Pentateuch
Paper #2
Time/Dates
Spent on Paper:
Reading
and classifying Scriptures: 1 hour 30 min.
Writing the
Paper: 10
hours 36 min.
Typing the
Paper: 10
hours 36 min.
Total
Time: 12
hours 6 min.
The
Sabbath
Perhaps few
things have been more hotly debated in the past century as
the subject of the Christian Sabbath. Argumentative darts
have barraged back and forth between groups of different
theological stances. Some say that the Sabbath is no longer
as clearly defined, and that ‘one’s conscience must be the
guide.’ While others hold to near legalism. What is the
proper view? What does the Bible itself say about the
matter? These are a few of the questions I will delve into
throughout the course of this paper.
1. What is the Sabbath?
Before we dig
too deep, we must first gain a basic understanding of the
where the concept of the Sabbath comes from, and what it
involves. The Sabbath day, in its essence, is to be
considered a special day of the week, set apart to God.
Exodus
20:8 says that we
are to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” “Holy”
here can be defined as “separation.” So, the concept here
is that the Sabbath day is to be separated from the other
days of the week. Just what this “separation” looks like
will be discussed later.
Deuteronomy
5:12 is another
example of what the essence of the Sabbath day is. It says,
“Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify
it,
as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee” (italics added).
“Sanctify” can also be translated as “separation” so the
same concept is reinforced. The Sabbath day is to be
separate.
2.
When was the Sabbath instituted?
The first
mention of the Sabbath occurs in
Genesis 2:2-3, which states,
“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had
made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work
which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and
sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all
his work which God created and made.” The Sabbath was
established at Creation when God ceased from working on the
seventh day (the Sabbath Day).
Exodus 20:8-11 verifies the
fact that God intended His resting on the seventh day to be
an example of our workweek.
The fact that God rested on this day is extremely
significant. It is the basis for our understanding that the
Sabbath is not a “Jew only” requirement. The Jewish nation
did not come into existence until the call of Abraham
(Genesis
12), and because
of this you cannot logically say that the Sabbath was
solely for that nation because the Sabbath was instituted
when God rested on the seventh day (the Sabbath day) as
recorded in
Genesis 2:2-3.
For even further clarification of God’s intention for the
“seventh” (Sabbath) day we can look at
Genesis 2:3, “And God
blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in
it he had rested from all his work which God created and
made.” There should be no misinterpretation of what God
meant by His example of “resting” on the seventh day. Verse
3 clearly states that he “sanctified” it, or set it apart.
It
is also important to notice that, as Brown says, “The
Sabbath was instituted before sin entered the world [before
mankind sinned] and is part of God’s eternal design and
plan for mankind.” The Sabbath was not brought about
because sin entered the world, it predated it.
3.
Why is the Sabbath still applicable to us today?
The evidence
supporting the assertion that the Sabbath is still
applicable to us today is substantial. First, as stated
in
Genesis 2:2-3 earlier, the
Sabbath was instituted at Creation, and thus is intended
for all mankind. Second, throughout the Bible the assertion
is continually reinforced. A sample of the Old Testament
passages that state this are as follows:
Exodus 20:8 “Remember the
sabbath day, to keep it holy”
Leviticus
19:30 “Ye shall keep
my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I [am] the LORD.”
Deuteronomy
5:12 “Keep the
sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath
commanded thee.”
Isaiah
56:2 “Blessed [is]
the man [that] doeth this, and the son of man [that] layeth
hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and
keepeth his hand from doing any evil.”
Ezekiel
44:24 “And in
controversy they shall stand in judgment; [and] they shall
judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my
laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall
hallow my sabbaths.”
However, the
Sabbath is not a concept found only in the Old Testament.
It is dealt with extensively in the New Testament as well.
