Exodus. The Fourth Commandment 20:8-11

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1 Exodus The Fourth Commandment 20:8-11 The question: When did the Sabbath become Sunday? is similar to asking a husband: When did you stop beating your wife? It is loaded. But the issue of keeping the Sabbath is one that has created a great deal of struggle for both the Jew and the Christian. In his book The Ten Commandments Playing by the Rules, Stuart Briscoe speaks of Sabbath keeping during his childhood. My childhood home was Sabbatarian. We went to Sunday morning church, Sunday afternoon church, and Sunday evening church. In between those services, we played no games and could not play outside; instead we prayed or read or took part in quiet family conversations. Once my parents got a radio, they never switched it on the Lord s day. Neither would they dream of going to a restaurant on a Sunday; that would require someone else to work. 1 While I wouldn t choose this approach to the Sabbath, I certainly don t think it is wrong, depending on the underlying motivation, legalism or love. XII A Nation of Priests, A Holy People ~ Continued D. Remember the Sabbath Day Vs The Call to Honor the Sabbath 2. Is the Sabbath Relevant to the Church? 3. How can we Honor a Day?-Should we? The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 28 ESV Introduction: It is interesting to note the Jewish approach to keeping the Sabbath and its source in creation. In SHABBOS Rabbi Finkelman notes: The word Sabbath is related to return which is the root of the word Teshuvah, or repentance. This gives us an insight into the role of the. It signifies return to the Ultimate Source, because the Sabbath is our constant reminder that God created heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day He gave us the ability to push away the demanding unforgiving material world and return to the eternal concept that the same God Who created the world created us, and just as the world serves Him always through His constitution, which we call nature, so too, it is our task to serve Him. Our weekday cares stand in the way. They blind us and tear at our energy and attention until we think that they and their demands are the sole reality of our lives. Then the Sabbath comes and says, No, it is not so. God made this world that so entices and consumes you. It is His and so are you. He created it so that you could find it within yourself to see thorough it, and the Sabbath is the day when the blinders are removed from your eyes if only you will not hold onto them so tightly. God blessed 1 Briscoe, Stuart, The Ten Commandments, Harold Shaw Publishers, Wheaton, IL, 1986, p. 63.

2 the Sabbath day and made it holy so that it would make you holy. Let it take hold of you and bring you back to your Heavenly root, and then you will keep your life-giving Sabbath alive and through it, all the world 2 Unfortunately, as wonderful as these words sound, and as much truth as you find in them, the Jew has also found some six-hundred plus ways to violate the Sabbath and so, as Jesus notes in Mark 2, the Sabbath had become more of a burden than a blessing to humanity. Here is just one example taken from Finkleman book. The status of a vessel or tool is dependent upon the use to which it is put. Identical leather pouches can be used to carry gold coins or children s marbles. If the former, the pouch is a wallet; if the latter, it is a toy. The laws of the Sabbath employ this concept. One of the forbidden labors is carrying from domain to domain. Such carry constitutes a punishable offense, however only if an item of significance is moved. The Talmud gives examples of such measurements: if the amount transported is too small to be considered of reasonable value, the carrier is not considered to have violated the Scriptural prohibition. 3 As you can see, keeping the Sabbath can certainly become a burden rather than a blessing. The real work that ends up violating the Sabbath can become keeping it. And for us as believers the question is even more basic. Are we even called to keep it? Parenthesis: Let s take a minute to recap where we are up to this point. We have been looking at each of the Ten Commandments on the basis of how they are applicable to us a believers. The focus hasn t been so much on the Thou shalt nots as on how these can be applied to our lives as Thou shalts. Our concern is, considering our obedience to the Lord comes out of love for and a desire to please Him, how can we carry out His commandments from a positive instead of a negative perspective? In relationship to our daily walk the focus we have tried to deal with has been one of putting God first in our lives and that our walk with Him should be typified by worship through praise, prayer and power. In relationship to these areas how have you been doing over the last few weeks? 1. The Call to Honor the Sabbath: First though, we had better do some defining of terms: Sabbath: The divinely instituted day of rest, ordained for all men.; (Davis). 4 Interestingly enough the American Heritage Dictionary defines it this way: 1. The seventh day of the week, Saturday, observed as the day of rest and worship by the Jews and some Christian sects. 2. The first day of the week, Sunday, observed as the day of rest and worship by most Christians. 5 The standard misconception of much of the church is carried into the dictionary, the Christian Sabbath is Sunday. Davis takes us back to Genesis 2:1-3 as the support for the Sabbath. 2 Finkelman, Rabbi Shimon, Shabbos, Mesorah Publications, Ltd., Brooklyn, NY, 1991, p Ibid., p Davis Dictionary of the Bible, Royal Publishers, Inc., Nashville, TN, The American Heritage Electronic Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, ) 200 (

