Exodus 5:6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, 7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
This passage of scripture describes for us the deliberate efforts of pharaoh to increase the burdens of the Hebrews to the point where they would not be able to keep the Sabbath. The "sacrifice" he is referring to is the Sabbath services that were to be held in the wilderness, and so he put in place a plan to forestall the proper observance of the sacred day. Prior to this the Israelites had been provided with straw to make their daily quota of bricks, but in this new mandate given by the king, they would now have to search the land for straw for themselves, an activity that would obviously consume a considerable amount of valuable time, yet they were required to deliver the same amount of bricks as heretofore.
Pharaoh also branded the observance of the Sabbath by the Hebrews as "Idleness", or a waste of precious time, and this was also used as one of the reasons for increasing their already heavy workload.
There are certain experiences written in the Bible that point forward to a time when these very circumstances will be duplicated by the rulers of this world, and the actions and decisions of pharaoh is just one of them. When the national Sunday law which is already on the books here in America, is once again enforced by the conglomerate of church and state, all Sabbath keepers will be required to rest over the hours of the counterfeit sabbath, thus no work will be allowed during the national day of rest.
This cessation of business activity on Sunday will of course put a serious dent in the nation's commercial activity, and in order to make up for the lost business hours, all citizens will be required to work on the seventh day of the week. This mandate coming from the highest authorities in the land will obviously put true Sabbath keepers in a very awkward position, for we will be found resting from secular labor for two days out of the work week instead of one, and this will call forth the accusation of "Idleness", just as it was in the days of pharaoh.
The Bible distinctly states that the "dragon" went to make war with the remnant of the woman's seed who keep the commandments of God, therefore there will be some additional measure put in place to try and force compliance from those of us who refuse to work on God's sacred day. Like in the days of pharaoh, we will be required to "make bricks without straw", meaning that our workload will be drastically increased to the point where we will not be able to produce our regular quota as before. This dire situation will then cause us to be forced out of the labor force, and to depend solely on God for our survival. Hence the reason why the promise is made to those of us who live to see the difficult days here spoken of, for God will manifest Himself in behalf of His people, to sustain, protect, and vindicate. Let's read:
Isaiah 33:10 Now will I rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. 15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly" ...... 16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. 17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.
We are not advised anywhere in the Bible to work ourselves to a frazzle, so that when the sacred hours of the seventh day Sabbath come around, we are to tired to spend quality time with God and with one another. Though the modern "pharaohs" and secular agencies try to squeeze every last ounce of labor out of us, with the intention of forcing us to work on the Sabbath day, yet like the faithful in ages past, we must not bow or surrender the truth and our convictions to please anyone, nor for any pecuniary gain.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to stand firm in the midst of adversity, for in due time God will again interpose for the deliverance of His people. Let's read:
Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. God bless!