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Bricks Without Straw
Before
Moses approached the king of Egypt to seek freedom for the children of
Israel, he and his brother, Aaron, met with the oppressed leaders of
Israel. During this meeting, Moses and Aaron encouraged the people to
consecrate themselves to the Lord and told them God was about to deliver
them from slavery with a mighty hand.
The Israelites had been laboring seven days a week to maintain their
heavy workload for the Egyptians. But after this meeting with Moses,
they apparently decided to begin resting again every seventh day. This
is why the furious Pharaoh later said to Moses and Aaron: "Ye make them
rest from their burdens." Exodus 5:5. (The Hebrew word for "rest" used
here is "shabath." It means "to cause to keep sabbath.")
The angry king knew that he must do something drastic to hold this
nation of slaves under his control, so he decided to drown them with
work and crowd both God and worship from their thoughts. He said, "You
shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them
go and gather straw for themselves. And you shall lay on them the quota
of bricks which they made before. You shall not diminish it." Exodus
5:7, 8, NKJV.*
As in the days of Moses, God is about to do great things for His people.
Soon they will be delivered from the slavery of sin and journey to the
heavenly Canaan. And once again, God is now trying to turn the minds of
His people toward the importance of the Sabbath rest.
* The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (c) 1979, 1980, 1982, by
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. |
1. Did
God make the Sabbath rest only for Israelites?
Mark 2:27
. And He said unto them, The sabbath was made for ______, and
not man for the sabbath.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: When
Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for man, the word "man" means all
"mankind"--for all people, for all time, in every place.
2. When
did God establish the Sabbath?
Genesis
2:1, 3 . Thus the heavens and the earth were ___________, and all
the host of them. ... And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified
it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God
created and made.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
Sabbath was established at the close of Creation week.
3. What
day of the week is the Sabbath?
Genesis
2:2, 3 . And on the __________ _____ God ended his work which he had
made; and he rested on the __________ _____ from all his work which he
had made. And God blessed the __________ _____, and sanctified it.
(two word answer)
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Three
times in Genesis chapter 2, God tells us that He made the Sabbath from
the seventh day of Creation week. He also "sanctified" it, which means
"to set aside for a holy use." God made the Sabbath as a 24-hour
period of time, because time is what it takes to develop a true love
relationship with Jesus. The devil, like Pharaoh of Egypt, wants to
keep us so busy working that we don't think about God. Knowing how
overly busy end-time people would be, God set aside 24 special hours
weekly to spend with His people, getting acquainted. He has made that
weekly appointment with you. Don't fail to meet Him!
4. How
has God demonstrated the importance of His holy Sabbath?
Exodus
20:8-11 . Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ... The
Lord _________ the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Exodus
20:8-11 is the fourth commandment of God's law. By making the Sabbath
one of His Ten Commandments, He demonstrated its extreme importance.
Verse 10 calls it "the sabbath of the Lord thy God." Only the fourth
commandment begins with the word "remember," indicating God knew that
people would forget. Breaking God's Ten Commandment law is sin (1 John
3:4). But Jesus died to save His people from their sins, or
law-breaking (Matthew 1:21).
5. Of
what two precious things does God say the Sabbath is a sign?
Ezekiel
20:12 . I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them,
that they might know that I am the Lord that __________ them.
Exodus 31:17 It [the Sabbath] is a sign between me and the
children of Israel forever: for in six days the LORD made
heaven and earth.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: God
says the Sabbath is a sign, or mark, of His power as Creator and
Redeemer. In Revelation 14:6-14, God gives three important messages
that are to be proclaimed to "them that dwell on the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Verse 6. The first
message is found in verse 7: "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the
hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." This appeal for a
return to true worship is drawn right from the fourth commandment:
"For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that
in them is, and rested the seventh day." Exodus 20:11.
6. Which
day did Jesus keep holy?
Luke 4:16
. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as
his ___________ was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath
day, and stood up for to read.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Jesus
is our example (1 Peter 2:21) in everything, including Sabbathkeeping,
which was His custom. A "custom" is a regular habit. Christians are to
walk as He walked (1 John 2:6).
7. What
was Paul's custom regarding the Sabbath?
Acts 18:4
. And he reasoned in the synagogue ________ ___________, and
persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto
them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scripture.
(two word answer)
Answer:
___________________________
Note: It
was also Paul's custom to keep the seventh-day Sabbath.
8. Did
the apostles also meet with the Gentiles on the Sabbath?
Acts 13:42
. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles
besought that these words might be preached to them the next
____________.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: On
another occasion, the disciples met on the Sabbath with a group of
Gentile women by the riverside, because the city had no synagogue
(Acts 16:13).
