Exodus 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
These verses of scripture teach us plainly that the Sabbath was in effect long before the law was written out on two tables of stone by the finger of God. The children of Israel were at this time encamped in the wilderness, and the Sabbath, which is the memorial of God's created work, was enjoined upon them, even before the other nine commandments were written out, which shows us clearly the high regard in which God views this sacred institution. In these passages the Lord is teaching us the sacred and timeless truth that the seventh day is indeed the Sabbath day, and whether we keep it holy or not, it still remains sacred. It's sacredness is not altered one iota just because the popular majority may trample upon the sacred hours. Furthermore, The Lord would have us understand that if we attempt to gather our temporal bread over the Sabbath hours, the act itself carries with it an inherent curse, that will ultimately cost us a whole lot more than if we had observed His commandments.
During the last great recession, many Sabbath keepers were pushed to the brink because of the potential loss of their homes. And in an effort to save our temporary dwellings, many of us resorted to working over the Sabbath hours to make ends meet. But in many cases the exact opposite occurred, for after very strenuous efforts were made to hold on to our place of abode, many ended up losing everything, and in addition to all this, some have incurred the added burden of a seared conscience.
Now it is true that God is merciful and always willing to forgive and heal, but He wants us to know that the ten commandments are very sacred in nature, hence the reason why they are kept in the Most Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, and therefore any deliberate violation of any of them, including the fourth, carries with it very adverse consequences that The lord often allows to run their natural course. In the history of the Hebrews there were times when the nation had apostatized on the issue of Sabbath keeping and the Lord sent them stern warnings of coming judgments, with the hope that they would reason intelligently from cause to effect, and thus make the wise choice to obey. But the end result was not always what the Lord had intended, and they were finally taken into Babylonian captivity on account of continual Sabbath breaking. Let's read:
2nd Chronicles 36:15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. 19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. 20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21 To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
This sacred but very disturbing history of the Hebrews shines a beacon of warning to our generation, in which the Sabbath day is trampled upon in places high and low. Saturday, instead of being the holy day of rest as God has ordained, has instead become one of the busiest days of the week, and many even among those who know better, continue to gather their daily bread during the sacred hours, with no compunctions of conscience. But sacred history often repeats itself, and if the necessary reforms and changes are not made quickly, then the modern king of Babylon will be allowed to take many of us captive, and we will become his servants, just like in the days of yore.
We therefore urge reformation upon this important issue, especially since we know that it will soon come to the forefront of news and politics, and then it will be, that those who stand firmly upon the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, will come to know God in His capacity of deliverer, for He will stand up against kings, princes, and presidents, if we stand up for Him by obeying His every word. Our last passage of scripture contains a promise that we will do well to often contemplate. Let's read:
Exodus 23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. 20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not" ..... "for my name is in him. 22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. 27 I will send my fear before thee" ..... "and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
May this promise be literally and spiritually fulfilled in the life of every true Sabbath keeper. God bless!