EXODUS 35
Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats’ hair, 7 tanned rams’ skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. – Exodus 35:1-8
EXODUS 35 ON SABBATH & ON BUILDING THE CHURCH
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The Lord created all things in six days then rested on the seventh day
Since he made us in his likeness, he wants us to work and also rest
When we work, we get wrapped up in our toil and may forget to praise God
The seventh day is a holy day so we can honor and praise the Giver of life
All believers must participate and contribute to build the church of God
The Lord gives us resources not for our own use but to build God’s church.
This was the third time God mentions the Sabbath in his holy book aside from Ex. 20:8-11 and in Dt. 5:12-16. It must be very important to him. Jesus also talks about the Sabbath in Matthew 2:27-28 and says that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Why do you think God made the Sabbath? We are sinful people and if we constantly work all week, we will surely forget to rest and give thanks and glory to the Lord. It is easy for us to forget what God has done when we keep on working. Our focus shifts to our efforts and our achievements instead of on God who gave us the capacity to work and the resources to do so. When we rest, we get a respite from toil and remember our Source and Giver of Life. We also get refreshed after rest. Some people get sick when they constantly work because they get obsessed with what they do and be out of balance.
REFLECTION
- Why is the Sabbath one of the most ignored laws of God nowadays?
