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What was so important about setting aside a day of rest? I understand setting it aside for worship, but why rest? This commandment was actually the first demonstrated by God as he rested on the seventh day after creation; God demonstrated to us on that day that rest is appropriate and right. Not laziness, but rest following labor.

I don’t see any mention of rest on the Sabbath again until we catch up with the Israelites in the desert following their escape from slavery in Egypt. For 430 years the Hebrew children had lived in Egypt. For the next 40 years God would allow them to wander in the desert as he worked the stubbornness out of their hearts.

God alludes to the 4th commandment before He had even given the 10 commandments to Moses. The Israelites had been in the desert for about a month and a half when they began grumbling about the lack of food in the desert. Imagine if they had known they were 39 years 10 months and 15 days from the Promised Land?

God answered their grumbling much as He answers ours still today. He provided for them. He rained down manna from heaven for them to gather every morning. It would appear after the dew of morning and had the appearance of frost on the desert floor. When the sun grew hot after they had collected what they needed, it melted away. They were to gather just enough for that day and not to save it for tomorrow. Of course some of them were disobedient and the next morning it was full of maggots and had a horrible smell. They learned.

God commanded them to gather a double portion on the sixth day because He said, (Exodus 16:23Exodus 16:23
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
23 he told them that the Lord had said, “Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a sacred day of rest in honor of me. So gather all you want to bake or boil, and make sure you save enough for tomorrow.”

WP-Bible plugin) “Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD”. And you guessed it, the next day the manna they had gathered in double portion was perfectly edible with no smell or maggots.

Of course the hard heads went out on the Sabbath to gather manna but found none. God rebuked them harshly reminding them that the Sabbath was a day of rest. God did not want even the daily routine of preparing food to distract the people from taking one day from the week to rest and worship Him.

Less than a month later God would call Moses to meet Him on Mount Sinai and there He would make it official. In Exodus 20 it is recorded that God made references to the six days of creation and how He rested on the seventh. The Sabbath day had been blessed by Him and made holy. In Deuteronomy 5 it is recorded that God reminded them when giving this commandment that they were to remember how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt with His mighty hand and outstretched arm as they observed the Sabbath.

So fast forward to today. I fear our Sundays have become everything but a day of rest and worship. We often use it as a “catch up” day. We get so busy with our work, homes, family responsibilities, and even recreation that we forget to “be still and know that I am God”. (Psalm 46:10Psalm 46:10
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
10 Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me.”

WP-Bible plugin) Even our church responsibilities can exhaust us on that day.

I’m challenging you to make a change this year with your Sundays. Find some time on Sunday to pull away from all of life’s distractions for at least a little while. Reflect, as the Israelites did, on your deliverance: we have been delivered from the spiritual slavery of sin and death. We have been set free to serve God. Then take a nap. Put the whole house to bed, as my parents would do on Sunday afternoons. My Mondays start off a whole lot better when I’ve had my batteries charged on Sunday through worship and a nap.