3 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (ESV) This passage doesn t speak to the Sabbath, but does establish the principle of a day of rest. The Sabbath it self is an expansion of this principle as we can see from Exodus 31:13-17: You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. (ESV). While we will see this passage again it is necessary for our understanding of God s call to Sabbath worship to go over it now. The Biblical Illustrator makes an interesting point regarding this commandment: This Commandment holds a remarkable position in the Decalogue. It lies between those which touch our duty to God and those which touch our duty to man. It belongs to both branches of the Decalogue. Its position tells us that a breach of the Sabbath is a direct insult to God, and is also a direct injury to man, 6 You can see the Lord established Sabbath worship as a specific and perpetual sign between Himself and the nation Israel. It was to be unique to the nation. In fact disobedience to this commandment was one of the capital crimes in Israel therefore carrying the death sentence. It is clear that the principle of a day of rest was established in creation and that the Hebrew already knew of the importance of the Sabbath prior to its being given as a commandment. he [Moses] said to them, This is what the LORD has commanded: Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning. (Exodus 16:23 ESV). So, we see here a general principle, a day of rest. Here it is specifically identified as the Sabbath, a unique sign between the Hebrew people and their God. The concept of the day of rest was for the benefit of mankind, the Sabbath, a sign between God and Israel, was more specific which explains the severity of punishment for its abuse. The principle of general versus specific application found here is similar to that seen in baptism. Baptism was something practiced by the Jew before the time of the New Testament. 6 Exell, Joseph S., The Biblical Illustrator, Exodus, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1975, p ) 201 (

4 This is why we find John the Baptizer practicing it prior to Christ s appearance on the scene. But, after the resurrection Christ takes this rite and makes it a picture of both His death and resurrection. This made it a unique ritual for the Church. In this same way the general rule of a day of rest is taken by the Lord and given a specific role for the Hebrew people. Keeping all this in mind it is clear why Christ did not reinstitute the necessity of keeping the Sabbath to those who would follow after Him. The Sabbatic command was the only command of the Decalogue specifically given to Israel. Nowhere in the New Testament are believers called to keep the Sabbath. The early church did continue, for a short time, Sabbath worship. But this was because of the Jewish make-up of the church. The Jewish believers continued to go to the Synagogue and so kept the traditional days. As the church grew, and Gentiles came in, worship moved to the first day of the week, Sunday, in recognition of the Lord s resurrection. Worship was then on the Lord s Day. We must understand that the Sabbath was never changed from Saturday to Sunday. Instead the day of worship was moved from the day kept under Law to the day that represented salvation, Resurrection Day, Sunday. For those who still demand Sabbath worship, ask if they call for death for those who fail to do so. There are still some outside of Judaism who follow the law, i.e. Seventh Day Baptists and Seventh Day Adventists. Some even argue Sunday worship is the sign of Antichrist. We can see then that God called for honoring the Sabbath as, first a fulfillment of the principle of a day of rest, as identified in vs. 11. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. During the Sabbath none in the nation were to work, even those who were not citizens. Second, the Sabbath itself was to be unique to the nation of Israel. It was intended to show the relationship of the Hebrew people to their God in a way that would be visible to those nations around them. 2. Is the Sabbath Relevant to the Church?: Recognizing that the Sabbath is not given to the Church, but is only appropriate to the nation Israel, the obvious answer as to its relevancy to the Church is, it isn t. Wait!! Once again we must stop and ask, what are the principles that go beyond the Sabbath specifically? The answer those which are spelled out in the Creation? The idea is: God commands a day of rest, a day set aside from the normal work of our lives. This is a day distinct from the other six. In fact He demands no work be done by anyone. Instead the day is to be considered Holy, that is set apart. It should also be noted in both the Old and New Testament the day of rest is identified as a day to honor the Lord, be it the Sabbath of the Lord your God or the Lord s Day. ) 202 (

