Exodus 16:22–30

And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ” So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. 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 it, but on the seventh day, 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.” So the people rested on the seventh day.

The seven-day week is the most universal religious practice on Earth. Every nation uses it, though which days are the weekend varies. (It’s Friday and Saturday in Israel.)

The roots of the seven-day week are entirely religious. If someone wants total separation of church and state with no religious practice observed by government, let them try to eliminate the seven-day week. Good luck with that.

But when did it begin? More importantly, how do we know which day is which?

This passage is the answer to both questions. It’s the first use of the word “Sabbath” in the Bible. Prior to this, no one used a seven-day week and no one kept a regular Sabbath. While the Passover lasted seven days, and Noah waited seven days to retest whether the flood was over, there are no prior mentions of seven days as a regular pattern.

The week of creation set the standard, but it wasn’t practiced yet.

How do you keep the Sabbath? I’m not sure I do this properly or completely. I have a list of things I don’t do, but not a complete plan for what I do.

How about you? Do you really rest? Is it the right kind of rest? What would that be, anyway? Ask the LORD to convict you and direct you. Ask how He wants you to honor Him on His day.

Note: yesterday I wrote about making quiet times quiet. I mentioned my method for dealing with distractions—address them and then start the quiet time.

Some of my favorite prayer warriors find that it’s better to avoid distractions in the first place by unplugging completely.

Whatever works best for you.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, are here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.