A day of solemn worship of God
should be kept weekly. Keeping the Sabbath Day . . . holy means to
separate it, the seventh day, from the other six as a special day to
the Lord. People are to work
in six days and worship on the seventh. This contrasted with the
Israelites’ slavery in Egypt when, presumably, they had no break in their daily
routine. The basis for this commandment is God’s creating the universe in
six days and resting on the seventh. This was not to be a day of
slothful inactivity but of spiritual service through religious observances. For
the violation of this command God imposed on Israel the death penalty. In the
present Church Age the day of worship has been changed from Saturday to Sunday
because of Jesus’ resurrection on the first day of the week.[2]
The Sabbath was a day set
aside for rest and worship. God commanded
a Sabbath because human beings need to spend unhurried time in worship and rest
each week. A god who is concerned enough
to provide a day each week for us to rest is indeed wonderful. To observe a regular time of rest and worship
in our fast-paced world demonstrates how important God is to us, and it give us
the extra benefit being refreshed.
2. Sabbath: literally means, rest
1 a : the
seventh day of the week observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening as a
day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians
b : Sunday
observed among Christians as a day of rest and worship
2 : a
time of rest[3]
3. God Rested:
Genesis 2:2-3, By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been
doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and
made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had
done. [4]
The seventh day was the day of rest, the Sabbath. The structure of
verses 2 and 3
in the Hebrew is well ordered in its clauses with parallel emphases on the
adjective seventh. The number “seven” often represents the covenant;
thus it is no surprise that the Sabbath became the sign of God’s covenant at
Sinai (Ex. 31:13, 17). God blessed the seventh day and made it
holy because it commemorated the completion of His creative work. God’s Sabbath rest became a predominant motif of Scripture. Here before the Fall it represented the perfect Creation, sanctified and at rest. After the Fall this rest became a goal to be sought. The establishment of theocratic rest in the land, whether by Moses or by Joshua at the Conquest, demanded faith and obedience. Today believers enter into that Sabbath rest spiritually and will certainly share in its full restoration. The account of Creation, seen through the eyes of the new nation of Israel in Moses’ day, had great theological significance. Out of the chaos and darkness of the pagan world God brought His people, teaching them the truth, guaranteeing them victory over all powers in heaven and earth, commissioning them to be His representatives, and promising them theocratic rest. So too it would encourage believers of all ages.[5]
We live in an action-oriented
world. There always seems to be
something to do and not time to rest.
Yet God demonstrated that rest is appropriate and right. If God himself rested from his work, then it
should not amaze us that we also need rest.
Jesus demonstrated this principle when he and his disciples left in a
boat to get away for the crowds. Our
times of rest refresh us for time of service.
That God blessed the seventh
day means that he set it apart for holy use.
4. Rules of the Sabbath: Exodus 31:12-17, Then the Lord said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must
observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations
to come, so you may know that I am the Lord,
who makes you holy. 14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you.
Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that
day must be cut off from his people. 15 For six days, work is to be done,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put
to death. 16 The Israelites
are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a
lasting covenant. 17 It
will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and
on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.[6]
The Sabbath had two
purposes: It was a time to rest and a
time to remember what God had done. We
need rest. Without time of rest, life
loses its meaning. In our day, as in
Moses’ day taking time out is not easy.
But God reminds us that without Sabbaths we will forget the purpose for
all of our activity and lose the balance crucial to a faithful life.
5. Dishonoring the Sabbath: Numbers 15:32-36, While the Israelites were
in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood
brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody,
because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly
must stone him outside the camp.” 36
So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the
Lord commanded Moses. [7]
As a possible illustration of
defiant sin, the narrator relates the story of a man . . . found gathering
wood on the Sabbath Day. Since it was not clear that he had done so
as a premeditated violation of the Sabbath Law, he was kept under arrest
till the Lord rendered the
verdict: the man must die. He was then taken outside the camp and
stoned to death. This anecdote clearly interprets what was meant by
defiant sin and being ”cut off“ from the community.[8]
Stoning a man for gathering
wood on the Sabbath seems like a severe punishment, and it was. This act was a deliberate sin, defying God’s
law against working on the Sabbath.