Jesus Himself observed the Sabbath (Luke
4:16, 31; 6:6; 13:10). A few
samples of the mention of the Sabbath in the New Testament
verses are provided below:
Matthew
12:8 “{For the Son
of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.}”
Mark 2:27 “And he [Jesus]
said unto them, {The sabbath was made for man, and not man
for the sabbath:}”
Acts
13:42 “And when the
Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought
that these words might be preached to them the next
sabbath.”
Acts 15:21 “For Moses of
old time hath in every city them that preach him, being
read in the synagogues every sabbath day.”
But not only is the sabbath instituted at Creation,
permeated throughout the Old Testament, and recapitulated
in the New Testament, it also foretold to exist throughout
eternity.
Isaiah
66:22-23 “For as the new
heaven and the new earth, which I make, remain before me,
saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name continue.
And it shall come to pass from month to month, and
from sabbath
to sabbath, that all
flesh shall come to worship before me in Jerusalem, saith
the Lord.”
There can be little doubt about whether the Sabbath day is
still applicable to us given the previous evidence. It was
instituted at Creation for all people, and it will be
carried out in eternity.
4.
What are the universal principles of the Sabbath?
There are at
least four universal principles stated in Scripture that
are applicable to our lives today. We will now look at each
of these in turn.
a. The Sabbath day is a holy day.
As was briefly,
and necessarily, discussed in point number one, the Sabbath
day is to be a holy day, sanctified to God. To summarize
briefly this concept I give you the following Scriptural
evidence:
Exodus
20:8 “Remember the
sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Deuteronomy 5:12 “Keep the
sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath
commanded thee.”
The Sabbath day
was intended to be a dramatic shift in lifestyle from the
rest of the week. It was intended to be the best day of the
week. A time of relaxation and rest (as will be discussed
later). Not a time of drudgery as some view it today, but,
as Psalm 92 says, a time for instrumental music and
exuberant celebration.
There are over
one hundred references in Scripture regarding the Sabbath.
While not all of these come in a form that is directly
applicable to our lives today, they were built on
principles that continue to guide us. This concept is the
under girding of the Universal Principle/Specific
Application Principle of Interpretation. A universal
principle is a truth that is based on the unchanging and
timeless character of God and never changes. It transcends
time and culture and is applicable to all people at all
times.
A specific application, however, is what a universal
principle looks like in the clothes of a certain culture.
In the Old Testament, for example, many of the laws that
some see today as meaningless are actually universal
principles in disguise. They are commands given by God to
teach His people about Himself. Therefore, if we view these
laws through the UP/SA lens, we can discern what God was
trying to teach His people through a specific command given
to them in their culture, and then how that universal
principle affects us today.
There are many examples of specific applications that
support the concept that the Sabbath day is to be holy, or
separate.
Exodus 16:26 states, “Six
days shall ye gather it [manna]; but on the seventh day,
[which is] the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.” The
Israelites were commanded to gather their food (manna) six
days of the week, but they were instructed not to on the
Sabbath because it was to be kept separate, a holy day. God
did not simply expect them to starve on the Sabbath day;
however, he made provision for His command to be followed
by allowing them to collect two days ration of manna for
the Sabbath. During the rest of the week this added portion
would have spoiled overnight, but God sustained the food
and allowed it to be edible so His people would not be
forced to work on the Sabbath (Exodus
16:23, 25, 29).
b.
The Sabbath day is to be a time of worship.
God’s design
for the Sabbath is that there should be a time of public
worship to Him. For example, look at
Leviticus 19:30 “Ye shall keep
my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I [am] the LORD.”
The Sabbath day was intended to be a time for us to draw
nearer to God. Davidson says it exceptionally well by
stating, “God longs to celebrate with us a love
relationship more intimate than anything human lovers have
ever experienced. He loves us so much that He can’t wait a
whole year or even a month for a special time with us. So
every week He has set aside a whole day, a Sabbath, for
intimate fellowship—an all-day date with us, His beloved.”
There are a plethora of other verses that support the
assertion of an assembly for worship on the Sabbath. A
selection are given below.
