Listen up, little ones
Listen for the word sabbath.
Reading
Exodus 20:8–11, Deuteronomy 5:12–15 Remember/Observe
Optional Reading
2 Chron 36:22-23
Keys for kids
- We are to remember the Sabbath.
- We are to observe the Sabbath.
- We are to do (celebrate) the Sabbath.
Questions
- Do you look forward to the Lord’s Day each week? Why/Why not?
- How can we remember the Sabbath?
- How can we observe the Sabbath?
Notes
Friday’s here. Jump and cheer. Shabbat is coming. … Hurray! Shabbat is here! So begins the children’s book, Shabbat is Coming! Do we have that attitude about Sunday, the Lord’s Day? It’s Thursday, Sunday’s coming! It’s Friday, Sunday’s coming soon! It’s Saturday, Sunday is tomorrow! Hurray, it’s the Lord’s Day! Sunday is here!
The Exodus account of the fourth commandment uses the Hebrew word zākar that is translated remember most of the time. The Deuteronomy account uses the Hebrew word šāmar that is usually translated keep, guard, or observe. According to the TWOT, the basic idea of the root is to exercise great care over.
There does seem to be, in the words our LORD used, a slight difference in emphasis that some others have noted. Remember, of course has a backward look. And the Deuteronomy account also includes remembering, You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt (Deut. 5:15). Observe, however, tends to point forward. I think it’s reasonable to conclude that the observing in Deuteronomy is complementary to the remembering in Exodus. One is to look back, remembering the Sabbath past, even as one prepares to observe the Sabbath to come.
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 122a, 10a
Prayer
- Pray that you will look forward to the Lord’s Day each week.
- Pray for the reading and preaching of God’s word tomorrow.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.