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his name and his day

Deuteronomy 5:11-15

Deuteronomy 5:11 Do not misuse the name of Yahveh your God, because Yahveh will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.

Deuteronomy 5:12 Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it sacred¹ like Yahveh your God has commanded you.

Deuteronomy 5:13 You are to labor six days and do all your work,

Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahveh your God. Do not do any work– you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the guest who lives within your city gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do.

Deuteronomy 5:15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahveh your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why Yahveh your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

his name and his day

The Mosaic mission required respect and submission to both the Lord’s name and his day. To abuse either was to disavow allegiance to him. Anyone in the possessed land had the same requirement, including foreign guests and foreign slaves.

Note that the Sabbath keeping was because God had freed the Israelites from daily toil as slaves in Egypt. It was a memorial to that deliverance.

Lord, show us how to demonstrate our allegiance to you, and celebrate your deliverance.