The Chilling Stories Of Those Who Ignored Shabbat | You Won’t Believe What Happened

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In the Bible, keeping the Shabbat holy was a commandment taken very seriously, and there are instances where punishment is meted out for not observing it. Here are examples:

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1. Death Penalty for Gathering Sticks on the Sabbath:

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In the Book of Numbers, there’s a story where a man is found gathering sticks on the Sabbath day, and God commands that he be put to death by the community.

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Numbers 15:32-36 – “While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. […] Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.’ […] So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

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2. National Punishment for Sabbath Desecration:

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The prophets often warned that the entire nation of Israel would suffer due to their failure to keep the Sabbath. The Babylonian captivity is cited as a punishment for, among other things, not respecting the Sabbath.

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Jeremiah 17:27 – “But if you do not listen to me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.”

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3. Desolation of Jerusalem:

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The Book of Nehemiah suggests that the desolation of Jerusalem was partly because of Sabbath desecration.

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Nehemiah 13:18 – “Did not your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”

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These passages reflect the serious view of Sabbath observance in ancient Israelite society. The severity of these punishments underscores the importance of the Sabbath in the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites.

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The Chilling Stories Of Those Who Ignored Shabbat | You Won’t Believe What Happened

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