Perhaps the man was trying to get ahead of everyone else, in addition to
breaking the Sabbath.
6. Judah and the Sabbath: 2 Chronicles 36:21, The land enjoyed its
sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy
years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah. [9]
One of the laws that
Israel/Judah had ignored stated that one year in every seven the land should
lie fallow, resting from producing crops.
The 70 year captivity allowed the land to rest, making up for all the
years the Israelites had not observed this law.
We know that God keeps all his promises not only his promises of
blessing, but also his promises of judgment.
This had been predicted in Leviticus 26:34-35, Then the land will enjoy
its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country
of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. 35 All the time that it lies desolate,
the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in
it. [10]
This probably refers to the
approximately 70-year period from the first deportation under Nebuchadnezzar
(605 b.c.) to the rebuilding of
the temple foundation by the returning exiles in 536 B.C. This period of
70 years was prophesied by Jeremiah also. [11]
7. French Revolution’s Experience
During the French Revolution the Christian
Sabbath was abolished in France. One day in ten as a day of rest was
substituted for one day in seven. “We cannot destroy Christianity until we
first destroy the Christian Sabbath,” said Voltaire. The experiment worked
disastrously for man and beast. Horses, going for ten days without rest, broke
down in the streets under the strain. [12]
8. What did Jesus Say? Mark 2:27-28, One Sabbath Jesus was going
through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick
some heads of grain. 24 The
Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the
Sabbath?” 25
He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his
companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days
of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the
consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave
some to his companions.” 27 Then he said to them, “The
Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son
of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” [13]
While walking on a footpath through
someone’s grainfields one Sabbath, Jesus’ disciples . . .
began picking some heads of grain to eat. The Pharisees viewed
it as reaping, an act of work forbidden on the Sabbath, so they demanded
an explanation from Jesus. In
response Jesus appealed to Scripture and a precedent set by David and his
companions when they were hungry and in need (1 Sam. 21:1-6). The words “his companions” and “in need” are
key elements in this incident. David entered the tabernacle court,
requested the consecrated bread which was restricted by Mosaic
legislation to the priests and gave some to his men. Jesus used
this action which God did not condemn, to show that the Pharisees’ narrow
interpretation of the Law blurred God’s intention. The spirit of the Law in
respect to human need took priority over its ceremonial regulations. With the words, Then He said to them, Mark
showed two principles: (1) He quoted Jesus’ words that the Sabbath was instituted
(by God) for mankind’s benefit and refreshment, not that people
were made to keep burdensome regulations pertaining to it. (2) Mark concluded
with an editorial comment on the meaning of Jesus’ statement for his readers. The
Son of Man is Lord (Master) even of the Sabbath; He has
sovereign authority over its use.[14]
Jesus and his disciples were
not stealing when they picked the grain.
Deuteronomy 23:25 says that farmers were to leave the edges of their
fields unharvested so that some of their crops could be picked by travelers and
by the poor. Ruth did the same thing on
Boaz’s fields. Just as walking on a
sidewalk is not trespassing on private property, picking heads of grain at the
edge of a field was not stealing.
God’s law said that crops
should not be harvested on the Sabbath.
This law prevented farmers from becoming greedy and ignoring God on the
Sabbath. It also protected laborers from
being overworked. “That Thing You Do.”
The Pharisees interpreted
that action of Jesus and his disciples picking the grain and eating it as they
walked through the fields as harvesting; and so they judged Jesus a
lawbreaker. But Jesus and the disciples
clearly were not harvesting the grain for personal gain; they were simply
looking for something to eat. The
Pharisees were so focused on the words of the rule that they missed its intent.