Leviticus
23:3 “Six days shall
work be done: but the seventh day [is] the sabbath of
rest, an holy
convocation; ye shall do
no work [therein]: it [is] the sabbath of the LORD in all
your dwellings.”
Leviticus 26:2 “Ye shall keep
my sabbaths, and reverence my
sanctuary: I [am] the
LORD.”
Numbers
28:25 “And on the
seventh day ye shall have a holy
convocation; ye shall do
no servile work.”
Deuteronomy
16:8 “Six days thou
shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day [shall
be] a solemn
assembly to the LORD thy
God: thou shalt do no work [therein].”
As was stated
earlier under point number three, we have in the New
Testament examples of our divine example, Jesus Christ,
observing the Sabbath. And because we know from other
Scripture (John 1:14) that Jesus is God’s Word incarnate,
His actions have just as much validity and authority as the
written Word. A few examples of Jesus’ observance of
worship on the Sabbath are as follows.
Mark 2:28 “Therefore the
Son of man is Lord also of
the sabbath.”
Luke
4:16 “And he [Jesus]
came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and,
as his
custom was, he went into
the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to
read.”
Luke
6:6 “And it came to
pass also on another sabbath, that he [Jesus]
entered into
the synagogue and taught: and
there was a man whose right hand was withered.”
Luke
13:10 “And he [Jesus]
was teaching in one of
the synagogues on the
Sabbath.”
We are also
exhorted in
Hebrews 10:25 to continue our
worship on the Sabbath, “Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some
is;
but exhorting one
another and so much the
more, as ye see the day approaching.” As the evidence
indicates, the assembling for worship on the Sabbath is not
something solely for “Bible times,” but is still crucial
for our Christian walk today.
c.
There should be no work on the Sabbath day.
In a society
where productivity is demanded, and many jobs require
employees to work on the Sabbath day, to say that this
command goes cross-grain culturally is an understatement.
Yet, this assertion is emphasized over, and over again
throughout Scripture. Its fine points have been debated
fiercely by opposing sides, yet the premise is still clear,
“ye shall do no work therein:
it is
the
sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings” (Leviticus
23:3). Just what specifically is meant by “no work” moves
from the universal principle to the specific application,
and will be dealt with more thoroughly a little later. But
it is best to interpret this phrase as not performing any
gainful, secular employment, or working for your own
interest. This distinction must be made, as some forms of
work are necessary such as eating, and religious work.
Below are a few of the verses that teach abstention from
work on the Sabbath.
Genesis 2:2 “And on the
seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and
he rested on
the seventh day from all his work which he had
made.” So, God Himself refrained from working on the
Sabbath day.
Exodus
20:10 “But the
seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy GOD: [in
it] thou shalt
not do any work, thou, nor thy
son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, not thy maidservant,
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy
gates:” Not only are we not to work, but neither are we to
instruct those under our authority to work.
Exodus 23:12 “Six days thou
shalt do thy work, and on the
seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox
and thine ass may rest, and the son of they handmaid, and
the stranger, may be refreshed.”
Leviticus
23:8 “But ye shall
offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in
the seventh day [is] an holy convocation: ye shall
do no
servile work [therein].”
Numbers
28:25 “And on the
seventh day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye
shall do no
servile work.”
This issue is
not to be taken lightly. God is terribly serious about this
issue. In fact, so much so that he required the death
penalty!
Exodus
31:15 “For six days
work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath
of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work
on the sabbath day shall surely
be put to death.”
This is not an
optional issue. Brown comments on this concept by saying,
“There were not many sins for which the penalty was
physical death. When God did require capital punishment, it
was to teach that His standard for that particular area of
life was inflexible. Thus it seems incredible to me that
people teach that God no longer cares in the New Testament
dispensation whether or not we honor one day out of seven
as a “Sabbath” unto the Lord.”
As was stated earlier, some genres of work are acceptable
on the Sabbath. Jesus evidenced this during His ministry.
However, these types of work do not violate any of the
universal principles associated with the Sabbath. Brown
breaks this down into three types of “deeds.”
i.
