same?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!