The Sabbath is also a matter of sanctification. The Sabbath day sanctifies us, designates us, marks us out. When we enjoy the Lord and then work with Him, for Him, and by being one with Him, spontaneously we are sanctified. We become holy, separated from what is common.
Exodus 31:14 and 15 say, “And you shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy to you; everyone who profanes it shall certainly be put to death; for whoever does work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of rest, holy to Jehovah; whoever does work on the sabbath day shall certainly be put to death.” These verses say clearly that if anyone did not keep the Sabbath, bear the sign, and honor the covenant in order to be sanctified, that one would be put to death. This signifies the suffering of spiritual death. The principle applies in our experience today. If I do not speak in oneness with the Lord, I shall suffer death in my speaking, and I shall be cut off from God’s people. To be cut off from God’s people is to be cut off from fellowship.
In the church life we may do many things without first enjoying the Lord, and without serving with the Lord and by being one with the Lord. That kind of service results in the suffering of spiritual death. Any service to the church that is without the enjoyment of the Lord and that is without the oneness with Him brings in spiritual death. Whenever we serve in that way, we cut ourselves off from the fellowship in the Body.
All the tabernacle and its furniture lead to the Sabbath of God. All of these things lead to the enjoyment of what God has purposed and done. This means that the tabernacle and all its furniture leads us into rest. The offerings are for us to rest. If we do not come to the altar of burnt offering to experience Christ as the offerings, we shall not have rest. Instead, we shall have condemnation and accusation. Likewise, if we do not come to the showbread table, we shall be hungry and not have satisfaction. This is another indication that we do not have rest. If we do not come to the lampstand, we shall not have any light. We shall be in darkness, and darkness will not give us rest. In the same principle, if we do not come to the ark within the veil and to the incense altar, we shall not have rest. Everything related to God’s dwelling place leads us to one matter—to the Sabbath with its rest and refreshment of the Lord. Therefore, the tabernacle with its furniture leads us to the enjoyment of what God has purposed and done. Hallelujah, in the church life we are in the tabernacle, and the tabernacle leads us to rest, to the enjoyment of God’s purpose and of what He has done!
The building work of the tabernacle and all its furniture should begin with the enjoyment of God and continue in intervals with the refreshment by enjoying God. This will indicate that we do not work for God by our own strength, but by the enjoyment of Him and by being one with Him. This is the meaning of the Sabbath, and this is the reason that a word about the Sabbath immediately follows the word concerning the building up of God’s dwelling place on earth. May we all see this matter and be impressed with it.
This message is not simply an expounding of the Bible. I believe that what we have covered in this message is the genuine extract of the record in Exodus 31 concerning the Sabbath.