Chapter 148—The Covenant and the Sabbath
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the
sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a
sign between me and the children of Israel for ever.
Exodus 31:16, 17
.
When the Lord delivered His people Israel from Egypt and committed
to them His law, He taught them that by the observance of the Sabbath they
were to be distinguished from idolaters....
As the Sabbath was the sign that distinguished Israel when they came out
of Egypt to enter the earthly Canaan, so it is the sign that now distinguishes
God’s people as they come out from the world to enter the heavenly rest.
The Sabbath is a sign of a relationship existing between God and His people,
a sign that they honor His law. It distinguishes between His loyal subjects
and transgressors.... The Sabbath given to the world as the sign of God as the
Creator is also the sign of Him as the Sanctifier. The power that created all
things is the power that recreates the soul in His own likeness. To those who
keep holy the Sabbath day it is the sign of sanctification. True sanctification
is harmony with God, oneness with Him in character. It is received through
obedience to those principles that are the transcript of His character. And the
Sabbath is the sign of obedience. He who from the heart obeys the fourth
commandment will obey the whole law. He is sanctified through obedience.
To us as to Israel the Sabbath is given “for a perpetual covenant.” To those
who reverence His holy day the Sabbath is a sign that God recognizes them
as His chosen people. It is a pledge that He will fulfill to them His covenant.
Every soul who accepts the sign of God’s government places himself under
the divine, everlasting covenant. He fastens himself to the golden chain of
obedience, every link of which is a promise.
The fourth commandment alone of all the ten contains the seal of the
great Lawgiver, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Those who obey
this commandment take upon themselves His name, and all the blessings it
involves are theirs.
The Sabbath has lost none of its meaning. It is still a sign between God
and His people, and it will be so forever.
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