The Sabbath day is a time of blessings and joy, this is the way God created it. It's a time for fellowship and growing together as God's family this is the reason He tells us to take the day off from our secular jobs to celebrate it. God did not intend the Sabbath to be burden or to be kept in such a ritualistic way that everything we do on the Sabbath becomes a sin. Satan has made the Sabbath a burden by sending his people into God's church hundreds of years ago to distort truth within the house of God. How he does this is by misinterpreting what God has said, for example.
Some people will use Exodus 16:29 to say that we are not allowed to leave our homes on the Sabbath. This would certainly remove much of the joy of Sabbath keeping for the people of God. But if someone would take the time to read the context of what is being said they would soon learn that it's not a sin to leave your home on the Sabbath. Listen to the verse, out of context, that they use to support not leaving your home on the Sabbath.
Exodus 16:29 Take note! The LORD has given you the Sabbath. That is why on the sixth day he gives you food for two days. On the seventh day everyone is to stay home and no one is to go out."
To read this verse by itself it would seem to be saying that it's a sin to leave your home on the Sabbath. But this is not true, even Jesus and His Apostles went outside on the Sabbath. It's not until you read the verse it in its context that you find the truth.
So what is the verse really saying? The context tells us that Moses commanded them to stay in on the seventh day out of frustration for their lack of obedience, not as a doctrine to teach us that going outside on the Sabbath is a sin. Let's read it in context.
Exodus 16:25-29 Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. "Six days you shall gather the bread, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.'' Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? "See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.''
Did you notice how the people went outside on the seventh day to look for bread after they were told not to. So out of frustration, because of their disobedience, Moses tells them not to go out to look for bread on the seventh day, not that it's a sin to leave your home on the Sabbath.
Another verse that is used to take away the joy of the Sabbath is found in Exodus 16:13. They say that this verse is teaching us that cooking on the Sabbath is a sin.
Exodus 16:23 Moses said to them, "This is what the Lord has commanded: "Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."
When read out of context you can make it say it's a sin to cook on the Sabbath but when it's read in context you will find that it's not saying that it's a sin to cook on the Sabbath.
In the context of the above verse Moses is telling them that the bread they gathered throughout the six days of the week was not to be left overnight, but rather, they were to eat it all on the day they gathered it or else it would be full of maggots in the morning. The people didn't listen to Moses and saved some of the manna for the next day and itbecame full of maggots. Once again Mose was angry. Listen.
Exodus 16:19-20 Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.
Now it's the sixth day and Moses tells them that it's now okay to save some manna overnight because on the morning of the seventh day it would not be full of maggots. Now listen carefully. Moses tells them to boil or cook however much they wanted to eat out of what they gathered on the sixth day and then keep the rest for the seventh day. He's not saying it's a sin to cook the rest of the manna on the seventh day, he is just telling the to save the uncooked portion for the seventh day. Moses is telling that it's okay to save the uncooked manna overnight and it wouldn't be full of maggots in the morning and since they didn't cook it the night before they would have to cook it on the Sabbath. Let's read it in its context.
Exodus 16:19-23 And Moses told them, "Don't leave it overnight.'' But of course some of them wouldn't listen, and left it until morning; and when they looked, it was full of maggots and had a terrible odor; and Moses was very angry with them. So they gathered the food morning by morning, each home according to its need; and when the sun became hot upon the ground, the food melted and disappeared. On the sixth day there was twice as much as usual on the ground--four quarts instead of two; the leaders of the people came and asked Moses why this had happened.'' "This is what the Lord has commanded: "Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."
Did you catch what Moses said? He said to bake or boil what they wanted for that night and save the uncooked rest the Sabbath. This means the uncooked portion would have to be cooked on the Sabbath. Moses did not say is was a sin to cook on the Sabbath.
So you see, Moses was not teaching us that it's a sin to cook on the Sabbath in the same way he wasn't teachings us that it's a sin to leave your house on the Sabbath. We know it's not a sin to cook on the Sabbath because the Passover lamb was to be roasted and eaten on the Sabbath and meals are prepared on the seventh day as well.
