DAY OF SABBATH
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DAY OF SABBATH Introduction: · It is clear that the Sabbath of the Ten Commandments is Saturday, the seventh day of the week. “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God:”—Exodus 20:9-8. There is no record of the Sabbath being changed to Sunday. Sunday is not the Sabbth. · Which Day is the Sabbath? We have 152 occassions where the Word of God calls Saturday, the 7th day, the Sabbath. 94 times in the Old Testament, Saturday, the Seventh day of the week, is given as the Sabbath day. 58 times that the New Testament denotes that the Seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. We can thus lay down the general rule that the 7th day, or Saturday, was always a Sabbath under the rule of the law. · We must carefully read our evidence and see that while Saturday is always a Sabbath, the Sabbath does not always happen to be Saturday. (There are various other days which are established as Sabbath in the Old Testament references.) 1. Leviticus 23:24- the Lord commands the children of Israel to observe the first day of the 7th month always as a Sabbath. Example: On 2005, July 1 the 1st day of the 7th month was Friday, on 2006. July 1 was on Saturday, and on 2007, July 1 was on Sunday, but it is all Sabbath. 2. Leviticus 23:39- the 15th day of the 7th month is always to be a Sabbath. Of course, the 15th days of the 7th month the following year can’t possibly on Saturday. 3. Leviticus 23:47-44- we have a record of a week that is to be a week of Sabbaths. Every day in these 7 will be a Sabbath day. 4. Leviticus 25 and II Chronicles 36- God’s law ordains that there shall be a Sabbath year. I- DATE THE SABBATH COMMANDED · The first mention of the seventh day as a Sabbath is in connection with the work of God in creation—Genesis 2:1-3. Having finished the week of work, the heavenly Father rested on the Sabbath. God blessed the day and hallowed as symbolical of His finished work. The question is “Then why is the 7th day given special mention in Genesis 2?” The answer is in anticipation, when Moses wrote about the creation he explained the reason God’s rest and why the 7th day was selected long afterwards to be Israel’s day of rest. (it was not yet commanded and was not instituted). · We cannot definitely establish the date of the creation of Adam, but we are inclined to the date of 5411 B.C. From the day of the creation of Adam to the Exodus from Egypt, no single word is ever mentioned concerning the Sabbath day. If the above given date for Adam is reasonably correct, them there were at least 2,500 or 3,700 years of human history in which the Sabbath is never mentioned. (from Adam to Exodus) Examples: Abraham believed God, and we presume that the faith that was so intelligently manifested was witnessed by the righteousness of his conduct, yet it is nowhere stated in all the Word that Abraham observed the Sabbath day. Then Melchizedek, who collected tithes from Abraham and thus was holier than he, has no single memorial to this Sabbath day. And not a Patriarch from Adam down to Noah mentions the Sabbath. In the week preceding the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai we meet the first commandment to man to observe this day as one of religious significance—Exodus 16:23. In the King James Version says…”This is that which the Lord hath said,” but the past tense of the word “To speak” in the Hebrew is Darbar and that word is not here used in this text. The present tense of the word Amar is here used, and it should be translated: “This is the word that God now speaks.” (In other words a new order is being established). II- DUE PEOPLE OF THE SABBATH A. Sabbath was sign of covenant between Israel and God—Exodus 20:12; Exodus 31:12-17. The Sabbath was to keep a difference between God’s people and the world. For instance, the command not to murder was a command to everyone, while circumcision was given only to the Jews—Deuteronomy 5:15 III- DEMAND OF THE SABBATH A. Keeping the Sabbath included stoning unto death for Sabbath breakers—Exodus 35:2 Death was the punishment appointed by God for those who broke the Sabbath—Numbers 15:32-36. The man who was found gathering sticks to build a fire was commanded to be stoned to death. Religious today who claim to keep the Sabbath are not consistent with this command. They misquoted God by saying, “but God is love and will not allow someone to be put unto death”. They forgotten that the God who commanded Moses to punish those who broke the Sabbath must be guilty of death penalty is a God of love. B. No fires could be lit on the Sabbath—Exodus 35:3 People who claim to keep the Sabbath today still use their ovens and cook on that day. That is also inconsistent. C. Even the servants and cattle were forced to rest—Exodus 20:10 D. No matter of work was to be done on the Sabbath day—Exodus 20:10, Food