Scripture: (Exodus 16:17-18 NKJV)  Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. {18} So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need.

Observation: After 430 years in Egyptian captivity, it seems like the Israelites had forgotten many things about God – many might have even been worshipping Egyptian gods.  One of the reasons for this wilderness journey to the Promised Land was a process of retraining the Israelites, to bring them back to the worship of the only and true God.  It’s interesting that one of the first things God taught them, or reminded them of, was the Sabbath.  In Exodus 16 we find the way that God showed them about the weekly cycle, which culminates with the seventh-day Sabbath.  But it was not simply to teach them about the weekly cycle but also that God takes care of our needs.

Application: From the very beginning, the week of creation, God was trying to teach that fact to Adam and Eve when He created them on the sixth day of that first week, and their first full day of life was the Sabbath.  They hadn’t yet done any work, and yet God had provided for all their needs and simply invited them to rest.

This morning, as I write these words, it is Sabbath.  Outside, it is -15F here in Maple Grove, near the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, with a wind chill of somewhere between -25 to -30.  And yet, inside our home is warm, we have plenty of food for several days, we have our cars in the garage, ready to take us wherever we may need to go, we have books to read, clothes to wear, and much, much more.  On this Sabbath, like on every other Sabbath, God is taking care of our needs and we’re enjoying the physical, emotional, and spiritual rest we so much need and desire.

It is also interesting that on the Sabbath the people were not to go out and gather Manna, which would not be there anyway, but were to stay together, as families, and simply enjoy the day and God’s blessings.  The Sabbath is not just a day to do nothing, but a day to enjoy God’s blessings with our families – whether at home or with our church family, a day to remember that He takes care of all our needs, and a day to be refreshed, rejuvenated, recreated both individually and as a family.  May this be a blessed Sabbath day for you.

A Prayer You May Say: Father, thank You for the blessings of the Sabbath.  May today, the Sabbath, be a glorious one for each of us, and may our families receive the greatest blessings on this day as we come to You and as You bring us closer to one another.

Used by permission of Adventist Family Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.