What special divine activity does Exodus 31 connect with the Sabbath day?
(Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 16:14-29; 20:8-11; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 13:10-17; Rev. 14:6-7) Blog Dec. 13-19, 2020
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: God educates his children though nature, through his Word, through their employment, and through the providences of their daily life. This education will help us to have a correct understanding of life, its meaning, guidelines, and goals. Jesus came to give us a perfect revelation of what God is like and a perfect fulfillment of the Ten Commandments as our Surety and Substitute. All true education will enhance our worship of God and prepare us for eternal life with him. To this end the church should be especially equipped.
A Special Time (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 16:15-18; 20:8-11; 31:12-18; Isa. 66:23; Jer. 17:24-25; &Eze. 20:12; Matt. 24:20; Mark 2:27-28; Heb. 4:1-11; 10:5-10; Rev. 14:6-7)
1. When God created this earth what special time did he set apart for holy use? The seventh day of the week.
2. What does Holy Scripture call the seventh day of the week? “Sabbath.”
3. For whom did Jesus say the Sabbath was made? For human beings.
4. If the Sabbath was made for us of what is it to remind us? That God is our Creator who has provided us with a wonderful environment, with life, with food, & with pleasure in enjoying his gifts.
5. According to Hebrews 4 of what other work of God is the weekly Sabbath a reminder? Of his finished work for our salvation in Christ, of the temporal rest that believers have in Christ’s fulfillment of the will of God in their behalf, & of that eternal rest that the saved will experience in the kingdom of God.
6. How important for his people does God regard the Sabbath? So important that he calls it the sign, engraved in stone (& in the heart), of his everlasting covenant with them from which flows every blessing.
7. What evidence besides Genesis 2 and Mark 2 does the Bible give that the seventh-day Sabbath was a divine command for his people since creation? The fact that when he gave manna to his people before they came to Mount Sinai, he reminded them that it was his holy rest day that he had previously commanded – even the reason he had delivered them from Egypt so that they could worship him aright.
8. Where else besides Hebrews 4 and Exodus 31 does the Bible demonstrate that the special nature of the Sabbath is to continue into earth’s final events and beyond into eternity? In Matthew 24, in the first angel’s message of Revelation 14, & in Isaiah 66:23.
A Special Activity (Ex. 16:14-29; 31:12-18; Lev. 23:3; Isa. 58:13-14; Matt. 12:10-13; Luke 13:10-17; Acts 18:4)
9. What special divine activity does Exodus 31 connect with the Sabbath day? That of God sanctifying (making holy) his people.
10. According to Leviticus 23 for what special purpose did God set the Sabbath apart? For a time of holy meeting with him.
11. What activities does Isaiah give for Sabbath observance? Those of honoring God & finding delight in him so that God can uplift our spirits & feed us with the promises of his everlasting covenant.
12. When God instituted the giving of manna in the wilderness what lessons was he trying to teach them? That he was the source of their provisions for this life & for the next & that the Sabbath hours were not to be spent in secular pursuits.
13. What should we learn from the fact that Jesus did so many healing miracles on the Sabbath day? That God comes especially near to heal on the Sabbath.
14. What should we learn from the fact that Jesus and the Apostles did much of their teaching and preaching on the Sabbath day? That God comes especially near to instruct his people on the Sabbath.
15. How might we refer to the seventh day Sabbath if it was made for special communion with the Deity that God’s people might be instructed, uplifted, & healed? As the Divine Classroom.
16. If the Bible teaches that God set the seventh day apart for a special, holy use and that while remembering him as our Creator and Redeemer its purpose is for the education and healing of those who meet together with him on that day, who would most likely work to obscure or substitute that truth? The devil himself.
A Special Relationship (Ex. 31. 12-17; Isa. 56:1-7; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 13:4-15)
17. If the Sabbath is the sign of God’s everlasting covenant with his people, what type of relationship does this portray? That of a permanent & intimate marriage.
18. When one party to a marriage covenant rejects the sign of their union, what results? The covenant is broken & the innocent party has every right to permanently terminate the union.
19. To what seemingly unimportant people does Isaiah give full rights among God’s people when they become Sabbath keepers? The eunuchs & the strangers.
19. If the Sabbath is the enduring sign of God’s everlasting covenant and a designated, special time to worship him, what will be the center of controversy in earth’s final worship crisis? It will be over the Sabbath for in the fourth Commandment God outlines his right to rule, his territory, & the sign of his authority.
20. What gift of God is of special importance in order to prepare his people for the final crisis over worship as portrayed in Revelation 13? The gift of the Sabbath as a special time to strengthen one’s faith while worshipping God & learning his will.