Exodus 31:1-18 (ESV)
The LORD said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.”
And the LORD said to Moses, “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
Devotional Meditation
Why does the giving of the Law and the making of the covenant on Sinai end with this explicit emphasis on the Sabbath? Well, consider the parallels between what has just occurred and the creation account in Genesis 1-2.
In the beginning, God creates the world out of nothing. He speaks, and stuff happens. His Spirit is there, present, and hovering over the waters of the deep. He divides land from water, heavens from earth and creates a place where life can thrive. He builds a sanctuary called Eden, and then he forms a man and places him into this sanctuary to tend (serve) and to keep (guard) it. He gives the man his Word. He gives the man a companion. He charges both the man and the woman to be fruitful, multiply, and exercise dominion over all the earth. He gives them his blessing, he gives them food, he gives them his presence.
And then God rests. After six days spent creating, shaping, and preparing this world--this people--he rests. His work is complete. It is very good. Everything is as it should be.
Now consider Israel. God makes this people that weren’t a people into a nation. He speaks, and stuff happens. He calls his prophet, he declares that Israel is his son, he shows his mighty arm to Pharoah. He divides the water from the dry land so that his people might find life and thrive. He gives a man named Bezalel his Spirit. He gives instructions for the building of a sanctuary, i.e., the Tabernacle. He appoints certain men to serve and to guard it. He gives his people his Word so that they might have life. He feeds them. He promises to lead them into a land where they can spread out, be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion as his chosen people. He instructs Aaron to bless the people and thereby put his name on them. In all this, he promises them his presence will go with them.
And then he commands his people to rest. They are to work six days, but on the seventh day they are to rest from all their labors. Why? It is a sign of the new creation that God has brought about. He has done what he promised. His work is complete. It is very good. Everything is as it should be.
In the Small Catechism, Luther writes:
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.
The Sabbath is the acknowledgement of the completed work God has done in order to give his people abundant life with him. Therefore, Luther wisely discerns that, in the light of what Christ has accomplished for us and for our salvation, Christians are keeping the Sabbath whenever they are hearing and resting in the Word which proclaims to them that Christ has completed the task. One day, we will see this new work that Christ has made, i.e., the Church, in its full splendor. The way Christ himself sees it--like a bride prepared for her bridegroom. Created by his Word, through the power of his Spirit, to abide with him in his presence forever. On that eternal Sabbath we will see with our own eyes all that his completed work has accomplished. It will be very good. Everything will be as it should be.