{Sanctify Them} The Sabbath - Part 2

I hope you all will forgive me as I attempt a large study of the Bible in front of you. I hope it's helpful to someone else someday who is learning. I'm not great at this, and doing something so purposeful and large is daunting and difficult and feels overwhelming. But that's exactly why I want to take it on and chew it piece by piece… and at some point some conclusions will come to light instead of more questions. And so, here's part 2 of my Sabbath study.

Last time I looked into the Sabbath I had yet to find a command to stay in the house, or to go to church. I expect I'll find both of those things commanded eventually. I'm hoping to find more guidance on that particular aspect, but I'll be following the scriptures and seeing what they all say.

Exodus 16:22-30

On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, "This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'" So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none." On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day. 

Words and phrases that stand out to me: SOLEMN REST, BAKE AND BOIL, REMAIN EACH OF YOU IN HIS PLACE, LET NO ONE GO OUT OF HIS PLACE ON THE SEVENTH DAY

An interesting passage in light of my study… A very clear command to stay in your place (among other things - I know this is also widely used in the debates about cooking on the Sabbath). But is this command to stay in your place truly to stay in your home and not depart from it? Or is it to stay in your place as opposed to going out with the purpose of gathering manna (doing work or your own will/pleasure)?

Exodus 30:17

(I covered this wider section last time, but I want to bring out one word here)

"It is a sign forever between Me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed."

This word "refreshed" intrigues me especially as a young mom. That is the desire of my heart to be refreshed, renewed every day. To not feel bedraggled and overrun and tired and unable to focus. Even God took time to be refreshed. This word is Strongs h5314 and means "to take breath, refresh oneself". It makes me think of all the times and places I have been told that to sit quietly and breath deeply is one of the best stress reduction techniques available.

Exodus 35:1-3

Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, "These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day."

Words and phrases that stand out to me: SIX DAYS WORK SHALL BE DONE, SOLOMN REST, KINDLE NO FIRE

Of course we've read that many times before by now. Six days for all the work to be done so the seventh can be solemn rest.

Leviticus 24:5-9

"You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. And you shall set them in two piles, six  in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord. Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord's food offerings, a perpetual due."

Words and phrases that stand out to me: EVERY SABBATH DAY AARON SHALL ARRANGE IT BEFORE THE LORD REGULARLY

So this, to me, is the first example that things were happening in the tabernacle on the Sabbath day and that someone was doing something outside of their tent/dwelling.  

How will this all fit together? How will these two things be reconciled? And what will the New Testament say about all of this?

Until next time...