Israel Meets With Difficulties
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answer was, “This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the
rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake
today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay
up for you to be kept until the morning.” They did so, and found that it
remained unchanged. And Moses said, “Eat that today; for today is a
Sabbath unto the Lord: today ye shall not find it in the field. Six days
ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it
there shall be none.”
God requires that His holy day be as sacredly observed now as in
the time of Israel. The day before the Sabbath should be made a day of
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preparation, that everything may be in readiness for its sacred hours.
In no case should our own business be allowed to encroach upon holy
time. God has directed that the sick be cared for; the labor required
to make them comfortable is a work of mercy and no violation of the
Sabbath; but all unnecessary work should be avoided. Work that is
neglected until the beginning of the Sabbath should remain undone
until it is past.
The Israelites witnessed a three-fold miracle to impress their minds
with the sacredness of the Sabbath: a double quantity of manna fell
on the sixth day, none on the seventh, and the portion needed for the
Sabbath was preserved sweet and pure.
Sabbath Before Sinai
In the giving of the manna, we have conclusive evidence that the
Sabbath was not instituted when the law was given at Sinai. Before the
Israelites came to Sinai they understood the Sabbath to be obligatory
upon them. In being obliged to gather every Friday a double portion
of manna in preparation for the Sabbath, the sacred nature of the day
of rest was continually impressed upon them. And when some of the
people went out on the Sabbath to gather manna, the Lord asked, “How
long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?”
“The children of Israel did eat manna forty years, ... until they
came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.” For forty years they
were daily reminded of God’s unfailing care and tender love. God
gave them “of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food” (
Psalm
78:24, 25
)—that is, food provided for them by the angels. They were