Sabbath and the Miracle Manna

tim April 28, 2021

After escaping from Egypt, but before being given the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, the Israelites found themselves wandering through the wilderness of Sin. When they complained about not having food to eat, God said, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no” (Exodus 16:4). The “law” that God was referring to had to do with the seventh-day Sabbath rest, for God said in the next verse, “And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily” (Exodus 16:5). The Israelites were to gather twice as much manna on the sixth day because no manna fell on the seventh day. Moses explained, “Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none” (Exodus 16:26). This miracle of the falling manna from heaven continued six days a week for forty years, and provided nourishment for the Israelites until they entered into Canaan. This passage contains the first occurrence of the word Sabbath in the Bible.

Categories: Sabbath Timeline

What Day is the Sabbath?

The word Sabbath literally means “rest,” and the Bible says that God blessed and sanctified, or set apart as holy, this first Sabbath rest day as a memorial of His finished work of creation. This is why the fourth commandment begins with a call to remember the seventh-day Sabbath rest.

tim March 26, 2021

Is Sabbath a Christian Holiday?

The Biblical Sabbath has always been the seventh day of the week, what we call Saturday. However, the “Christian Sabbath” is today almost universally recognized as Sunday, the first day of the week. This day of worship dates back to the convergence of religious and political power under the Roman Catholic Church in the middle ages.

tim March 27, 2021

Sabbath Rest and Social Justice

Throughout history, the Sabbath has provided an opportunity to combat and, at least to some degree, dismantle the distinctions of socio-economic status within human society. Thousands of years ago people were already talking about the Sabbath as a day that would be a blessing to society. Few people would argue that human society today desperately needs these same Sabbath blessings.

tim March 28, 2021

Sabbath Rest and the Environment

Many wars are fought over natural resources and food production, and the same technologies that have allowed for tremendous increases in crop yields also exact terrible collateral damage on the environment and on humanity. Tthe Bible’s Sabbath rest on the seventh day of each week, and the principles of wisely using and safeguarding the resources found in our environment, could make a difference for us today.

tim March 30, 2021

Sabbath Rest: A Common Experience

From its first mention in Genesis 2, the Sabbath is presented as a day of rest to be shared and experienced with others. The prophet Isaiah revealed that the Sabbath was intended not just for the Jewish community, but also for the “sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord” (Isaiah 56:6). God created the Sabbath to be a blessing for all people!

tim March 29, 2021

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