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 __________ 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

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