September 22 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Exodus 31:12-17:

¹²And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
¹³Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
¹⁴Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
¹⁵Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
¹⁶Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
¹⁷It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Isaiah 58:13-14:

¹³If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
¹⁴Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Devotional

The children of Israel knew of the sabbath; but they often for­got, or became negligent of its observance. Therefore the Lord told them, "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy." Time and again God reminded them of the sabbath day. The sabbath should be a day of rest from all labor. It was a sign between God and his people, an emblem of that eternal rest, "that remaineth for the people of God." "God rested on the seventh day: there­fore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." And he wants his people to rest, not only from outward work on the sabbath day, but rest every day from their evil works, and thus "begin the eternal sabbath in this life." (Heidelberg Catechism 103). The sabbath is a sign, "that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanc­tify you." We cannot sanctify ourselves. Christ was made unto us not only righteousness, but also sanctification. Now we are to rest in him, in his perfect work of salvation. The Israelite who worked on the sabbath was surely to be put to death. And any­one that seeks salvation by works, shall surely not enter into that everlasting rest. Only those that believe enter into that rest. Every Lord's Day reminds us: Desist from your own works, and rest in the Lord, in his perfect work. And his rest shall be glorious.

Prayer

O Lord God, we thank Thee for the day of rest and gladness. May we keep it holy. May every Lord's Day remind us of that rest that remaineth for the people of God. May we realize that through faith we are saved by grace. And may we even in this life begin the everlasting Sabbath. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Ex. 20:8; Heb. 4:9; Ex. 20:11; 31:13; 1 Cor. 1:30; Heb. 4:3; Isa. 11:10.

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