The following quote is taken from
evilbible.com:
"Kill
People For Working on the Sabbath - "The LORD then gave these further
instructions to Moses: 'Tell the people of Israel to keep my Sabbath day, for
the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you forever. It
helps you to remember that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. Yes, keep
the Sabbath day, for it is holy. Anyone who desecrates it must die;
anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. Work six
days only, but the seventh day must be a day of total rest. I repeat:
Because the LORD considers it a holy day, anyone who works on the Sabbath must
be put to death.'"
(Exodus 31:12-15 NLT)
The Sabbath was God's gift to the Israelites, and part of
his lasting covenant with them. It was a
reminder to the people that God was in their midst. Just as he created the earth in six days and
then rested (Genesis 2:2-3), the Israelites were commanded to work six days in
the week and then rest on the seventh day (Exodus 20:8-11). The Sabbath was also instituted to remind
them of the Lord saving them from slavery in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15).
So why was capital punishment prescribed for breaking the
Sabbath? Since God made the Sabbath a
holy day, to break his commandment of resting on the Sabbath was a serious
offence. Working on the Sabbath was
considered an act of blatant defiance and rebellion, as grave as an act of high
treason. It was a deliberate denial of
God's sovereignty, his leadership and his authority. Worse than that, it showed utter contempt to
the one who saved the Israelites from perpetual slavery in Egypt. It was considered an act of rebellion and
ingratitude.
Again,
it
is important to note that capital punishment commands such as these were given
specifically to the nation of Israel during the time period and culture of the
Ancient Near East. The capital
punishments prescribed do not apply in our time period and culture (Romans
6:14; Galatians 3:24-26).