5 Don t you think these issues are still relevant to us? How would you express the importance of a day of rest? As you can see the idea a day needs to be set aside for us, just as it was for the Hebrew, is still extremely important. It is just as appropriate today as it was then. The only point to be made clear is we do not keep the Sabbath, but the first day of the week, The Lord s Day. We don t keep the commandment out of fear of the law and death. We should keep it because it is a principle God established out of creation and gave it to us for our benefit. The day isn t to be a burden, but a joy. Is it a joy to set aside a day to honor the Lord? Does honor mean worship or does it simply mean setting aside a day because this is the Lord s desire and therefore taking a day is honoring Him? Remember, for the Jew it became the final test of obedience, and as I noted before, eventually there were around six hundred twelve (612) ways to violate the Sabbath. One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath? And he said to them, Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him? And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath (Mark 2:23 28 ESV). 3. How can we Honor a Day? Should we?: Now I think we need to spend some time reviewing the principles involved here and ask how and why we should specifically set aside the Lord s Day? First should we? Second, assuming we should, how do we? We can see that while we are not called to keep the Sabbath, we are called to keep the Sabbatic principle. We are to set aside a day of rest. This is another of God s universal standards. And one other point that should be made is, while the church at large does worship on Sunday so are unable to and so they Sabbatic principle would require setting aside another day. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord (Romans 14:5 6 ESV). Today the idea of a day away from the routine is almost laughable. The majority of working people work five days a week and in some cases only four so most have their day of rest. But for some this commandment clearly stands in condemnation of those who work seven days a week and sixteen hours a day. We are not created to be able to do this. What is more important than a day of rest is a day set aside to honor the Lord. This is vital. The focus needs to be on Him. By the way for the housewife and/or mother, husbands take note they also need a day away from the routine and this may mean making changes in the way things are done so this can happen. We need to rethink the way we demonstrate to our children the importance of a day, not a couple of hours, given to the Lord. ) 203 (

6 What are some methods by which we can make sure we get a day of rest? Do you think there can be a difference between a day of rest and a day set aside to honor the Lord? What if you have to work of Sunday? I don t think rest means necessarily the absence of doing anything because we can feel rested from doing something different. What effect do you think our culture has on these issues? What are some ways we can really establish the principles of a time to honor the Lord in our lives? How does this relate to the issues we have already discussed of personnel worship? As you can see these questions can step on a number of toes. How many are our views on these issues created by our upbringing as opposed to the teachings of Scripture. I think there is much to be said for a Jewish approach, of really trying to set aside the day as one of honoring the Lord and holding to a minimal the necessary work. The day was spent in corporate, personnel and family worship. What can be more refreshing that a day spent in focusing on the Lord? Why not skip the family dinners that are just a lot of work. Take the time to focus on the Lord and one another, have a time that is quiet not rushed as it is during the week. Because of our approach to worship, Sunday is often a day of just rushing around and feeling harried, even in God s service. We need to make sure that our focus is on Him not just program. In addition even those who are here from 8:00 to 12:30 there is still a twenty hour day left over for rest and contemplation. Another thought is: What better way to start the week than with the Lord? Remember Monday is the second day of the week As you can see I think there are no fixed ways that we are to follow this command. Remember that Christ is the one who said: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27 ESV). The important focus though is the day of rest is to be a day of restoration, and it is God, and time with Him that is the true restorative. Now we have seen a number of ways that we can honor the Lord s day. Can you see some changes you want, or need to make in your live to really set aside The Lord s Day? What can you do this very day? Let s check back next week and over the coming weeks to see if there have been any changes in our walk due to a greater recognition of this Command. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy a Sabbath to the LORD your God. not to be kept out of legalism, but out of love of God for The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath remember God tells us I desire mercy, and not sacrifice For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath. (Exodus 20:8, 10; Matthew 9:13, 12:8 ESV). For us the Lord s day should be a demonstration of worship and a testimony to those around us by the way we keep it. It is in this way we can truly honor the Lord, by keeping His day. This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalms 118:24 29 ESV). ) 204 (

7 Exodus The Fourth Commandment 20:8-11 XII A Nation of Priests, A Holy People ~ Continued D. Remember the Sabbath Day Vs The Call to Honor the Sabbath 2. Is the Sabbath Relevant to the Church? 3. How can we Honor a Day?-Should we? Introduction: (Mark 2:27 28) 1. The Call to Honor the Sabbath: (Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 31:13-17, 16:23) Sabbath:

8 2. Is the Sabbath Relevant to the Church?: (Mark 2:23 28) 3. How can we Honor a Day? Should we?: (Romans 14:5 6, Mark 2:27; Exodus 20:8, 10; Matthew 9:13, 12:8; Psalms 118:24 29) Personal Application: Consider how you keep the Lord s day. Are there any changes you want to make? How can the day be a blessing to you rather than a burden? Prayer for the Week: Thank you for giving me a day of rest. Help me take advantage of it. In Jesus name, amen.