Quick! Name the fourth commandment!
If you don't know it off the top of your head, you're not alone. It's one of those commandments that is practiced so little, you'd think it wasn't relevant today. But to God it is:
Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. For six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or your resident foreigner who is in your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. (Exodus 20:8-11 NET)
Did you catch that last part? The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. (The word sanctified means made holy, or set apart.) Before the earth became as we know it today, God created light, thus forming day and night. The seventh of these days He rested.
Why was the Sabbath blessed and sanctified? Turning back to Genesis 2:3, we see that God blessed it and sanctified it because this was when He ceased from the work He'd been doing in creation.
What day is the Sabbath? Sunday, right? Well, no. The Sabbath is actually from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. Many Christians today worship corporately on the first day of the week because it is the day Christ rose from the dead. Some, however, have reclaimed the Sabbath as the day of corporate worship for reasons rooted in the Old Testament's teachings.
Did Jesus ever work on the Sabbath? Sure! It became well-known among the Pharisees that Jesus did not keep the Sabbath according to their traditions (John 9:16). In fact, many a time they watched specifically to see whether He would heal on the Sabbath.
What is lawful on the Sabbath? In Matthew 12, the Pharisees ask (in order to accuse Him) whether it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus responds by asking which of them wouldn't rescue his sheep if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath. He reasoned that since a man is more valuable than a sheep, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
What is the purpose of the Sabbath? In Mark 2:27 Jesus says the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. That is, it was not intended to put a burden on men, but to free them. Luke 13 relates the story of the woman who was freed from her disability on the Sabbath. When the ruler of the synagogue told the people to come for healing any day but the Sabbath, the Lord rebuked the religious leaders there saying that even they untie and lead their animals to get water on the Sabbath. How fitting, then, that on the day of rest this lady be released from Satan's bonds (Luke 13:16).
How should Christians keep the Sabbath? There are many views on this, but Colossians gives good advice: Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days -these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ! (Colossians 2:16-17 NET)
For further study:
- Read Romans 14. Are you fully convinced that your actions on the Sabbath are acceptable to God? If you have not taken time to explore the subject with the Holy Spirit as your guide, invite Him to speak to you as you study the Scriptures.
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Read Hebrews 3:1-4:11, noting the word "rest". What insights do you gain from these verses that you can remember as you celebrate the Sabbath?
You are invited to visit my Xanga where I will be posting some of my thoughts about the Sabbath. There you can also let me know how God has used His word to speak to you recently.