Exodus 35:1  And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.
2  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
3  Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.

Moses was called of God to be God’s leader to the nation of Israel. He was their leader, not because they chose Him, but because God appointed him as their leader. He needed to lead them even if they were not that keen on having him as their leader. The Bible shows us that God does not choose people because they will be popular. He chooses leaders for His glory.
Leaders like Moses were born just like any other person. The difference is that Moses chose to listen to the conscience that God gave him. He saw that Pharaoh was just a man. He saw that Pharaoh had nothing to offer him. He saw his own father and mother. He saw his mother’s courage even as a young boy. He saw how she risked her own life for him. He chose to listen to God. He had a relatively easy upbringing, as far as the world is concerned. He was separated from his parents and his siblings but he had the best of the world’s pleasures. For most children that would be good enough. That is why we see so many children choosing to listen to ungodly teachers. They believe what those wilfully ignorant adults have to say.
Sadly most parents today are lost so they lack discernment. When the P.M. claims that the “science” says we need to stop driving cars and we need to get rid of the cows, they believe it. They never stop to think that carbon dioxide is needed for plant growth.
In Ontario, where I grew up, greenhouse farmers add carbon dioxide to the air in the greenhouses in order to help the plants grow stronger and produce more fruit. The government is too dumb to realize this.
Most people are willfully ignorant and do not even do basic research and realize that the “science” is lying to them. If the exhaust coming from cars was really that dangerous, then the exhaust from the jets that the politicians use to jet around the world, should also be dangerous. If the politicians actually used their brains for good, they would know that if they succeeded in killing off large groups of people, they would not have anyone to work in the mines or to build things and make money that they could tax to live in luxury.
One of the many things that God shows us is that people who choose to reject Him, are ignorant people. Pharaoh was a very ignorant man. Ten times God showed him that he was powerless. Yet he commanded his armies to follow him to their death. The children of Israel saw that army dead on the shores of the Red Sea, and yet they were not convinced to submit to the Lord.
God shows us that all people are the same. We are all brought into this world as lost sinners. As lost sinners we all make some very foolish choices in life. God gives every person the choice to know Him. He gives every individual the opportunity to know He is true.

Psalm 19:1  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

There is a “language” that God uses that all people can understand. The person born blind would not see the heavens, but God has other ways to show them His glory. God does not leave anyone without the ability to know Him. He is not willing that any should perish.
God’s design is for the general population to be led by a few wise men. Those few wise men are wise not because of their IQ but because they submit to God’s will and trust in Him. Moses was such a man.
In our text, he was told to gather the congregation of the children of Israel together and teach them further. He spoke with conviction and with authority. He was not a deluded man. He understood the importance of the fear of the LORD and he wanted his people to know the blessing of the LORD. Thus he willingly told them what God had told him.
Again, in verse 2 God reminded the people that they were to work six days of the week. God does not expect man to sit around and be idle. In today’s world, the philosophy of life is that we need pleasure to be happy. We have been led to believe that we must have days off for pleasure in order to be fulfilled. God does not show us this.
God says the nation of Israel needed to work six days of the week and the seventh day was to be a holy day. It was not a day for leisure. It was to be a day of different focus. It was a day when making money was not important. It was a day when learning Who the true God is, was to be the focus.
God gave Moses detailed instructions on the making of the Tabernacle. The people were to come to that place to bring their offerings. They were to stop their pursuit of things, and seek after truth. The seventh day was to be a very important day to them. We see that in many ways. God repeated that instruction to them many times.
God reminded them that the purpose of the seventh day was for them to stop their busyness and to turn their attention to knowing Him. God reminded them here, that any Jew that would not follow His command for the seventh day, was to be put to death. God did not want rebellion. He did not want disobedience to be rewarded. He wanted the people to learn the fear of the LORD.
There is nothing to be gained in being greedy. Sure there are people who have more of this earth’s treasures. They have nicer houses and fancier cars. They have more money in the bank and they can spend more money. They are not happier than the person who walks in the fear of the LORD. Many of them are so full of themselves, that they refuse to see just how empty their lives are.
In verse 3 we see that even lighting a fire was not allowed on the sabbath day. Those Gentiles who think they want to keep the sabbath today, should do some serious study of the sabbath laws. They would soon discover, that they would not really want to keep the sabbath. It is when man chooses to make himself god, that he can boast of his sabbath keeping.
Jesus taught that the sabbath was made for man. It was designed to bless man, not to cripple man. We have noted, that one day of rest in seven is a good thing for all people. The rest God speaks of is not a day of inactivity and sleeping in. It is a day where the focus and energy is redirected away from self and to God.
True churches should be packed on the Lord’s day. The Lord’s day is not the “Christian sabbath”. The Lord’s day should be just as it says — the Lord’s day. The central thing for that day should be to attend a true local church. The pursuit of godliness is a worthy pursuit. Without that in a person’s life, nothing else will benefit him.
Those who are older should be able to see that things are not better in Canada today than they were when they were younger. You might have more of this world’s goods, but you also know that things have become much more expensive than they used to be. You should be able to see that we are not better off for all the things that are available to us. You should be able to see that our “leaders” do not have any worthy solutions to the problems we are facing.
You can listen to your favourite podcast and you can listen to that favourite speaker, but do you ever stop to analyze what they say. It may be entertaining to you, but what good are words if they have no true authority behind them.
To listen to a speech made by a politician is a waste of time. They babble on and say nothing of value. They promise things that sound nice if you do not think and they accomplish nothing.
Forty years the nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness. During that forty years a generation died. A new generation was born. They were taught the importance of trusting in the LORD. When they entered Canaan, they had been taught to walk in the fear of the LORD. Jericho fell because they obeyed God. Ai did not fall because one family chose not to obey God.
Listening to God is essential to success. That has always been true. Without it life is of no benefit. The children of Israel had great opportunities to choose wisely. God looked after all their needs for forty years. They just needed to listen to Him and learn of Him.
Today, we live in different parts of the world, and in different socio/economic environments. It does not matter where you live, the key to life is to know the Giver of life. When you know the true God, He will guide you into the right way of living. He will bless you with the inner peace that will bless your outer life.
Pastor Bartel