[WMSCOG] Manna and Sabbath

Tomorrow is the Sabbath, which we must keep holy in accordance with the words of God in the bible. There is a story in the bible which shows the earnest mind of God who wants us to learn the importance of the Sabbath. It is a story of manna. Manna was the bread from heaven given to the Israelites in the desert so that they would not go hungry. But manna was not given as just food for them, but it was God’s way to teach a lesson to his people: The Sabbath. In the time of Moses God gave his people Ten Commandments and one of the commandments was about the Sabbath.

Exodus 20:8   Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord you God. On it you shall not do any work.

After giving this command he wanted to make sure that his people kept this command. And he planned a way to train them about the Sabbath so that the keeping of the Sabbath would become a habit for them. Next 40 years in the desert he taught about the Sabbath every week by using “manna.” For six days, he gave manna and let people gather them from the ground, but on the seventh day he did not allow anybody to go outside to gather manna because there was no manna on the seventh day or the Sabbath. Instead they should gather twice the amount of manna on the sixth day so that they could provide them on the seventh day without working to gather the manna. He had done this for 40 years week after week.

Manna was not given only as physical food, but also as spiritual food. What was God’s will in granting manna to the Israel people?

Exodus 16:21   Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’” 24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.” 27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

God eagerly desired that God’s people would keep the Sabbath and that is why he trained them to know the importance of the Sabbath through manna. Through manna God was teaching his people the importance of the words of God just as Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every words that comes from the mouth of God.” Manna was a good example God gave to us to teach us the importance of the words of God: “Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy.”

This was not the lesson given only to the physical Israel people, but the spiritual Israelites so that they can also keep the Sabbath holy. We must not think unimportant what God told to be important. Jesus said that he was the Lord of the Sabbath and showed us an example of keeping the Sabbath holy. And the Second Coming Christ Ahnsahnghong taught us the Sabbath is the day of rest we must keep. Now our Heavenly Mother is showing us an example keeping the Sabbath holy. Why? Does God need to take rest? To be made holy? To be blessed? No. Then why? Who needs all these things, rest, blessings, and holiness? They are what WE need. Therefore, it was given for our benefit. Let us keep the Sabbath and eat the bread of life, the words of God. God will grant the eternal rest in heaven to those who obey his commands.