9. Did
Jesus intend for His people to keep the Sabbath after He died for
their sins?
Matthew
24:20 . But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither
on the ___________ day.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Jesus
was here predicting the fall of Jerusalem, which He knew would take
place in A.D. 70 (about 40 years later). But He suggested they pray
that they would not have to flee from the invading army on the
Sabbath. It is clear that Jesus expected His people to be keeping the
Sabbath holy long after His death.
10. Does
the Bible teach that God's end-time people would also keep His
seventh-day Sabbath holy?
Revelation
12:17 . And the dragon [devil] was wroth with the woman [church],
and went to make war with the remnant [remainder] of her seed
[children], which keep the ______________ of God.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are
they that keep the commandments of God.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may
enter in through the gates into the city.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
above Scriptures obviously refer to God's end-time church, and each
passage states plainly that God's end-time church keeps His
commandments--which, of course, include the fourth commandment, the
Sabbath.
11. Will
all of the saved in heaven keep the Sabbath?
Isaiah
66:22, 23 . For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will
make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and
your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that ... from one sabbath
to another, shall ______ flesh come to worship before me, saith
the Lord.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
Bible says that all the redeemed of all ages will keep God's Sabbath
together in heaven and in the new earth.
12. Can
we be certain that the present seventh day of the week (Saturday) is
the same Sabbath day that Jesus kept holy?
Luke
23:54-24:1 . And that day was the preparation [Friday], and the
sabbath drew on. ... And they returned, and prepared spices and
ointments; and ______ the sabbath day according to the
commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, ... they came
unto the sepulchre.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Jesus
was crucified on Friday (preparation), the day before the Sabbath
(Mark 15:42). Jesus rested in the tomb on the Sabbath of the
commandment (Luke 23:56), then rose on the first day--the day after
the Sabbath (Mark 16:1-6). Christians around the world still celebrate
that day as Easter Sunday. The Bible clearly shows that the Sabbath
was the day after Friday and the day before Sunday. It's easy to
locate that day of the week on any calendar. (See supplements entitled
"What the Dictionary Says" and "Hasn't the Calendar Been Changed?")
13. Does
God allow anyone to change His holy day?
Proverbs
30:5, 6 . Every word of God is pure: ... ______ thou not unto
his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Just
before God gave the Ten Commandments, as described in Deuteronomy
chapter 5, He solemnly warned that no one should "add unto" or
"diminish ought from" them (Deuteronomy 4:2). Rather, they were to be
kept precisely as He gave them. God blessed His Sabbath (Exodus
20:11), and when He blesses something, it is blessed forever (1
Chronicles 17:27). God says, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter
the thing that is gone out of my lips." Psalms 89:34. Misguided men
admit that they changed God's holy Sabbath to Sunday. But God will not
accept men's teachings when He gave the Bible as our guide.
14. When
does the Sabbath begin and end?
Leviticus
23:32 . From even unto ________, shall ye celebrate your
sabbath.
Mark 1:32 And at even, when the sun did set.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
Sabbath hours begin at sundown Friday and close at sundown Saturday.
15. What
day is the Lord's day of Revelation 1:10?
Exodus
20:10 . But the seventh day is the sabbath of the ________ thy God.
Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from
doing thy pleasure on my holy day.
Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the
sabbath.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: In
both the Old and New Testaments, God calls the Sabbath the Lord's day.
He also commands that people be warned against committing the sin of
trampling God's Sabbath (Isaiah 58:1, 13). God declares that His holy
Sabbath is for all people (Isaiah 56:2-7). The Bible never refers to
Sunday as the Lord's day. It is simply one of the six working days of
the week (Ezekiel 46:1). That's all it has ever been.
16. What
blessing is promised by the Sabbath commandment?
Matthew
11:28 . Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you ________.
Exodus 33:14 My presence shall go with thee, and I will
give thee rest.
Hebrews 4:5 If they shall enter into my rest.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Each
one of the Ten Commandments has a spiritual meaning. Some legalistic
Christians focus on the letter of the law and neglect the spirit of
the law. Jesus wants us to have both to maintain balance (Matthew
5:21, 22, 27, 28). The Bible often uses the term "rest" to refer to
salvation. Hebrews 4:1, 4, 9, 10 says that those who have truly been
led to the "rest" of conversion and who abide in Christ will keep the
seventh-day Sabbath as a symbol of the Christian rest.
17. Because
Jesus has given the Sabbath as a sign of His power to create and
sanctify, would you like to begin receiving the blessings of this holy
day by keeping it in His honor?
.
Answer:
___________________________
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