Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to the
Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and
you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.
“Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates
it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off
from their people. For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day
is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be
put to death.” Exodus 31:12-15
In the
time of Moses, you needed to work every day to get through life. Today, many conveniences make our lives
easier (washing machines, microwaves, computers, etc.). For the Israelites back then, not working
meant not eating, so to completely stop everything and do nothing but reflect
on God was a huge act of trust.
This was a
sign of great devotion to God. Even
today, some feel they need to work around the clock. Back then, God was preparing a great nation
to do great things and he wanted their hearts right. That’s why God enforced it so seriously. He needed them to trust him completely.
For us
today, we can stop striving and start trusting.
God will provide your needs if you take a day off for him.