“The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:16-17).

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Four times in Scripture the Sabbath is designated as a “sign” (Exodus 31:13, Exodus 31:17; Ezekiel 20:12, Ezekiel 20:20). A “sign” is not a “symbol” in the sense of a thing that naturally typifies, represents, or recalls something else, because both share similar qualities (for example, a symbol of a fist often denotes “might” or “power”). In the Bible, the Sabbath as a “sign” functioned as an outward mark or object or condition intended to convey a distinctive message. Nothing in the sign itself particularly linked it to the covenant. The Sabbath was a covenant sign “between me and you throughout your generations” (Exodus 31:13, RSV) only because God said it was.

Why would the Lord use the Sabbath as a covenant sign? What is it about the Sabbath that would make it so appropriate a symbol of the saving relationship with God? Remembering that a crucial aspect of the covenant is that we are saved by grace, that works cannot save us, what is it about the Sabbath itself that makes it such a good symbol of that relationship? (See Genesis 2:3, Hebrews 4:1-4.)

What is fascinating about the Sabbath as a sign of the covenant of grace is that for centuries the Jews have understood the Sabbath to be the sign of Messianic redemption. They saw in the Sabbath a foretaste of salvation in the Messiah. Because we understand redemption as coming only from grace, and because we understand the covenant to be a covenant of grace, the link between the Sabbath, Redemption, and the covenant is made clear (see Deuteronomy 5:13-15). Thus, contrary to common opinion, the Sabbath is a sign of God’s saving grace; it’s not a sign of salvation by works.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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“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” (Exodus 16:23). Skim through Exodus 16, the story of the manna provided to Israel, in the desert, before Sinai. Notice what this account reveals:

What does this story reveal about the sanctity of the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Sinai? (See Exodus 16:23-28.)

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“In fact, the equation of the Sabbath with the seventh day, the statement that the Lord gave the Israelites the Sabbath, and the record that the people, at God’s command, rested on the seventh day, all point unmistakably to the primeval [at Creation] institution of the Sabbath.” — G. F. Waterman, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 5, p. 184.

There is a lot more than first meets the eye in Exodus 16 about the Sabbath. Look what it teaches us:

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Key Thought: The Sabbath is a covenant sign that points back to Creation, the covenant of grace, and to the final recreation when God makes all things new.
May 29, 2021

1. Have a volunteer read Exodus 16:23-28..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What does this tell us about whether the Sabbath was a day of fasting or not?
3. Personal Application: If God doesn’t need rest, why would God Himself rest on the seventh-day? What purpose might this resting serve? Why or why not? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Why was God so particular about people gathering firewood on the Sabbath? What kind of activities like gathering firewood might we be guilty of breaking the Sabbath today?.” How would you respond to your friend?

2. Have a volunteer read Exodus 31:16,17.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Why did the Lord use the Sabbath as a covenant sign?
3. Personal Application: What is it about the Sabbath that makes it appropriate as a symbol of the saving relationship with God? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “How is resting on the Sabbath a sign that it is special? What do people do differently on the Sabbath that makes it a sign?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Exodus 31:13-17..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What does it mean to “know” the Lord?
3. Personal Application: How does keeping the Sabbath help us to “know” the Lord? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “What is the Sabbath a sign of? Isn’t it a sign of works for salvation? Isn’t it the Jewish Sabbath given to them to remember the Exodus out of Egypt? What does that mean for us today?“ How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Exodus 20:8.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. How are we to keep the Sabbath holy?
3. Personal Application: Has keeping the Sabbath helped strengthen your walk with the Lord? If nbot, what changes could you make?” Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

Amen!(2)

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