"WILL THEY WALK IN MY LAW --OR NO?"

The Sabbath is a test. Will we obey every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God --or not? To excuse their disobedience to the Sabbath Commandment, some Christians will say that it is only for the Jews; or, what day we observe isn't really important; or, we probably can't trace the calendar to when the manna was given, etc.

I am going to answer those objections with the words and life of Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Jesus is the final authority to consult about the Sabbath and its observance; because he sanctified it at creation; gave the Commandment; and will judge us all as we stand before His judgment seat. Jesus said:

"... The sabbath was made for man, ..." : Mark 2:27

The meaning of MAN: anthropos = i.e. a human being. So if you are a human being, the Sabbath was made for you. Yes, Jesus Christ sanctified The Sabbath Day at Creation, for the scriptures say of Him:

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:3

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 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." Gen 2:1-3 (KJV)

Jesus Christ was also with ancient Israel in the wilderness and gave the instructions for gathering the manna. The record shows us that the seventh day is the only day that Jesus will accept as His Holy Day.

"And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:" Exodus 13:21 (KJV)

The apostle Paul identified the cloud that went with them as Jesus Christ. (See 1 Cor 10:1-13) So, Jesus knew what day the manna fell --and the manna was a test to see if the people would obey Him.

"Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no!  ... Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none." Exodus 16:4, 26

Please notice that the manna was given before The Ten Commandments were given on Mount Sinai. And when some people went out to gather it on the seventh day; the Lord referred to the Sabbath as MY Commandments and MY instructions when he said this to Moses:

"... How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? " Exod 16:28 (NAS)

Speaking of these things, the apostle Paul gave this warning to the church: "But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now, these things were our examples ... " (See I Cor 10:1-6)

The scriptures reveal that Jesus Christ spoke The Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai so that ALL of Israel could hear them --and then, he wrote them on the tables of stone.

"And the LORD SPAKE unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.  And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even TEN COMMANDMENTS and he wrote them upon two tables of stone." Deut 4:12-13

Moses, taught Israel statutes and judgments to show the people how to observe The Commandments of God. Here, he referred to the test of the manna and its relationship to The Sabbath Commandment:

"And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know

THAT MAN DOTH NOT LIVE BY BREAD ONLY, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE LORD DOTH MAN LIVE." Deut 8:2-3

That is the only place in the scriptures where that distinctive verse appears --except when Jesus was hungry and was tempted in the wilderness to command the stones to be made bread! Matt 4:4, Luke 4:4.

Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD includes the Sabbath Commandment! Many Christians say they have faith in Jesus, and love Him; but before they receive the crown of life, they must pass this very same test:

"WILL THEY WALK IN MY LAW --OR NO?"

Harold and Donna Kupp