Exodus 20:16 No False Testimony

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

Exodus 20:16 (NIV)

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I thought I would take a look at various verses which deal with this matter of false testimony against a neighbor.  Several things come to mind.  The first is that those who give such false testimony against another person in the Bible usually are deemed to be among the lowest of the low.  Often they are convinced by others to do their dirty work of discrediting others.  Usually money or some material possession or even jealousy is involved.  Let's look at some examples from the Bible:

• I think of King Ahab, goaded on by his wife Jezebel to get what he wanted (in this case, a garden plot belonging to another Israelite named Naboth).  Now, if Ahab had been following God he wouldn't have married Jezebel in the first place, for she was the daughter of a Canaanite ruler, and by her behavior we see that she had not converted to the true God.  Ahab probably married her to help seal some type of alliance between himself and her father.  Jezebel was probably used to her own father getting what he wanted by whatever means necessary, and she couldn't understand why Ahab, as king, didn't just seize this garden from Naboth if he wanted it.  [Naboth wouldn't give up the plot for it was part of the tribal inheritance which God had given to his family.]  When Ahab couldn't bring himself to seize such an inheritance, yet continued to sulk about the matter, Jezebel took matters into her own hands and wrote letters to the elders and nobles of Naboth's city instructing them to hire two men to bear false witness against N. and say that he had cursed God and the king.  Such a charge was punishable by death, and Jezebel planned this charge so that Naboth would be killed.  She probably reasoned that Naboth's property could then be seized by the king.  For money, these evildoers falsely testified against Naboth and he was put to death.  Afterwards, Ahab went to take possession of the property.  However, Ahab and Jezebel failed to consider that God knew what they had done, and both eventually received severe punishment for Naboths's murder:  Ahab's family line was decimated and Jezebel was eaten by dogs.  You can find the whole story in I Kings 21.                .
• I also thought of how Judas betrayed Jesus.  Judas kept the money for the group of disciples and already had been stealing from it.  In fact, he was dismayed when Mary broke a jar of expensive perfume and used it to anoint Jesus' feet.  Outwardly he claimed to be concerned that the perfume should have been sold and the money used for the poor.  However, inwardly, he probably resented that he was now unable to get his hands on any of the proceeds which would have been in his possession.  When Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss of greeting (a signal which he had prearranged with the officials), he was, although informally, giving false testimony of his own, for he was acting as though Jesus was his master, while actually treating him as an evildoer and betraying him to his accusers.  In this case, Judas occupied a similar position as the guys from the marketplace in Jezebel's plot above.  He was being used by others, for his own monetary gain, to give a false testimony against a righteous man.  See Matthew 26:47-27:10 for this account.
• The apostle Paul was also often falsely accused by others as he went about preaching the gospel.  People either lauded him as a god, or accused him of evildoing, according to the mood of the moment.  Sometimes they would do both in the same afternoon.  Acts 14:8-20
• Paul himself (before he became a Christian) had participated in the false accusations against many of the believers, voting for their death or imprisonment.  He had also been an accomplice in the murder of the deacon [and first Christian martyr] Stephen, by watching the cloaks of the ones who stoned Stephen to death.  Acts 7 and 8:1-3.  See Paul's own words on his actions against the Christians in Acts 26:1-11.
• Haman [again, with that unholy trio of prideful jealousy, selfish ambition, and greed for ill-gotten money] tried to have Mordecai the Jew hung by falsely accusing him.  Haman, too, was goaded on by his wife.  Haman's rage was such that he also wanted to wipe out all of the Jews because of his hatred toward Mordecai.  Why?  Mordecai had refused to bow to him.  Haman's false testimony against Mordecai and the other Jews resulted in him getting himself hung upon the very gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai.  To this day, on the feast of Purim, Jews revile Mordecai's actions as this story is read.  See the book of Esther for the whole story. 

