第五週 • 週三
晨興餧養
出三一13 你要吩咐以色列人說，你們務要守我的安息日；因為這是我與你們之間世世代代的記號，使你們知道我是把你們分別為聖的耶和華。
創二2 到第七日，神造作的工已經完畢，就在第七日歇了祂一切造作的工，安息了。
在論到建造神居所的長段記載之後，出埃及三十一章十二至十七節重申守安息日的誡命。我們需要找出，在記載關於神居所的完整啟示之後，為甚麼需要重申這一條特別的誡命。…主呼召摩西上山時，首先把律法交給摩西，然後把建造祂在地上居所的啟示賜給他。在這段話裏，我們看見帳幕及其器物的圖樣，以及關於祭司體系的完整啟示，還有關於建造帳幕之人的記載。這一切記載之後，主重申與守安息日有關的要求。
在帳幕建造工作的囑咐之後插入關於安息日的話，指明主吩咐這些建造者，這些巧匠，要學習如何與主一同安息。他們不該作工而忘了與主一同安息。因此，主在吩咐他們作祂居所建造的工作時，題醒他們，當他們為祂作工時，應當學習如何與祂一同安息。我們若只知道如何為主作工，而不知道如何與祂一同安息，就違背了神聖的原則（出埃及記生命讀經，二○八九至二○九○頁）。
信息選讀
安息日的原則不是要在那一天守的問題。安息日的原則乃是：我們與主同工時必須學習如何與祂一同安息。…有些人也許以為安息日的意義不過是歇了工作。這不是聖經裏安息日的真義。聖經強調神在第七日安息的事實〔創二2〕。
按照創世記，安息日對神來說是第七日，但對人來說是第一日。神六日之內創造諸天、地以及人類生存所需的一切，為着完成神的定旨。萬物都造齊以後，人纔在第六日被造。這意思是，人一從神的手中被造出來，他的第一日，也就是神的第七日，即將開始。因此，神的第七日就是人的第一日。這件事的意義乃是：安息日對神而言是作工之後安息，對人而言卻是先安息，後作工。神先作了六天工，然後在第七日安息了。但人是在他的第一日安息，然後才開始作工。
在出埃及三十一章十二至十七節我們看見，建造帳幕的人受了囑咐，不可以開始作工，直到他們與主一同安息，並得着舒暢。然後他們纔能為祂作工，並與祂同工。然而，這工作不會繼續不斷的進行；反之，這工作乃是以六日勞苦和一日安息為一段。每一段的開始是安息日，接着工作六天；然後是另一段，以安息開始，接着是工作。…我們已經強調過，安息日對神而言是第七日，對人而言是第一日；神作工，使人享受並安息；人享受神工作上所成就的，為要與神同工。人在第一日享受神在前六日所成就的。以下六天，人就與神同工。工作六天以後，人又一次先享受神所成就的，接着再工作六天。這就像一個循環一直進行，這循環就是我們與神是一的記號（出埃及記生命讀經，二○九○至二○九一、二○九八頁）。
參讀：出埃及記生命讀經，第一百七十二篇。
WEEK 5 — DAY 3
Morning Nourishment
Exo. 31:13 Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, You shall surely keep My Sabbaths; for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Jehovah who sanctifies you.
Gen. 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
In Exodus 31:12-17, after a long record concerning the building up of God’s dwelling place, there is a repetition of the commandment to keep the Sabbath… We need to find why…[it] is repeated after the record concerning the full revelation of God’s dwelling place…When Jehovah called Moses to go up to the mountain, Jehovah first gave Moses the law. Then He gave Moses the revelation concerning the building up of His dwelling place on earth. In this section we see the design of the tabernacle and its furniture and a full revelation regarding the priesthood. There is also a record concerning the builders of the tabernacle. After all of this, Jehovah repeated the requirement related to keeping the Sabbath.
The fact that this insertion concerning the Sabbath follows the charge for the building work of the tabernacle indicates that Jehovah was telling these builders, these workers, to learn how to rest with Him. They should not work and forget about resting with the Lord. Therefore, in charging them to do the work of building His dwelling place, Jehovah reminded them that as they worked for Him, they should learn how to rest with Him. If we only know how to work for the Lord but do not know how to rest with Him, we are acting contrary to the divine principle. (Life-study of Exodus, 2nd ed., pp. 1759-1760)
Today’s Reading
The principle of the Sabbath is not a matter of the day on which it is observed. The principle of the Sabbath is that working with the Lord requires that we learn how to rest with Him. Some may think that the significance of the Sabbath is merely to cease from work. This is not the real meaning of the Sabbath in the Bible. The Bible emphasizes the fact that God rested on the seventh day [Gen. 2:2].
According to the book of Genesis, to God the Sabbath is the seventh day, but to man it is the first day. In six days God created the heavens, the earth, and everything necessary for man to exist for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. After all things were made, man was created on the sixth day. This means that as soon as man came forth from the creating hand of God, his first day, which was God’s seventh day, was about to begin. Thus, what was the seventh day to God was the first day to man. The significance of this is that to God the Sabbath was rest after work, but to man it was rest first and then work. God first worked for six days and then He rested on the seventh day. But man rested on his first day and then began to work.
In Exodus 31:12-17 we see that the builders of the tabernacle were charged not to begin working until they had rested with Jehovah and had been refreshed. Then they could work for Him and with Him. However, this work would not go on continuously. Rather, it would be a work in intervals of six days of labor and one day of rest. With every interval, the beginning is a day of rest, followed by six days of work. Then there would be another interval beginning with rest and continuing with work. We have emphasized that to God the Sabbath is the seventh day and to man, the first day; that God worked for man’s enjoyment and rest; and that man enjoys what God has accomplished in His work in order to work with God. Man in his first day enjoyed what God accomplished in the previous six days. Then in the following six days man worked with God. After six days’ work, man again first enjoyed what God had accomplished, and then he worked again the following six days. This proceeds as a cycle. This cycle is a sign that we are one with God. (Life-study of Exodus, 2nd ed., pp. 1760, 1766)
Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 172
