It's interesting how many Christians believe that the Sabbath Day was only given at Mt. Sinai, and only to the Israelites. Most are familiar with Genesis 2:2, 3 that says "On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." However, this was BEFORE Mt. Sinai, BEFORE Moses, and BEFORE there were "Israelites".
Do you realize that when God created the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday), Adam and Eve were there with Him! (If you remember, they were created on the 6th day of creation.) This 4th commandment of God was given to ALL mankind when it was given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It was a gift given to them so they would not have to work "24/7" and could rest and have a relationship with Him.
Exodus 16:4, 22-24, 27-28 is a passage where God reminded His people of this wonderful gift He had given them. God had just delivered the Israelites from being in slavery to the Egyptians. The Egyptians were hard task masters, expecting God's people to work 24 hours a day - 7 days a week. However, once God miraculously delivered them out of Egypt - He had to remind them about His gift of the Sabbath Day.
In verse 4, God says that He will rain down bread from heaven, "that I may test them whether they will walk in My law or not." What "law" was God referring to since we've been taught there was no law until Moses at Mt. Sinai? As you read further, you will see that God was referring to His law of the seventh day Sabbath.
Verses 22-24 state: "On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread...Then Moses said to them, 'This is what the Lord has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.' So they laid it up till morning as Moses commanded. Then Moses said, 'Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you won't find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none. Verses 27-30 state: Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, 'How long do you refuse to keep (obey) My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day."
Every Saturday, which is the "seventh day Sabbath of the Lord your God", we have a choice either to obey our God by being thankful for this day of rest and opportunity to show our love to Him - or to go out and do our "own thing" such as shopping, eating at restaurants, etc. - stubbornly refusing to honor and glorify God by being disobedient to Him and His commandment.
As someone once said, "God gave me the gift of the Sabbath, and that's why I'm keeping it!"
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