As I listed these examples, [and space does not permit listing all of them here, although if they are in the Scriptures they will be covered eventually as we proceed], I marveled at how such false testimony was so very common.  Perhaps that is why there are so many Scriptures about it.  Here are just some of them:

Exodus 23:1 and 23:7
Deuteronomy 5:20 and 19:18
Psalm 24:4; 27:12; 35:20
Proverbs 6:19; 12:17; 13:5; 14:5; 14:25; 19:5; 19:9; 25:18
Isaiah 29:21
Hosea 10:4
Malachi 2:6
Matthew 7:15; 15:19; 19:18; 24:11; 24:24;26:59-60;
Mark 10:19; 13:22; 14:57
Luke 18:20
Acts 6:13
Ephesians 4:25
Revelation 22:15

No wonder, then, that the prohibition against false testimony was included in the Ten Commandments. 

Exodus 20:15 You Shall Not Steal

"You shall not steal."

Exodus 20:15 (NIV)

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One of the best commentaries on this verse is a note found in the NIV Study Bible on Exodus 20:15:

"Stealing deprives others of what God has entrusted to them."

We usually focus upon the injustice done to the victim of a thief, but the above comment puts the emphasis upon what is truly important:  God gave that person every thing which they have.  How dare anyone steal it and think that they will get away with the matter?

As Proverbs 5:21 states,

"For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths."

Therefore, to think that someone can take something which belongs to another, and get away with it, is the height of foolishness.  Of course, a thief may think for a while that he has gotten away with stealing, but perhaps he should consider that the LORD is merely being merciful and giving him time to repent and change his ways.

Exodus chapter 22 (which is coming up shortly in our commentary) will deal more extensively with this matter of stealing and the measures used to punish a thief and protect personal property, so I won't go into all those verses right now.  However, when I think about this verse in Exodus 20:15, another set of verses always comes to mind.  These verses offer a solution for the one who is often tempted to steal.  Since one of the purposes of this blog is to help us understand God's Word so that we can do what pleases Him, I figure that this is a useful way to proceed in this case.

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians in the New Testament, he is speaking in chapter 4 of how Christians should "...put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its sinful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."(v.22-24)  He goes on to explain that we should put off falsehood and speak truthfully with one another, and deal correctly with anger so that the devil does not gain a foothold in our lives. (v. 25-27).  Then these verses on stealing come along:

"He who has been stealing

must steal no longer,

but must work,

doing something useful with his own hands,

that he may have something to share with those in need."

Ephesians 4:28 (NIV)

We see that the focus has completely changed from a selfish grasping after what others have, to a mindset where one works in an honest fashion in order to

                                             1) provide for himself and, also,

                                             2) to have enough to be able to give to others.

One who has come to believe in God does not need to steal in order to have what is necessary for life.  Remember,

 "God is able to make all grace abound to you,

so that in all things at all times,

having all that you need,

you will abound in every good work.

As it is written,

'He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,

his righteousness endures forever.'

Now he who supplies seed to the sower

and bread for food

will also increase your store of seed

and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be made rich in every way

so that you can be generous on every occasion,

and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."

II Corinthians 9:8-11 (NIV)

I notice in the above verses that our needs will be met "in all things at all times".  These few words certainly cover every situation of need which we may encounter.

I also noticed that we "...will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion,..." 

not so that we can spend our riches upon ourselves.

Finally, the purpose of our generosity should be that we give so that thanksgiving goes to God, not to ourselves. 

  

Exodus 20:14 Don't Commit Adultery

"You shall not commit adultery."

Exodus 20:14 (NIV)

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Only five words are needed to express this command, but what an important concept is held within it.  When one makes vows before God to take someone as a husband or a wife, those vows certainly ought to be kept.  Hebrews 13:4 is particularly clear in this regard:

"Marriage should be honored by all,

and the marriage bed kept pure,

for God will judge the adulterer

and all the sexually immoral.

Hebrews 13:4 (NIV)

There are plenty of temptations out there trying to wear down the foundations of a marriage.  We need to guard our thoughts and make wise decisions about relationships with the opposite sex.  I have seen way too many believers start out with good intentions and then gradually drift into an adulterous situation.  You may tell yourself that he/she is 'only a friend', or 'only a co-worker' or 'has similar interests', but turning to another person for something (even emotionally) that a wife or husband should be providing is dangerous.  I doubt anyone means for things to go that way.  You know that saying where "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."?  It is easy to think that some other person is better than the spouse which God has given you, more understanding, more interesting, etc.  However, this is actually an immature kind of thinking, for it does not take into account the fact that everyone has weaknesses and/or sins that are unattractive.

