So That Your Male And Female Servants May Rest

Deuteronomy 5:7-14 – “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.

Leviticus 26:1 – “‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.

Psalm 97:7 – All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods!

Exodus 20:9-10 – Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

Application:

• ·         Worship of God is forbidden in any material form.
• ·         Two reasons are given for not doing any work on the Sabbath: (1) Having completed His work of creation God “rested on the seventh day”, and the Israelites are to observe the same pattern in their service of God in the creation; (2) the Israelites must cease all labor so that their servants can also participate in the Sabbath-rest—just as God had delivered His people from the burden of slavery in Egypt.
• ·         The Sabbath thus became a “sign” of the covenant between God and Israel at Mount Sinai.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV