Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Remember that you were a slave in the land of EgyptThis phrase serves as a reminder of Israel's past bondage and suffering under Egyptian rule. The historical context is the Israelites' enslavement, which lasted approximately 400 years, as described in Exodus 1. This period of slavery is a foundational narrative for the Jewish people, emphasizing God's deliverance and faithfulness. Theologically, it underscores the theme of redemption, a motif that runs throughout the Bible. The memory of slavery is intended to foster humility and gratitude among the Israelites, reminding them of their dependence on God. and that the LORD your God brought you out of there
This highlights God's direct intervention in liberating the Israelites. The phrase emphasizes God's sovereignty and power, as He alone orchestrated their deliverance. The Exodus event is central to Israel's identity and is frequently referenced throughout Scripture (e.g., Exodus 20:2, Psalm 81:10). It serves as a type of Christ's redemptive work, where Jesus delivers believers from the bondage of sin. with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm
This expression is a metaphor for God's strength and active involvement in the Exodus. It conveys the idea of divine power and authority, often used in the Old Testament to describe God's miraculous acts (e.g., Deuteronomy 4:34, Psalm 136:12). The imagery of a "mighty hand" and "outstretched arm" suggests both power and protection, reinforcing God's role as a warrior and deliverer. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day
The command to observe the Sabbath is rooted in the memory of liberation. The Sabbath serves as a sign of the covenant between God and Israel (Exodus 31:13) and is a day of rest and worship. It is a reminder of God's creation rest (Genesis 2:2-3) and a symbol of the rest and freedom found in Him. Theologically, the Sabbath points forward to the ultimate rest found in Christ (Hebrews 4:9-10), who offers spiritual rest and liberation from sin. The observance of the Sabbath is a call to remember God's past deliverance and to trust in His ongoing provision and care. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites who delivered God's commandments, including the reminder of their deliverance from Egypt. 2. IsraelitesThe people of God who were enslaved in Egypt and later delivered by God's mighty acts. 3. EgyptThe land where the Israelites were enslaved for centuries before God delivered them. 4. The LORD (Yahweh)The God of Israel who delivered His people from slavery with power and authority. 5. Sabbath DayA day of rest commanded by God as a sign of His covenant and a reminder of His deliverance. Teaching Points The Importance of RemembranceRemembering past deliverance is crucial for faith. Just as the Israelites were to remember their slavery and deliverance, Christians are called to remember their deliverance from sin through Christ. God's Mighty DeliveranceThe phrase "mighty hand and an outstretched arm" highlights God's power and faithfulness. Believers can trust in God's ability to deliver them from their own struggles and challenges. Sabbath as a Covenant SignThe Sabbath is not just a day of rest but a sign of God's covenant with His people. It serves as a reminder of His provision and care. Spiritual Rest in ChristWhile the Sabbath was a physical rest, it points to the spiritual rest found in Jesus. Christians are invited to enter this rest by trusting in Christ's finished work. Obedience to God's CommandsObserving the Sabbath was an act of obedience and trust in God. Similarly, Christians are called to obey God's commands as an expression of their faith and trust in Him. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the command to remember the Israelites' slavery in Egypt relate to our need to remember our own spiritual deliverance? 2. In what ways can we see God's "mighty hand and outstretched arm" in our lives today? 3. How does the concept of Sabbath rest in the Old Testament connect to the spiritual rest offered in Christ? 4. What are some practical ways we can observe a day of rest in our busy modern lives, and how can this practice deepen our relationship with God? 5. How can reflecting on God's past faithfulness encourage us to trust Him with our current challenges and future uncertainties? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 20:8-11This passage also commands the observance of the Sabbath, linking it to God's creation work and rest. Exodus 13:3Reminds the Israelites to remember their deliverance from Egypt, emphasizing the importance of memory in worship. Hebrews 4:9-10Discusses the concept of rest, connecting the Sabbath rest to the spiritual rest found in Christ. Isaiah 63:12Describes God's mighty hand and outstretched arm, emphasizing His power in delivering His people. Psalm 136:12Celebrates God's enduring love and mighty acts, including the deliverance from Egypt. People MosesPlaces Beth-baal-peor, Egypt, HorebTopics Arm, Bondman, Bringing, Commanded, Egypt, Hast, Mighty, Mind, Observe, Orders, Outstretched, Out-stretched, Powerful, Reason, Remember, Remembered, Sabbath, Sabbath-day, Servant, Slave, Slaves, Stretched, Stretched-out, Strong, Thence, WastDictionary of Bible Themes Deuteronomy 5:15 1210 God, human descriptions
1265 hand of God
1315 God, as redeemer
5246 captivity
7021 church, OT anticipations
8670 remembering Deuteronomy 5:6-21 1443 revelation, OT
7263 theocracy
8412 decisions Deuteronomy 5:12-15 4921 day
5057 rest, physical
8444 honouring God Library Prayer and Obedience
"An obedience discovered itself in Fletcher of Madeley, which I wish I could describe or imitate. It produced in him a ready mind to embrace every cross with alacrity and pleasure. He had a singular love for the lambs of the flock, and applied himself with the greatest diligence to their instruction, for which he had a peculiar gift. . . . All his intercourse with me was so mingled with prayer and praise, that every employment, and every meal was, as it were, perfumed therewith." -- JOHN WESLEY. …
Edward M. Bounds—The Necessity of PrayerThe Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 "They have Corrupted Themselves; their Spot is not the Spot of his Children; they are a Perverse and Crooked Generation. "
Deut. xxxii. 5.--"They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a perverse and crooked generation." We doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves as Moses gives. It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebellious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us how free his choice is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choice. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Everlasting Covenant of the Spirit
"They shall be My people, and l will be their God. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me."--JER. xxxii. 38, 40. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants Jesus Fails to Attend the Third Passover.
Scribes Reproach Him for Disregarding Tradition. (Galilee, Probably Capernaum, Spring a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XV. 1-20; ^B Mark VII. 1-23; ^D John VII. 1. ^d 1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judæa, because the Jews sought to kill him. [John told us in his last chapter that the passover was near at hand. He here makes a general statement which shows that Jesus did not attend this passover. The reason for his absence is given at John v. 18.] ^a 1 Then there …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Angel of the Lord in the Pentateuch, and the Book of Joshua.
The New Testament distinguishes between the hidden God and the revealed God--the Son or Logos--who is connected with the former by oneness of nature, and who from everlasting, and even at the creation itself, filled up the immeasurable distance between the Creator and the creation;--who has been the Mediator in all God's relations to the world;--who at all times, and even before He became man in Christ, has been the light of [Pg 116] the world,--and to whom, specially, was committed the direction …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Mount Zion.
"For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them: for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews The Foundations of Good Citizenship.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.--Ex. 20:1-17. Parallel Readings. Hist. Bible I, 194-198. Prin. of Politics, Chap. II. Lowell, Essay on "Democracy." Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou …
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Deuteronomy 5:15 NIVDeuteronomy 5:15 NLTDeuteronomy 5:15 ESVDeuteronomy 5:15 NASBDeuteronomy 5:15 KJV
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