Exodus 22:31 also says, “Neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.” Not eating any flesh that is torn by beasts, but casting it instead to the dogs signifies that we should take only Christ as our life supply, not anything of death. Things related to death should be food for the unclean men. The dogs in 22:31 signify people who are unclean (Phil. 3:2). The significance of this ordinance is that we should eat only Christ. In particular, we should eat Christ as the sacrifices and offerings. We should not eat any meat which has been torn by beasts. This should be cast to the dogs. If we would live in Christ, we need to eat Christ, and not eat anything which bears the nature of death. Those things must be counted as refuse and thrown aside.
Exodus 23:12 says, “Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.” Christ is the real Sabbath day (Col. 2:16-17). Keeping the Sabbath day that the cattle may rest and that the son of the handmaid and the stranger may be refreshed typifies taking Christ as our rest that others may be benefited.
The principle is the same with the ordinance related to a sabbatical year for the land: “And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat” (23:10-11). Actually, the result of keeping the Sabbath day is not as significant as that of keeping the sabbatical year. Keeping the Sabbath day enabled others to rest and be refreshed, whereas observing the sabbatical year supplied others with food. Some Christians may cause people to rest and even be refreshed; however, not many can supply others with spiritual food. By keeping the Sabbath day we take Christ as our rest to a certain degree, but by observing the sabbatical year we take Christ as our rest to a much fuller degree. Only in the future, however, will Christ become our rest to the fullest extent.
On the one hand, we need to learn from the ordinances in Exodus how to live in Christ; on the other hand, we need to learn how to benefit others in Christ. We should not merely seek to live in Christ ourselves, but should also seek to bring the enjoyment of Christ to others. First we should supply others with rest and refreshment, then with spiritual food, the produce of the field, the vineyard, and the orchard. To supply others with this produce is to supply them with rich food.