Sabbath and Lord's Day: Exodus 16:27-36

Exodus 16:27‑36  •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 9
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This is the first time in the Bible that the Sabbath was given to man to keep. Although God had rested after the six days of creation in the Garden of Eden, He had never told man to rest (John 5:1717But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. (John 5:17)), nor is there any mention of any observance of the Sabbath before this time, though it had been well over two thousand years.
Some might wonder why God gave the Sabbath to the children of Israel at this time before the giving of the law. It is important to see that God always shows us His purposes in grace before responsibility comes in. The children of Israel were now a redeemed people, and God could only give them rest based on that redemption. Afterwards, when they put themselves in a place of responsibility under law, God gave them the Sabbath as His promise of earthly rest if they could keep the law. They could not. Thankfully they will enjoy the Sabbath of rest during the millennial reign of Christ, and that rest will not depend on law-keeping, but on the work of Christ at Calvary (Psalm 130:3-83If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? 4But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. 5I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. 6My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. 7Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. 8And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (Psalm 130:3‑8); Ezekiel 44:2424And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths. (Ezekiel 44:24)).
Sabbath or Lord’s Day?
The Sabbath day is Saturday, and we are not asked now in this day of grace to keep the Sabbath. For a Christian to keep the Sabbath day is really to deny his position as a heavenly man. Our blessings are in heaven, not on the earth as Israel’s were. Heaven is our eternal home (2 Corinthians 5:11For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1)); our conversation (manner of life) is there (Philippians 3:2020For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Philippians 3:20)), and we are waiting for the Lord Jesus to come and take us there (1 Thessalonians 1:1010And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10); 1 Corinthians 15:49-5249And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:49‑52)). Christ, who is the head of His body, the Church, is now seated in the heavenlies and we are seated there in Him (Ephesians 1:20, 2:6). Both of the occasions on which the Lord stood in the midst of His disciples in the upper room were on the first day of the week, and so was the day of Pentecost. We know, too, that this was the day on which the early disciples met to break bread (Acts 20:77And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7)). They were told that the Sabbath was a “shadow of things to come,” (Col. 2:1717Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:17)) and it was not for them to keep as Christians. Of course, we know that they often preached the gospel on the Sabbath when the Jews were together, and so we can and do preach the gospel at any time and in any place where the Lord opens the door. We are not under law as to the first day of the week, but it is our liberty and joy to use it as the Lord’s Day, for Him and for His glory.
Omer of Manna
Moses was then told to take an omer of the manna and lay it up before the Lord, and this he did. He placed it before the testimony, and then later, when the tabernacle was built, he put it in a golden pot in the ark. The manna, as we have remarked previously, typified Christ, and just as this golden pot full of manna was to be kept for the generations to come, so we are never to forget that all blessings come to us through Him. He was the true Bread of God who came down from heaven, and it is a delight to know that through eternal ages we will feed upon that “hidden manna” (Revelation 2:1717He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Revelation 2:17)). We will never weary of feeding on Christ as the One who came down to earth and went into death in order to bring us into blessing.
Further Meditation
1. How does the manna remind us of Christ?
2. What scriptures help us to understand why a Christian doesn’t keep the Sabbath?
3. The truth about the Lord’s Day is only hinted at in this chapter. If you want to consider it more deeply you might enjoy reading The Lord’s Day: Do You Devote It to Him? by A. H. Rule.