INTRODUCTION

There is no doubt the Sabbath was a sign between the Lord and Israel (Exodus 31:13Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
See All..., 17), but it also demonstrates a principle that man needs rest. According to the Lord Jesus, man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:27And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
See All...). The Lord Himself set the example in the creation, where the Bible says, "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made" (Genesis 2:2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
See All...). Though the New Testament church is under no obligation to keep the law, every believer ought to give strong consideration to the fact that he, according to the Lord, needs a day of rest each week.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For smaller children) The Lord was serious about man needing a day of rest. He performed a miracle by giving the children of Israel manna in the wilderness and made special plans for the day of rest (Exodus 16:14-30 [14] And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. [15] And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. [16] This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. [17] And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. [18] And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. [19] And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. [20] Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. [21] And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. [22] And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. [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. [24] And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. [25] And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. [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.
  See All...).
• Things created (man—Exodus 34:21Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
  See All..., animals—Exodus 23:12Six 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.
  See All..., land—Leviticus 25:4But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
  See All...) require rest. Even the God who required no rest (Psalm 121:4Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
  See All...) did so for an example for man.
• Why did God institute a day of rest for the animals? Why did God institute times of rest for the land? How could those same principles be reason for God to institute a day of rest for man?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to teach you the importance of taking a day of rest.
• Thank God for caring enough to give you instruction.

HYMN

Strange and Mysterious Is My Life

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