“You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you” (Ex. 31:14a).
The Sabbath is mentioned for the first time in Exodus 16:23–29. This command was not a new one—the Israelites already had been obligated to keep it. The Sabbath is mentioned again in chapter 20, where the Ten Commandments are delivered. God gave these commands to His covenant people, and they expressed His claims upon His people. As His chosen ones, they were to live righteously before Him. Being in covenant with God, they were not free to live as they wished, but only according to the commands of God. These laws were not grievous to the people, but were to be kept in love, for the commandments were, and continue to be, the expression of God’s love for His people.
The third reference to the Sabbath is found here in chapter 31. It might seem strange to include this command right after the building of the tabernacle. But notice that everything in this section of Exodus foreshadows Christ—the tabernacle, the priesthood, the sacrifices. This passage, therefore, must be applied in this context. But to understand the typological meaning of the Sabbath, we need to go back to Genesis 2. God rested on the seventh day, blessed it, and sanctified it. While God’s resting on the Sabbath day teaches us how to keep this day holy, it has a deeper significance. This rest is typical of the rest that believers have in Christ and the rest we will have when Christ comes again in glory—the eternal Sabbath.
In the first part of chapter 31, we have a possible type of Christ building His church. Now that the tabernacle has been completed (which reminds us of His mission to build the church), it is suitable that reference should be made to the Sabbath. Those who are of the church and believe in Christ will rest in Him. Individually, this means that we come into Christ’s redemptive rest. Ultimately, this points to the fact that, when the church has been completed, all who have been chosen by God will enter the eternal Sabbath. Until that time, we keep the Sabbath as a sign of what has been accomplished by Christ and what will one day be completed—the final sanctification of His people and their entering into His rest. When “the tabernacle of God is with men” (Rev. 21:3), then there will be a holy, eternal rest for God’s sanctified people.
What does it mean to rest? The Scriptures teach us that there is no rest for the wicked. However, those who are made new in Christ can rest in Him, and have the hope of eternal rest in God. Are you resting in Christ? Do you abide in Him? Do have find peace in Him? What might be keeping you from resting in Him?