Exodus 12:8 "Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it."
Exodus 12:16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat—that is all you may do.
Let us not aid Satan in destroying the Sabbath blessing by wrongfully interpreting the word of God.
Some people will use Exodus 16:29 to say that we are not allowed to leave our homes on the Sabbath. This would certainly remove much of the joy of Sabbath keeping for the people of God. But if someone would take the time to read the context of what is being said they would soon learn that it's not a sin to leave your home on the Sabbath. Listen to the verse, out of context, that they use to support not leaving your home on the Sabbath.
Exodus 16:29 Take note! The LORD has given you the Sabbath. That is why on the sixth day he gives you food for two days. On the seventh day everyone is to stay home and no one is to go out."
To read this verse by itself it would seem to be saying that it's a sin to leave your home on the Sabbath. But this is not true, even Jesus and His Apostles went outside on the Sabbath. It's not until you read the verse it in its context that you find the truth.
So what is the verse really saying? The context tells us that Moses commanded them to stay in on the seventh day out of frustration for their lack of obedience, not as a doctrine to teach us that going outside on the Sabbath is a sin. Let's read it in context.
Exodus 16:25-29 Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. "Six days you shall gather the bread, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.'' Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? "See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.''
Did you notice how the people went outside on the seventh day to look for bread after they were told not to. So out of frustration, because of their disobedience, Moses tells them not to go out to look for bread on the seventh day, not that it's a sin to leave your home on the Sabbath.
Another verse that is used to take away the joy of the Sabbath is found in Exodus 16:13. They say that this verse is teaching us that cooking on the Sabbath is a sin.
Exodus 16:23 Moses said to them, "This is what the Lord has commanded: "Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."
When read out of context you can make it say it's a sin to cook on the Sabbath but when it's read in context you will find that it's not saying that it's a sin to cook on the Sabbath.
In the context of the above verse Moses is telling them that the bread they gathered throughout the six days of the week was not to be left overnight, but rather, they were to eat it all on the day they gathered it or else it would be full of maggots in the morning. The people didn't listen to Moses and saved some of the manna for the next day and itbecame full of maggots. Once again Mose was angry. Listen.
Exodus 16:19-20 Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.
Now it's the sixth day and Moses tells them that it's now okay to save some manna overnight because on the morning of the seventh day it would not be full of maggots. Now listen carefully. Moses tells them to boil or cook however much they wanted to eat out of what they gathered on the sixth day and then keep the rest for the seventh day. He's not saying it's a sin to cook the rest of the manna on the seventh day, he is just telling the to save the uncooked portion for the seventh day. Moses is telling that it's okay to save the uncooked manna overnight and it wouldn't be full of maggots in the morning and since they didn't cook it the night before they would have to cook it on the Sabbath. Let's read it in its context.
Exodus 16:19-23 And Moses told them, "Don't leave it overnight.'' But of course some of them wouldn't listen, and left it until morning; and when they looked, it was full of maggots and had a terrible odor; and Moses was very angry with them. So they gathered the food morning by morning, each home according to its need; and when the sun became hot upon the ground, the food melted and disappeared. On the sixth day there was twice as much as usual on the ground--four quarts instead of two; the leaders of the people came and asked Moses why this had happened.'' "This is what the Lord has commanded: "Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."
Did you catch what Moses said? He said to bake or boil what they wanted for that night and save the uncooked rest the Sabbath. This means the uncooked portion would have to be cooked on the Sabbath. Moses did not say is was a sin to cook on the Sabbath.
So you see, Moses was not teaching us that it's a sin to cook on the Sabbath in the same way he wasn't teachings us that it's a sin to leave your house on the Sabbath. We know it's not a sin to cook on the Sabbath because the Passover lamb was to be roasted and eaten on the Sabbath and meals are prepared on the seventh day as well.
Exodus 12:8 "Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it."
Exodus 12:16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat—that is all you may do.
Let us not aid Satan in destroying the Sabbath blessing by wrongfully interpreting the word of God.
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