Don't let yourself be caught into this trap which has ensnared countless others.  I am not saying that married people can't have friends who are of the opposite sex.  I am saying that we are sinners, and that we need to be honest with ourselves about our motives.  Do I really just want to help this person, or am I physically attracted to him/her or enjoy the way they compliment my efforts?

Also, we need to avoid putting ourselves into situations which could become compromising.  A little forethought can keep us out of situations which could end up destroying a marriage.  Find someone else (of the same sex) to counsel that woman who is distraught over her failed relationship, or that man who complains that his wife doesn't understand him.

What about situations which seem out of our control?  Some people are very bold in their advances, even toward married people.  Remember Joseph, the Israelite who had been sold as a slave to Potiphar in Egypt?  He was just faithfully going about his duties when Potiphar's unfaithful wife started to make advances toward him.  At first, Joseph wisely just stayed out of her way and avoided contact with her.  He also explained to her that for him to commit adultery with her would be an offense not only against her husband, but against God.   Then, when she would still not take "No" for an answer, he fled her presence, even leaving his cloak behind.  (See Genesis 39 for the full story.)

Such radical commitment to avoid anything that would jeopardize the purity of the marriage relationship is also evident in Jesus' instructions to his followers regarding avoiding adultery:

"You have heard that it was said,

'Do not commit adultery.'

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully

has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye causes you to sin,

gouge it out and throw it away.

It is better for you to lose one part of your body

than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin,

cut it off and throw it away.

It is better for you to lose one part of your body

than for your whole body to go into hell."

Matthew 5:27-30 (NIV)

Now before you go cutting anything off or gouging out your eye, let me just say that Jesus is not teaching people to mutilate themselves.  Think about it:  Even blind or one-handed persons can still have lust in their hearts.  Jesus is just saying that we should take sin extremely seriously, and deal with it as drastically as necessary before it destroys us.  Destroys us?  Isn't that a little overstated?  Nope.  Check it out:

Romans 6:21 "What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?  Those things result in death!"

Romans 6:23  "The wages of sin is death..."

James 1:15 "Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

No wonder God wants us to take sin seriously.

We always seem to focus on the couple themselves when discussing this verse, which is reasonable, for it is their relationship which we are talking about.  However, I think that one of the reasons why marriages are so prone to attack is that the marriage relationship is a picture of the relationship between God and His people.  Often, marriage imagery is used in Scripture to illustrate the self-sacrificing love and care of the Lover for his beloved.  Imagery about adultery is used to illustrate the unfaithfulness of those who turn away from their relationship with God to follow another 'god'.  This verse from Hosea illustrates all of these concepts:

"The LORD said to me,

'Go, show your love to your wife again,

although she is loved by another and is an adulteress.

Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites,

though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."

Hosea 3:1 (NIV)

In that passage it is easy to see the self-sacrificing love Hosea will show to his adulterous wife by allowing her to return to him despite her unfaithfulness.  In the same way, the LORD allowed the Israelites to return to Him when they repented, despite the many times they turned to idolatry.  If we are honest, we will also see that this is exactly the same way that the LORD allows us to repent and return to Him despite our own unfaithfulness.  [By the way, the part about the raisin cakes is that these were used as offerings to Baal.]

That's all I have on that for now, although books could (and have been) written on these subjects.

Exodus 20:13 Don't Murder

"You shall not murder."

Exodus 20:13 (NIV)

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This is a familiar commandment. It seems very obvious:  Of course you can't just go around killing people.  However, this raises some questions, doesn't it?

• If we are not supposed to murder, why are killings which occur during wars considered justifiable?

• Why did God sometimes command the Israelites to wipe out other nations?

• Does the New Testament forbid all killing?

Let's take a look at some of these issues.

Why is killing during war considered justifiable?  First of all, in the commandment above, the word for 'murder' refers to a different concept than "kill".  To kill someone, according to the Oxford Desk Dictionary, is to "cause death or the death of".  Murder, on the other hand is defined as the "intentional unlawful killing of a human being by another".  Murder has more of a premeditated, deliberate intent to it.  If someone attacks me and tries to take my life, I might kill that individual in order to save my life, and that would be justified.  However, if I am angry at someone and lie in wait to kill that person, it is considered murder.  Both ways a person ends up dead, but the latter action could result in the murderer going to jail, for it is an unlawful killing.

