The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 142

'Vers. 8-11.-The Fourth Comma,ndmt,nt: the sacred Sabbath. I. TIIE GROUND OF TIiis roMMANDME?-.'T. God, who had spoken to Israel as to those whom he had brought out of the hoUBe of honda.ge, and who had bidden Moses speak of him to the captives as the God of Abraho.m, Isaac, a.nd Jacob, now takes the thoughts of his people as far back as it is possible for them to go. They are directed to think of the great work of him who iu six days me.de heaven and earth, the sea, e.nd e.ll that in them is. "All the earth is mine," he had bidden Moses say in eh. xix. 5 ; e.nd of course the Israelites, whatever their other difficulties in the we.y of understanding God's commandments, had no ques- tion such as modem science has thrown down for us to ponder with respect to these alleged days of creation. Though indeed, as is now generally agreed, no difficulty is fouud in this question when we approach it rightly. God's thoughtb are not as our thought!! ; his ways are not as our ways; and so we may add his days are not as our days, seeing that with him one day is as a thousand years e.nd a. thousand years e.s one day. 'l'he great matter to be borne in mind by ancient Israelites-and for every Christian the consideration remains whether he also should not very strictly bear it in mind-w.i.s that by this seventh day of rest after creation, God gave the great rule for the consecration of his people's time. It is to a certain extent correct to say that this precept is a positive one; but it is not therefore arbitrary. God may have seen well to give the precept in such emphatic way, just because the need of setting apart one day out of seven is in some way fixed in the nature of things. It is a question worth while asking, why creation is set before us as having occupied six successive periods. Why not some other number? May not the periods of creation have been so arranged with a view to the UBe of them as a ground for this commandment ? God sanctified the seventh day because it was the best day-best for human welfare and Divine glory; and it seems to have been at Sinai that he first distinctly made this sanctification. Israel knew alre&dy that God rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made (Gen. ii. 2); now it is known-at least it is known in part-why this resting was not till the i,eventh day, and al.so not later. May it not be that the expression "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made," (Gen. ii 3) was inserted by Moses after the transactions at Sinai, as a suitable addition to the statement that God rested from his work? If this verse wo.s not inserted in the Genesis record until after the instructions from Sinai, then we have some sort of explanation why no clear, indubitable sign of the Sabbath is found in patriarchal times. II. THE MODE OF KEEPING THIS CO:IOIANDMENT. Let us distinctly bear in mind the ooject to be attained. The seventh day was to be sanctified, and in order that it might Le properly sanctified, a scrupulous rest from ordinary work was necessary. 'l'he rest wab but the means to the sanctification; and the sanctification is the thing to be kept vrominently in view. The mere resting from work on the seventh day did an Israelite no guod, unless he remembered what the rest implied. 'l'he conunandment began, "Remember the Sabbath day, to kup it holy," not "Remember to do no work therein." Certainly it was only too easy to forget the requirement of rest; but it was easier still to forget the requirement of holiness. A man might rest without hallowing, and so it had w l.,e enjoined on him to shape his rest that hallowing might be secured by it. Certain of the animals required for holy purposes by God, were to be such as had not home the yc.ke. The animal could not be given to God and at the same time used for self. And in l.ik£ 1IuJ.uner the Sabbath could not both be given to God and used for self. Therefore the Lm,.elite is charged to do no work and let no work be done, even by the humblest of his ai&Y.,.. He h.im;;elf must get no temporal benefit from this day. God has so arranged, en. xx. 8-12.] THE BOOK OF EXODUS. 119