was cooked on Friday. E. No purchase was to be made on the Sabbath day—Nehemiah 10:31; Nehemiah 13:15-17 F. No burdens were to be carried on the Sabbath day—Nehemiah 13:19; Jeremiah 17:21 G. No harvesting was to be done on the Sabbath day—Exodus 34:21 IV- DISTINCTION OF THE SABBATH A. Sabbath had nothing to do with the church—Exodus 16:29 “let no man go out of his piece on the seventh day.” The Old Testament Sabbath was 3 day of rest, not of sacrifice, or worship. It was a day when beasts of burden, slaves and humans all rested. It was not associated with temple attendance or any religious observance. B. New Testament Christians not once are commanded to keep the Sabbath. When Jesus repeated the list of the Ten Commandments He never listed the Sabbath. The most criticism Jesus got was over him not observing the Sabbath. Man’s sins are mentioned in Galatians 5, but Sabbath breaking is not listed. Hebrews chapter 3-4 speak of the rest Jesus gives at Salvation. C. Contrast between the Sabbath and Lord’s Day. 1. The Sabbath is the Seventh day and the Lord’s Day is the first day of the week. 2. The Sabbath commemorates God’s creation rest while the Lord’s Day commemorates the resurrection. 3. On the seventh day God rested. On the first day Jesus was very busy. 4. The Sabbath commemorates a finished creation. The Lord’s Day commemorates a finished redemption. 5. The Sabbath was a day of legal obligation. The Lord’s Day is the voluntary worship. 6. The Sabbath was for the Jews and the Lord’s Day is for the Church of Jesus Christ. V- DEMONSTRATION OF THE SABBATH A. Physical rest—John 5:17-18 God created everything in six days and rested on the seventh day. John 5:17-18 “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” There is a practical application for Christians today. We are to rest and have diversion one day a week. B. Sabbath is a type of Heaven—Hebrews 4:9-10; Hebrews 3:18-4:2 Heaven will be a place where our bodies never grow tired. Christians have a Sabbath in their heart—rest because of salvation by faith. VI- DURATION OF THE SABBATH A. Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath—Colossians 2:10-17 Jesus fulfilled all the ceremonial laws which were a picture of Him. He was the Sabbath—Galatians 4:9-11 says: “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.” Jesus is our Rest. We no longer have to think we can work our way to Heaven. Our soul can have rest in Him. Hebrews chapter 3-4 speak of the rest Jesus gives at salvation. VII- DOCTRINES OF CHRIST ON THE SABBATH The Saviour did many miracles of healing on the Sabbath day which angered the Jews and made them call Jesus a Sabbath breaker”. A. Jesus taught that He was Lord of the Sabbath—Matthew 12:8 “For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.” As Lord of the Sabbath day, he was at liberty to set aside the seventh day and institute the first day of the week. B. Jesus taught that the Sabbath was made for man—Mark 2:27 “And He said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” C. Jesus taught that it was right to do good on the Sabbath day, Examples: The sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath day should be removed—Matthew 12:11 then Jesus also went on and healed the man with the withered hand—Matthew 12:13. VIII- DECLARATION OF SCRIPTURES AGAINST SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISM A. The Sabbath, though mentioned in Genesis 2:2-3, was not given to man until it was given to Israel in the wilderness (Nehemiah 9:13-14). This is a correction for the false statement of the SDA that the Sabbath is eternally binding upon men from creation. (“God instituted the Sabbath in Eden; and so long as the fact that He is our Creator continues to be a reason why we should worship Him, so long the Sabbath will continue as its sign and memorial…The keeping of the Sabbath is a sign of loyalty to the true God—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, page 386) B. The Sabbath was given, not to mankind in general, but to Israel alone as a special covenant sign between her and God. (Exodus 31:13-17). C. The Sabbath was not kept by Adam and the patriarchs for the bible say nothing about it. If the Sabbath was not kept by mankind in general from the creation, it could not have been given as a special sign to Israel. The Seventh Adventist comments, (“The Sabbath was kept by Adam in his innocence in holy Eden; by Adam, fallen yet repentant when he was driven from his happy estate. It was kept by all the patriarchs, from Abel to righteous Noah, to Abraham, to Jacob.”—Ibid., page 398). Conclusion: Sabbath is part of the Decalogue and is obligatory to those under the Law. But the Christian is no longer under the Law—Romans 6:15. However, though we are not under law, the principle of keeping one day in seven holy unto the Lord has not changed. |
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