In times of war, individuals on both sides are considered to be engaged in a battle, in which some will inevitably be killed.  That does not make such killing any less horrific, but it is considered lawful.  However, if in the course of that battle a soldier decided to deliberately wreak revenge upon some civilians which are present, it becomes a whole other issue, and such soldiers could be prosecuted for murder.  I imagine it gets very difficult to distinguish between self defense and revenge attacks when the 'civilians' are also engaged in a kind of guerrilla warfare.  In that case it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between combatants and civilians.  During times of war, even innocent civilians could be mistaken for combatants and killed, when the soldier had no intent to murder.  Although human juries might have difficulty judging the lawfulness of specific acts of killing, God has no such difficulty, for He is able to judge the thoughts and intents of a person's heart.

Why did God sometimes command the Israelites to wipe out other nations? This is a difficult concept to understand.  I think of the example of the destruction of the city of Jericho.  In that case, the Israelites were commanded to kill all of the people of Jericho, except a woman named Rahab and whatever family she had gathered within her home.  Rahab had been spared because she had hidden the Israelite spies who had previously come to reconnoiter the city.  She had heard of what the LORD had done to the Egyptians, and had seemed to have come to the realization that God was the only true God.  Joshua, the commander of the LORD's army, made certain that she and her family were evacuated before destroying the city.

No mention is made of an attempt to convince the rest of the city's inhabitants that the LORD was God.  However, it is interesting to note that, years before, God had told Abraham that part of the reason why He was sending the Israelites down to Egypt (for the next 400 years!) was that "...the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."  (See Genesis 15:13-16).  In other words, God was giving the Amorite people 400 additional years to repent.  The fact that Rahab (in Jericho) had heard of the works of the LORD in faraway Egypt tells me that word traveled through the grapevine back to her area in much the same way that news travels today.  [No, they didn't have television or the internet, but travelers, traders, soldiers and family members were able to bring news of events occurring in other lands.]  Apparently no one else except Rahab (and possibly some of her family) had turned to acknowledge the LORD.   (Once again, only the LORD, who knows people's hearts and minds, could determine when enough was enough and that the time and opportunity for repentance had passed.)

My point is that often we do not have the whole picture when we read about various tragedies which occur in the Bible, or even, in our own lives. God does, though, and since He is sinless, pure and righteous, He will never indiscriminately wipe out people or nations without cause.

God was bringing His people Israel into the land which He had promised them, the land which God had given years before to Abraham and his descendants forever.  (See Genesis 15:17-21).  The Israelites had left Egypt exactly on schedule, to the very day (Exodus 12:40-41).  Jericho was the first city they would encounter on their way into the promised land.  All of the above may account for the LORD's instructions to destroy the city's inhabitants in this case.


Does the New Testament forbid all killing?

Interestingly, in the New Testament, Jesus seems to take the provision against murder even further. In Matthew 5, Jesus says:

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago,

'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.

Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca', is answerable to the Sanhedrin.

But anyone who says 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar

and there remember that your brother has something against you,

leave your gift there in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to your brother;

then come and offer your gift."

Matthew 5:21-24 (NIV)

First, it is important to know that right before this passage, in Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus made clear that He was not casting the Law aside.  Instead, Jesus often emphasized the principles behind the Law and preached against a mere external keeping of the Law in order to gain righteousness with God, while inwardly actually continuing to violate the spirit of the Law.  In this passage in Matthew and in the chapters which follow it, Jesus exposes the Pharisaical interpretation of the Law and their view of 'righteousness by works'.  Such legalism could result in a rather schizophrenic type of 'righteousness' in which it was possible for these Pharisees to chasten Jesus for the way He or his disciples kept the Sabbath, while simultaneously  plotting to put Jesus to death.  See Matthew 12:1-14 for an example of this.

In the Matthew 5:17-20 passage, Jesus is not setting up a contrast between His own teaching and that of the Old Testament.  Rather, He is contrasting the external keeping of the Law under the rabbinic tradition with his own correct interpretation of the Law.  In this case, we get the idea that even small conflicts can escalate to the point of murder, and that it was best to deal with that anger before it got to that point and, most importantly, before we even consider appearing before God with an offering.  To bring an outward offering to God while internally simmering in a state of conflict with a brother or sister is not acceptable to God.

