Israel's Experience Reminds us of Sabbath Importance

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Israel's Experience Reminds us of Sabbath Importance

Today's Text: See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.  So the people rested on the seventh day.  Exodus 16:29, 30

The Message:      Before the law was given from Sinai, God wrought a miracle each week to impress the people with the sanctity of the Sabbath. He rained manna from heaven for their food, and each day they gathered this manna, but on the sixth day they gathered twice as much as usual, according to the directions of Moses....      "And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan." Thus for forty years God worked a miracle before His people each week, to show them that His Sabbath was a sacred day.      God directed that a tabernacle should be built where the Israelites, during their wilderness journeying, could worship Him. Orders from heaven were given that this tabernacle should be built without delay. Because of the sacredness of the work and the need for haste, some argued that the work on the tabernacle should be carried forward on the Sabbath, as well as on other days of the week. Christ heard these suggestions, and saw that the people were in great danger of being ensnared by concluding that they would be justified in working on the Sabbath so that the tabernacle might be completed as quickly as possible.      The word came to them, "Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep." Though the work on the tabernacle must be carried forward with expedition, the Sabbath must not be employed as a working day. Even the work on the Lord's house must give way to the sacred observance of the Lord's rest day. Thus God is jealous for the honor of His memorial of creation.      The Sabbath is a token between God and His people. It is a holy day, given by the Creator to us as a day upon which to rest, and reflect upon sacred things. God designed it to be observed through every age as a perpetual covenant....      As we refrain from labor on the seventh day, we testify to the world that we are on God's side and are striving to live in perfect conformity to His commandments. Thus we recognize as our Sovereign the God who made the world in six days and rested on the seventh.... The true Sabbath is to be restored to its rightful position as God's rest day.-Manuscript 77, 1900 (The Review and Herald, October 28, 1902).

Commentary: My friend, the seventh day Sabbath is the day that God has set aside that we may take time away from our secular pursuits and spend time with Him, to develop a relationship with Him, that we may be sanctified by communing with Him.  God set aside this day and has called it holy and was made for us so that we may show spend time with Him. In the last days the Sabbath will be the great test that is brought to the whole world to distinguish who are truly God's people from those who only have a profession of Christ.  Sunday has been setup by the Papal power in opposition to the Word of God, and when enforced by rule of secular law, worshiping on that day will become the mark of obedience to the authority of Rome.  Those who oppose this law by worshiping on the true Sabbath day of the Lord will put themselves in opposition to their authority and will be persecuted by the whole world. At that time keeping the seventh day Sabbath will be punishable by fines, imprisonment, the loss of possessions, and eventually life itself.  Only those who are sanctified by the Lord will be able to stand during that time. While the keeping of the Sabbath is the event that separates the wheat from the tares, our Sabbath keeping does not save us.  In Ezekiel 20:12 it says "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them."  The Sabbath is only a sign, it is the LORD that sanctifies us.  Therefore when we set time aside to spend it with Him, we are entering into a relationship with Him that will give us the power to stand firm for Him in the last days. There are many in the church today that have set their Sabbath keeping higher than their relationship with God.  Unless we are first sanctified by God; unless we receive the seal of God, we will not be able to stand in that time.  We may keep the Sabbath, but unless we are first made holy by God, we cannot truly keep the Sabbath holy for in order to keep the Sabbath day holy, we must ourselves be holy. My friend, our salvation is found only in our relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.  If you desire to be saved, surrender your life first to Jesus, spend time with Him in prayer, and invite Him into your heart daily.  When you do this He will come into your heart, sanctify you, and make you holy, then and only then will the Sabbath keep you holy. God bless,

Video of the Week The Final Protest - Who is the Comforter? This is the forth in a series of videos. The Final protest is dedicated to showing that the foundation for the Ecumenical Movement, the Trinity, is not the true God of the Bible. We invite everyone to come and see for themselves and discover the beautiful truth of a Father and a Son.