Exodus 31:12-18

The Lord said to Moses: You yourself are to speak to the Israelites: ‘You shall keep my sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, given in order that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.¹ You shall keep the sabbath, because it is holy for you; everyone who profanes it shall be put to death;² whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from among the people.³ For six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest,⁴ holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall be put to death.⁵ Therefore the Israelites shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign for ever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.’⁶

When God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.⁷

1 God completes his instructions with Moses by reminding him to have everyone keep the Sabbath. This time, the Sabbath is to be kept a a sign of the Israelites' sanctification before God, to be remembered for all generations.

2 Once again, an incredible penalty is due those who profane the Holy day..

3 Apparently, doing work on the Sabbath is not equal to “profaning” it, but is still quite bad.

4 A second reason is given – the Sabbath is to be a day of rest.

5 Now it says that doing work on the Sabbath DOES receive penalty of death.

6 The rest of the Sabbath is tied to the creation of the Earth by God.

7 Much instruction was given Moses, but the instruction etched into tablets by the finger of God clearly has the highest honor.

Take-home: All of the instructions on the building of God's sanctuary are finalized with a reminder to keep the covenant. While before, rest for slaves and animals and a day “for the Lord” were given as the reasons for the Sabbath, here the sign of sanctification from God and the analogy of rest (with God's rest after creation) are given as the reasons. Failure to practice the sabbath results in very severe punishment.