In Exodus 31:12–18, God gives Israel the gift of Sabbath—a holy rhythm of stopping, resting, and remembering who they are and whose they are. This week in The God Who Comes Near, Dave VanOpstall helped us reflect on Sabbath not as one more obligation, but as an invitation to trust God enough to stop. I’ve included small group resources here.
Small Group Questions
Sabbath Rest
Exodus 31:12-18
Icebreaker
When you hear the word rest, what kind of rest do you instinctively picture—and what kind of rest do you actually need most these days?
Think of a time when you were able to simply enjoy something good—a meal, a place, music, people you love, something you made, something beautiful. What made it possible for you to be fully present to it?
A Sign Between God and His People
Read Exodus 31:12–13 NIV
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.
Discussion
- God calls the Sabbath a “sign” between himself and Israel. What does a sign do? What was Sabbath meant to communicate—to Israel themselves, to the people around them, and to God?
- Verse 13 says, “I am the LORD, who makes you holy.” How does that statement challenge the idea that our worth, identity, or spiritual maturity is something we produce for ourselves?
- What might our inability—or unwillingness—to stop reveal about what we believe about ourselves or about God?
- Travis West describes Sabbath as an invitation to rest, connection, and delight rather than simply a day when we stop working. Which of those three—rest, connection, or delight—comes most naturally to you? Which is hardest to receive?
Holy Time
Read Exodus 31:14–15 NIV
14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death.
Discussion
- God doesn’t merely tell Israel to rest; he calls the Sabbath “holy”. What would it mean to treat time—not just places, objects, or activities—as holy?
- The consequences for breaking Sabbath in this passage sound extraordinarily severe to modern ears. What does that severity tell us about how seriously God wanted Israel to take this practice? What questions does it raise for you?
- Imagine being part of Israel at this moment. There is important, God-given work to do: a tabernacle to build, craftsmanship to complete, worship to prepare. What might make stopping especially difficult when the work itself feels important—or even sacred?
- Where do you see a difference between resting because the work is finished and resting even though the work is not finished? Which one is harder for you?
- Sabbath rest is not something we earn after working hard enough; it is a gift. What changes when rest is understood as a starting place rather than a reward?
A Lasting Rhythm
Read Exodus 31:16–17 NIV
16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
- God points Israel back to the creation story: six days of creating, followed by the seventh day. Imagine the seventh day not as God collapsing after an exhausting week, but as God dwelling within and delighting in the world he has made. How does that change the way you picture Sabbath?
- Throughout Genesis 1, God repeatedly looks at what has been made and calls it good. If Sabbath involves delighting in what has already been given, what are some gifts in your life that busyness makes it easy to overlook?
- How might Sabbath become distorted if we treat it only as another religious obligation or another thing to “do correctly”?
- What is the difference between delight and escape? How can we tell when something is genuinely restoring us and helping us become more present rather than simply helping us avoid life?
- What might Sabbath teach us about abundance in a culture that constantly tells us we do not have enough, have not accomplished enough, or are falling behind?
- Jesus later says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Does that statement help you hear Exodus 31 differently?
Written by God
Read Exodus 31:18 NIV
18 When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
Discussion
- This verse closes the entire section of tabernacle instructions: God gives Moses the tablets “inscribed by the finger of God.” Why do you think the Sabbath command appears right before this moment?
- The tabernacle was about making space for God’s presence. How might Sabbath also create space for God’s presence?
- Think about the rhythms of your own life. Where is there currently space in which you are simply allowed to receive rather than accomplish, produce, fix, serve, or manage?
- The creation story pictures God making a world and then inhabiting and enjoying what has been made. The tabernacle gives Israel a place for God to dwell among them. How might Sabbath invite us to stop building long enough to actually live in the house?
- If Sabbath is ultimately an act of trust, what would you have to trust God with in order to stop?
Personal Application
- Finish this sentence in whatever way feels true for you right now: “If I believed the world could keep turning without me for a while, I would…”
- Where in your current life might God be inviting you not simply to do less, but to receive?
- What is one good gift already present in your life that you would like to become more attentive to and enjoy?
Closing Prayer
All: God of rest and delight, teach us to trust You enough to stop, to notice what is good, and to receive the gifts You have already given. Help us make room for Your presence and find our rest in You. Amen.