Many of the Pharisees were so
caught up in their man-made laws and traditions that they lost sight of what
was good and right. Jesus implied in
Mark 3:4 that the Sabbath is a day to do good.
God provided the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship, but he didn’t
mean that concern for rest should keep us form lifting a finger to help others.
Jesus used the example of
David to point out how ridiculous the Pharisees’ accusations were. God created the Sabbath for our benefit, not
his own, God derives no benefit from having us rest on the Sabbath, but we are
restored both physically and spiritually when we take tie to rest and to focus
on God. For the Pharisees, Sabbath laws
had become more important than Sabbath rest.
Both David and Jesus understood that the intent of
God’s law is to promote love for God and others. When we apply a law to other people, we should make sure that we understand its purpose and intent so we don’t make harmful or inappropriate judgments.
God’s law is to promote love for God and others. When we apply a law to other people, we should make sure that we understand its purpose and intent so we don’t make harmful or inappropriate judgments.
9. What Did
Jesus Do? Mark 3:1-6, Another time he
went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a
reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him
on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus
said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in
front of everyone.” 4
Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to
save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5
He looked around at them in anger
and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his
hand was completely restored. 6 Then
the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill
Jesus. [15]
On another Sabbath
occasion in the synagogue Jesus saw a man with a shriveled hand. Some
of the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see what He
would do so they might find a reason to accuse Him. They permitted
healing on the Sabbath only if a life was in danger. This man’s problem was not
life-threatening and could wait till the next day; so if Jesus healed him, they
could accuse Him of being a Sabbath-violator, an offense punishable by
death. Jesus commanded
the man, Stand up so the whole gathering could see his shriveled
hand. Then He asked the Pharisees a rhetorical question concerning
which of two kinds of action was really consistent with the purpose of the
Sabbath in the Mosaic Law. The obvious answer is: to do good and to
save life. Yet failure to use the Sabbath to meet this man’s need was to
do evil (harmful misuse of its purpose) and, as ultimately happened, their
malicious plotting on the Sabbath led them to kill. The moral (not
legal) issue of “doing good” on the Sabbath was at stake, and the Pharisees
refused to debate it. When the man held
out his hand at Jesus’ command, it was instantly and completely
restored. Jesus did not use any visible means that might be construed as “work”
on the Sabbath. As Lord of the Sabbath Jesus freed it from legal encumbrances,
and in grace delivered this man (and us) from distress.[16]
10. The New Sabbath: Acts 20:7, On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. [17]
This is the clearest verse in
the New Testament which indicates that Sunday was the normal meeting day of the
apostolic church.[18]
11. Why Sunday?
Matthew 28:1-10, After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the
week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2
There was a violent earthquake, for
an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back
the stone and sat on it. 3 His
appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him
that they shook and became like dead men. 5
The angel said to the women, “Do
not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just
as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. [19]
This is the reason. Christ rose on the day after the Sabbath and
we remember Him on this day for it is a holy day. So now instead of worshipping God at the end
of the week, we began each week by worshipping Him. This should remind us that we are to keep Him
always first in our lives.
12. Check That Had Sunday Date
An astonishing legal decision, handed down
recently by an Alabama court, freed a forger because the check he had written
and passed, with intent to defraud happened to carry a Sunday date. As Alabama
law voids any contract made on Sunday, the court decided that the check was
invalidated by its date and, therefore, it could not be the subject of forgery.
—Selected[20]
[2] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[3] Merriam-Webster, I. 1996, c1993. Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary.
Includes index. (10th ed.). Merriam-Webster: Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.
[5] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[8] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[11] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[12] Tan, P. L. 1996, c1979. Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : [a treasury of illustrations, anecdotes,
facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers]. Bible
Communications: Garland TX
[14] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[16] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[18] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary.
1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures.
Victor Books: Wheaton, IL
[20] Tan, P. L. 1996, c1979. Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : [a treasury of illustrations, anecdotes,
facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers]. Bible
Communications: Garland TX
