REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY AND KEEP IT HOLY

Proclamation:

“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.’”  Exodus 31:12-13 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After The Lord God gave them the Ten Commandments and the laws, He told them that He was sending an angel to guard them, and to guide them to the place that He had prepared for them. (Exodus 23:20)  Then He confirmed the covenant that He had made with Moses. (Exodus 24:1-4)  After that He gave them specific instructions for the making of The Arc of The Covenant (Exodus 25:10-30), the making of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:1-36), the making of the altar (Exodus 27:1-8), and for the courtyard of the tabernacle. (Exodus 27:9-19)  The Lord God also gave them specific instructions regarding the making of the garments for the priests (Exodus 28:1-43), and regarding the consecration of the priests. (Exodus 29:1-46)  Then He gave them instructions for the making of an alter of incense (Exodus 30:1-10), a basin for washing (Exodus 30:17-21), and for the use of anointing oil and incense. (Exodus 30:22-38)  Then The Lord God gave them specific instructions regarding keeping the Sabbath Day holy. (Exodus 31:12-18)

Application:

After giving the people of God instructions regarding how they should worship Him, The Lord God told the Israelites to remember the Sabbath Day and to keep it holy.  This He repeated from the Ten Commandments, (Exodus 20:8-11) He emphasized its importance to Him, and He expounded upon it. (Exodus 31:14-18)  The Sabbath Day, which is the seventh day of the week, would be our current Saturday.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus, The Christ, rose from the dead on the first day of the week, on Sunday.  The church began on the day of Pentecost.  The feast of Pentecost began on the day after the Sabbath, on Sunday.  As Christians we now celebrate Sunday as the Israelites celebrated the Sabbath.  Sunday is to be a day of rest and worship, and not a day of work.  It is to be a day of celebrating The Lord and fellowshipping with other believers.  This is a day for corporate praise and worship.  To God be the glory for He is worthy of our praise, honor, and worship.