“Deeds of
mercy, such as
healing, or feeding animals, are permissible (Mat.
12:10-12; Mark 3:2-5; Luke 6:6-10; 13:10-17)”
ii.
“Deeds of
necessity, such as the
proper care of animals, are permissible (Mat. 12:10-12;
Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:2-5)”
iii. “Deeds
associated with worship, such as
priests offering sacrifices, are permissible (Mat. 12:5).
The priests had to kill the animals for the sacrifice, skin
them, cut them up as prescribed by God, and place them on
the altar. This involved work on the Sabbath. But it was
not “secular” work for personal financial gain. It was work
associated with God’s requirements for worship.”
d.
The Sabbath day is a day of rest.
Another
universal principle of the Sabbath is that of rest. This
concept runs very closely with that of abstention from work
on the Sabbath. In fact many verses present them in
conjunction with one another. You must not only refrain
from secular work, you must rest.
How ironic is it that in a culture that, as stated before,
is extremely performance driven we are commanded to not
only desist from secular work, but also to rest? These
commands portray the benevolent character of God. They
actually require us to do something good for ourselves,
rest. This is yet further evidence that God has our best
interest at heart, just as
Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I
know the plans that I have for you, ‘declares the LORD,
‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a
future and a hope” (New American Standard Bible).
It is important to notice just what this rest looks like in
our modern day. Are we to be lazy lumps of matter laying
around all day on the Sabbath? Not in the least. Brown
states it well by saying, “It is not to be a day of
idleness. We are to employ ourselves in religious
exercises. And we are to keep the whole day holy, not just
a few hours during church.”
A few of the profusion of verses supporting the assertion
of rest on the Sabbath are listed below.
Exodus
23:12 “Six days thou
shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest:
that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy
handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.”
Exodus
34:21 “Six days thou
shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in
earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.”
Leviticus
16:31 “It [shall be]
a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your
souls, by a statute for ever.”
Luke 23:56 “And they
returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the
sabbath day according to the commandment.”
5.
What does a specific application look like
today?
We
have looked extensively at the universal principles; let’s
now look at a specific application of those principles. A
specific application is considered binding to us today if
it can be broadly applied within our culture.
ϖ
No buying or selling on the Sabbath.
An example of a
specific application that applies to us today is the
command to neither buy nor sell on the Sabbath day. This
command is found in
Nehemiah 10:31 “As for the
peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the
sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the
sabbath or a holy day.” This command can still be
practically carried out in our culture today, and thus is
still binding. This specific application finds its source
in the universal principle abstention from work on the
Sabbath. As you will remember, we are not to work on the
Sabbath, but neither are we to cause anyone else to work on
the Sabbath. And because of this, when you buy an item you
are causing someone to work on the Sabbath, and, hence, you
are breaking one of the universal
principles.
6. What is a basic principle on how to keep the Sabbath day
holy?
While this is
not a step-by-step manual on how to keep the Sabbath day
holy, it is a good principle with which to guide your
specific actions. It’s found in Isaiah 58:13-14.
Isaiah
58:13-14 (NASB) “If
because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your
own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a
delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it,
desisting from your own
ways, From
seeking your own
pleasure And
speaking your
own word, (14) Then
you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride
on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you
with
the
heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD
has spoken.”
Brown makes an astute observation on this passage,
“Interestingly, the only place where God directly tells
us how
to
delight ourselves in Him is here in Isaiah 58:13-14. The
Lord is saying that when we take pleasure in the day He has
set aside for rest, then we will be delighting in Him. When
we look at the Sabbath from the perspective that it
reflects God’s loving provision for rest and refreshment,
should we not thank Him for the blessing of a whole day set
aside to spend time drawing near to Him?”
7.
What day of the week is the Sabbath on?
Much debate has
raged in recent years over this topic. Some say that it’s
still Saturday (the seventh day), as recorded in the Old
Testament. Others state that it has changed to Sunday (the
first day). Still others proclaim that it really doesn’t
matter what day of the week you observe, as long as you
observe one day of the week. Let’s briefly look at some of
the evidence.
