Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Exodus 31:12-17
The Sign of the Sabbath (Exodus 31:12).
The final response and mark of loyalty and worship is found in the newly established Sabbath (Exodus 16:23; Exodus 16:25; Exodus 16:29; Exodus 20:8; Exodus 23:10). This divided time up for Israel into periods of seven days, something unique in the ancient world. Time was usually measured in terms of the moon (moon periods of 28/29 days long) or the sun (in term of keeping the seasons in line). This measurement of time directly connected them with Yahweh and His activity. They were uniquely Yahweh's people. Time would also later be divided up into seven year periods, the seventh year of such being a kind of Sabbath (Leviticus 25:1), and into ‘seven times seven' periods which ended in the year of Yubile (Leviticus 25:8 ff). The ‘fiftieth year' was not, however, the year that followed the forty-ninth year, for it commenced on the seventh month. It thus presumably covered the last half of the forty-ninth year and the first half of the following first year. It did not therefore break the sequence of sevens.
a Moses is to speak to the children of Israel saying that they must keep His Sabbaths
b For this is a sign between Him and Israel throughout their generations, that they may know that He is Yahweh Who sanctifies them
c They shall keep the Sabbath for it is holy to them. Whoever does any work in it will be cut off from among his people
d Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh is a day of solemn rest
d It is holy to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death
c For this reason the children of Israel will keep the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetual covenant
b It is a sign between Him and the children of Israel for ever
a For in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased work and was refreshed.
Note that in ‘a' the children of Israel are to keep Yahweh's Sabbaths, and in the parallel it is because in six days He made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and was refreshed. In ‘b' it is a sign between Him and the children of Israel throughout their generations, while in the parallel it is a sign between them for ever. In ‘c' they are to keep the Sabbath because it is holy to them, and in the parallel they are to keep it throughout their generations for a perpetual covenant. In ‘d' the stress is on ceasing work on the seventh day, while in the parallel it is holy so that whoever works on it will be put to death.
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, Truly you shall keep my sabbaths. For it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.”
The offering of incense on the incense altar was evidence of the people's loyalty and devotion, the payment of the ransom on the numbering of Israel was a further mark of loyalty and we now come to the third mark of loyalty, the Sabbath. This has been recently established to act as a sign whereby all men may know that Israel are His people and loyally serve Him, and as a sign whereby they may themselves recognise that they are His and come to know Him more fully. Every time the Sabbath came round they would recognise that they had been set apart by God as His people and would by God's grace come to know it fully in their hearts. And like the offering of the incense this was to be so through many generations.
The mention of the Sabbath here was especially apposite as the temptation might have been for the work to continue on the Sabbath because it was ‘God's work'. But the warning is clear. Nothing justifies the ignoring of the Sabbath because of its deep significance.
“You shall therefore keep the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it will surely be put to death. For whoever does any work in it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.”
The importance and solemnity of the sabbath is stressed. No work at all must be done on it (other than the minimum necessary to ensure the wellbeing of their flocks and herds). It is a holy day, and to work on it would profane it. For it is a reminder of God's rest in creation (Exodus 31:17). Thus it applied to all who lived among His people. The complete ban was a boon for all hired workers and bondmen. Even they could not work on the sabbath, and no ingenuity of man could get around it. It was a total ban. And it was a sign that Israel were Yahweh's people. It was a sign of the covenant, of which it was a part, and of their observance of it. And all who were within that covenant were promised that they would find rest.
“ A sabbath of solemn rest.” It was a reminder of the rest He was going to give them in Canaan (Deuteronomy 12:9; Deuteronomy 25:19), and of the eternal rest that He will give to His own (Hebrews 4:1; Hebrews 4:3; Hebrews 4:9).
The warning of death for breaching the Sabbath was an indication that it was a new ordinance, which was why it had to be so solemnly enforced (compare Genesis 17:14). And the reason for the severe penalty was that a deliberate breaching of the Sabbath would be a deliberate rejection of the covenant, and thus if Israel did not act to punish it they would be seen as participating in the rejection of the covenant.
“For this reason the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever. For in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and took breath.”
So this was the reason why His people should keep the Sabbath into the distant future. Because it was the sign of God's perpetual covenant with them as declared at Sinai. As the rainbow was a reminder of God's covenant with the world through Noah (Genesis 9:12), and as circumcision was the sign of God's covenant with Abraham and his wider family (Genesis 17:11), so the Sabbath was a sign of God's covenant recently made with Israel. And by observing the Sabbath they were giving the continual sign that they had accepted that covenant and were maintaining their special relationship with God for ever. And it was a mutual sign, for as they were to rest on the Sabbath day, so He also had rested on the Sabbath day. Thus their resting on it demonstrated their new special relationship with their Creator. They were following in His footsteps.
“ For in six yom Yahweh made heaven and earth.” The revealed pattern of creation (Genesis 1) has been over six God-periods, followed by rest. This was to be the pattern of Israel's way of living, continual periods of divine fulfilment.
“ He rested and took breath.” This anthropomorphism is rather expressing what benefit they will receive from the Sabbath day. All knew that when someone ceased work and rested, they were refreshed (compare Exodus 23:12). They were able to take breath on the Sabbath, just as Yahweh had done after creation.
This idiom has passed over into English. If we want to stop someone from some hectic activity we ask, ‘when are you going to take a breather?' What we simply mean is ‘when are you going to stop?'.