The Sabbath Command Repeated

Exodus 31 serves as a conclusion of sorts to the significant section that began in chapter 20. Chapters 20–31 are foundational for understanding what God required of His old covenant people, for here we are given the basics of God’s law and the core teaching on corporate worship. In turn, this helps us understand the Lord’s call to His new covenant people. After all, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:6 that the Old Testament was given for our instruction. Keeping the law of God and worshiping Him in a manner agreeable to Scripture are our duties today, not as a way to earn our salvation, of course, but so that we can show forth evidence of our faith and thank our Creator for all that He has done for us. Exodus 31:1–11 returns to the worship emphasis of chapters 20–31 by telling us about the builders of the tabernacle, thereby reiterating chapters 25–30. Today’s passage returns to the law emphasis of chapters 20–31 by repeating the Sabbath command and explaining the delivery of the legal tablets to Moses, thereby reiterating chapters 20–24.

Why does God repeat the Sabbath commandment and not another law, such as the law demanding that we have no other gods before Him (Ex. 20:3)? The answer seems to lie in the Sabbath commandment’s close connection to corporate worship. No explicit command is found in the old covenant Scriptures for Israel to come to the tabernacle every Sabbath for services of corporate praise. In fact, such a command would be impractical once Israel settled in the land, since most of the nation would have to travel great distances to accomplish this. Thus, travel to corporate worship at the tabernacle was required only three times a year under the old covenant (Ex. 23:14–17). Nevertheless, the Sabbath command, linked as it is to God’s works of creation and redemption (Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15), naturally implies weekly worship, since corporate worship involves remembering and praising the Lord for His work as our Creator and Redeemer. Moreover, God’s people came to recognize this connection, for we know that the ancient Jews would eventually gather each Sabbath in local synagogues to hear the law, praise God, and receive instruction in the Scriptures (see Acts 15:21).

Today’s passage concludes with Moses’ receiving the Ten Commandments in written form on tablets of stone (Ex. 31:18). That they were inscribed by God Himself indicates their abiding importance even today.