For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death. – Exodus 35:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 5, 2024): Exodus 35

I live in a busy world. Maybe that is an understatement for most of us. There always seem to be places we have to go or meetings we need to attend. If we have children, then that situation multiplies exponentially. And sometimes, taking a Sabbath is almost an impossible decision. A friend recently told me that he needed a break once a week, and if the only day he could find happened to be Sunday, don't expect to see him in church. He needed to have one day with no appointments or expectations for his health. 

I get it. Busyness is a by-product of our world, and there are days that I feel the same way. However, I am unsure that taking a Sabbath without God is the answer. But what my friend feels is actually an outgrowth of how we are created. Every one of us needs a Sabbath, a day set apart from the everyday things we do, which includes setting aside time to worship God.

In the beginning, God sets up his expectation that Israel would have a Sabbath. Sometimes, I think we belittle this expectation, arguing that maybe it was easy to take a Sabbath then because life was less busy than we experience now. But that is not the truth. Imagine what Israel is being told. They were told that the nation would need to create a Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting from scratch. That meant that they would have to find the resources required for the tent, including wood for the poles, skins, the weaving of fabric, and items that are necessary for the coloration of the cloth. They needed to build all of the things that would be required inside of the Tabernacle. All of this is on top of what each person would have to do just to maintain their own homes and lives. There was no store to run to to get the item you needed to mend or replace something that was broken. Everything had to be made from the raw resources available in the surrounding area. 

Yet, on top of all of this, Israel is being told that one day a week, they were to stop and do something else. Meet with God and spend some time on their relationship with him. Yes, there was a lot to do, but everything that needed to be accomplished required a commitment to the Sabbath. David Guzik reminds us of this reality.

        This was a strict call to obedience. Before they did the work of building the Tabernacle, God first            called Israel to the work of simple obedience. Basic obedience is a pre-requisite for doing work for         the LORD (David Guzik).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 36