It is well established the original Sabbath occurred on the
seventh day of the week, or Saturday. Genesis 2:3 clearly
states that, and it was the precedent throughout the Old
Testament. So why was there a change at some point in time
to Sunday, the first day of the week?
To answer that
question brings us to the second view, that the Sabbath
should be observed on Sunday. Brown gives an excellent
argument for the change.
a. Jesus is the
“Lord of the Sabbath” (Mat. 12:8)
Because Jesus
is “Lord of the Sabbath” He has the authority to change on
which day of the week the Sabbath should be observed. As
Brown says, “[the Sabbath] is a designated day of the week
that God tells us to treat in a special, holy way.”
b.
“Under the New
Covenant, the Apostles were led by “the Lord of the
Sabbath” (Mat. 12:8) to change the day of Sabbath worship
to the first day of the week in honor of Jesus’
resurrection.”
c.
“The change of
the Sabbath day occurred in the first century and Christian
worship on Sunday, known widely as the Christian Sabbath,
has been the practice of the Church throughout the last two
millennia.”
The
following verses are examples in the New Testament that the
Sabbath had been changed to the first day of the week,
Sunday.
Acts
20:7 “And
upon the first
day of the week, when the
disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto
them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his
speech until midnight.”
1
Corinthians 16:2 “upon
the first
day of the week let every one
of you lay by him in store, as God hath provided him, that
there be no gatherings when I come.”
Revelation
1:10 “I was in the
Spirit on the Lord’s
day, …” “The
Lord’s day” is also known as the first day of the week.
Some
have taken
Romans 14:5 as a license to
choose any day of the week in which to observe the Sabbath.
Romans
14:5 “One man
esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every
day [alike]. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind.”
However,
they ignore the fact that nowhere in this passage does Paul
use the term Sabbath. And as such, it is wrong to assume
that Paul had the Sabbath in mind when he wrote that
statement. Brown states, “the context suggests that Paul is
probably addressing the issue of “holy days” in general
(like Passover, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement, etc.). His
point is similar to that of
Colossians 2:16. Our salvation
does not stand or fall on whether we all esteem the same
holy days. Rather, we must all stand before God and give an
account for ourselves (Rom. 14:10, 12); therefore, we
should do all that we do for the Lord (Rom. 14:6-8).”
8.
What does Colossians 2:16 really teach?
Colossians
2:16 “Therefore let
no on act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in
respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day”
Brown gives four comments on this verse.
a.
The
Greek does not have the word “day” following the word
Sabbath. And the word Sabbath is not singular, but plural.
So Paul is saying, “Let no one act as your judge in regard
to sabbaths.”
b.
The
context of the verse involves “food,” “drink,” “festivals,”
and the “new moon” in relation to the Sabbath. Therefore,
when you combine this with the use of the plural
“sabbaths,” it is probable that Paul is not actually
referring to the Sabbath day, but of the Sabbath days “that
were associated with the Jewish feasts, Sabbaths which did
not fall on Saturday.”
c.
Paul may be
teaching that even though the ceremonial laws were
important to the new Jewish Christians who were just
starting to understand the differences between the Old and
New Covenant; it did not apply to the Gentile
Christians.
d.
Even if we
assume that Paul was
talking about
the Sabbath day, he would not be throwing the concept away;
he would instead be instructing us that our relationship
with Christ cannot be “judged” on whether or not we observe
certain religious practices.
The Sabbath is perhaps one of the greatest gifts God has
given to his children. Let us not treat it with apathetic
disrespect. Instead, seriously consider your current
treatment of the Sabbath. Are you considering it as an
awesome blessing from God? He has given us an opportunity
to set our busy lives aside, quiet ourselves, and focus on
Him for an entire day. And to think that He does this for
our own well-being! We truly serve a gracious and wonderful
God!
Bibliography
Brown, Allan. The Sabbath and the Christian.