Exodus 20:12 Honor Your Father and Your Mother

"Honor your father and your mother,

so that you may live long

in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

Exodus 20:12 (NIV)

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In speaking of all of the commandments which the LORD gave to Israel, Deuteronomy 6:1-2 says this:

"These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God
directed me to teach you to observe
in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 

so that you, your children and their children after them 

may fear the LORD your God as long as you live

by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you,

and so that you may enjoy long life."

Deuteronomy 6:1-2 (NIV)

One purpose of giving such laws was an act of love, so that the Israelites might fear the LORD and enjoy a long life in the land which God was giving them.  In the New Testament, another purpose mentioned for the law in the book of Galatians is this:

"...if a law had been given that could impart life,

then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.

But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin,

so that what was promised,

being given through faith in Jesus Christ,

might be given to those who believe.

Before this faith came,

we were held prisoners by the law,

locked up until faith should be revealed.

So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ

that we might be justified by faith."

Galatians 3:21-24 (NIV)

In other words, the law showed us that we are sinful, for we find that no matter how hard we try, we cannot keep it perfectly.  The law leads us to Christ, the Savior, by making us realize our need for such a savior.  By faith in Jesus' death on the cross for our sins, we can find forgiveness for our sins and His perfect righteousness is registered in our account.  Because our sins (former and future) are paid for by Christ's death, we are no longer separated from God by our sins, and His Spirit lives in us and helps us to live in a way that is pleasing to Him.

[However, I am getting ahead of the story.  Sometimes I have to, so that we can catch a glimpse of how all this fits together.  All these things will be covered in greater detail as they come up in the Scriptures.]

God commands us to honor our father and our mother.  This is, as Paul notes in Ephesians 6:2, "...the first commandment with a promise -- that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."  [Peter is quoting from Deuteronomy 5:16 here.]

I think we can readily understand that a child who obeys his or her parents is a basic building block for a stable society.  If a child will not submit to parental authority, how do we think he or she will respond to other authorities?  Parents who allow their little ones to rule the home should not be surprised when they grow up to be people who refuse to submit to any other authorities.  They never learned how to do so.  So it is a real responsibility for us to learn how to lovingly yet firmly discipline our children.  It is not easy, but we are doing something which sets them on a course in life which is for their own good.

What kind of benefits await those who do obey their parents?  Well, for one thing, this verse speaks of long life as a benefit.  Perhaps this is because parents actually do know some things which can lead to a long, happy life.  Remember "eat your vegetables"?  Nutritionists are falling over themselves these days clamoring for us to eat our vegetables because of their many benefits, but mom and dad knew it all along.  They also said things like "Get plenty of sleep", "stay away from troublemakers", and taught us that we can't just haul off and whack those who annoy us.  They taught us many other things as well:  how to keep ourselves (and our living spaces) clean, how to save, how to keep our promises, how to eat in moderation, how to work, how to love.  These are only a tiny bit of the many things which they imparted to us.  What if we said "NO!" to all of that?

Also in the original verse above (Exodus 20:12) is the promise that the Israelites would live long in the land which God had given them.  Obedient children help form that stable society we were speaking of earlier.  It was all part of those instructions which God was giving them so that they would be well and happy and pleasing to Him.

Other Scriptures which speak of honoring parents are as follows:

Ephesians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the LORD."  (Note: "in everything" means "in everything which is not sinful", of course.  I do not believe the LORD wants us to obey a parent who orders us to participate in something sinful.  See Acts 5:29 to see how Paul answers authorities which have ordered him not to teach about Jesus.  Paul is calm and respectful of their position, yet says "We must obey God rather than men!" (Acts 5:29 NIV)

  

2 Timothy 3:1-5 includes "disobedient to their parents" in a list of sinful behaviors which describe how unbelievers will be "...in the last days".

Romans 1:28-32 gives another such list of even more blatantly sinful behavior. [The 2 Timothy 3:1-5 list was largely interior attitudes which might not readily show].  "They disobey their parents" was listed right along with things like "depravity", "murder", "heartless", "ruthless","God-haters", etc.

OK, I think we get the picture.  Once again, God (and our parents) know what they are talking about:  Honoring Dad and Mom really is another thing which God has commanded us for our own good.

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PS:  Just a word about aging parents:  The honor and respect for them is never supposed to end.  Their position of authority over us changes when we grow to adulthood or marry, but we are always to treat them in a loving, respectful way.  Even if they have not always treated us perfectly.  Even if they are getting senile.  Forgiveness, patience and understanding are qualities which we can all stand to develop more fully in our lives.

"Listen to your father, who gave you life,

and do not despise your mother when she is old."

Proverbs 23:22 (NIV)   

Exodus 20:8-11 Keep the Sabbath Holy

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.

On it you shall not do any work,

neither you, nor your son or daughter,

nor your manservant or maidservant,

nor your animals,

nor the alien within your gates.

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth,

the sea and all that is in them,

but he rested on the seventh day.

Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)

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This has always been an interesting commandment to me.  We know that the Jews celebrated the Sabbath on Saturday.  So why did the Jewish followers of Jesus change their worship day to Sunday?  I read that because Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday morning, believers signaled the earth-shattering importance of that resurrection by celebrating together on that day of  the week.  That was a good explanation, but I always wondered about that change because the rest of the commandments were still being observed as given:  worship God alone, don't make idols, don't misuse God's name, honor your father and mother, don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't give false witness against your neighbor, don't covet your neighbor's wife, house or possessions.  At the giving of the commandments no specific instructions were given regarding which day (Saturday or Sunday) was the Sabbath, aside from the fact that it was the seventh day.  However, we can find a precedent in the fact that after six days of creating the world, God rested from His work on the seventh day, which became known as the Sabbath.  So it would seem to make sense that the same pattern would continue.  In fact, some people maintain that the Sabbath had been observed by God's people since that time of creation, even before the Commandments were given.

I knew that Jesus had sometimes upset people by His behavior on the Sabbath.  He did attend synagogue, but He also did things which bothered the Jewish religious leaders, like healing people on the Sabbath, or allowing His disciples to grab a snack from the surrounding fields on the Sabbath [a practice which was perfectly acceptable, by the way, as long as you didn't go over the line and take a large quantity, which would have been considered to be harvesting someone else's field and thus, stealing.]  Jesus was grieved by the lack of love or concern for other humans which these religious leaders demonstrated when they questioned his healing of a man on the Sabbath, especially since these same leaders would have seen no problem with their own actions of feeding or helping one of their own animals if they were hungry or distressed on a Sabbath.  Yet apparently these religious leaders could not extend the same concern toward a fellow man.  This grieved Jesus, who went ahead and healed the guy anyway despite their objections.

So what was the purpose of the Sabbath?  When God rested from His work at creation, it was not for the purposing of renewing His strength after His labors -- for the Scriptures maintain that:

"...The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom."

Isaiah 40:28 (NIV)

I always thought that when the Scriptures said that God rested on that first Sabbath, it meant that He just stepped back for a while to admire His work, much as an artist takes a moment to step back after finishing his work to enjoy it for a bit.  Likewise, when we worship God, we step back for a while out from the normal routines of the week in order to remember our Creator and appreciate what He has done for us...to remember Who He is and Whose people we are.

Also, Jesus said that "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27-28 NIV)  The NIV Study Bible has a good explanation of these verses:  "Jewish tradition had so multiplied the requirements and restrictions for keeping the Sabbath that the burden had become intolerable.  Jesus cut across these traditions and emphasized the God-given purpose of the Sabbath -- a day intended for the benefit of people (for rest from daily labors, allowing spiritual, mental and physical restoration...".

It would be a profitable exercise to use a concordance (a book which lists every occurrence of a particular word/phrase in the Bible) to take all the verses in the Old and and New Testaments and see what is written about the Sabbath.  I have covered some of the main points about the Sabbath here, but you can probably glean many further insights by studying the verses about it for yourself.

This discussion is not over, but I will move on for now.  If I find any interesting thoughts on the subject of this commandment, I will add them here.
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OK, I already found an interesting verse:  Colossians 2:16-18 says "Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration, or a Sabbath day.  These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."