What happened to the
Lord’s Day
Lesson 33
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The Sabbath was Set
Apart
The first statement,
“Do not regard the seventh day
of the week like the other six, for
it was set apart,” eliminates
several arguments. Most Christians
are convinced that it does not matter
which day of the week they worship on
as long as God is worshipped. (Among
Christians, this argument was first
advanced in Rome around A.D. 150.)
But God disagrees, because His
commandment states that the seventh
day of the week, Saturday, is the
holy day. Some people say, “I
worship God seven days a week.”
While there is nothing wrong with
worshipping God every day, the fourth
commandment is not about daily
devotion. It is about submission to
God’s will that is demonstrated
by ceasing from work on the seventh
day of the week. The argument,
“I worship God seven days a
week,” was used to profane the
Sabbath in Israel before King
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem.
Notice what God says about
Israel’s apostate priests:
“Her priests do violence to my
laws and profane my holy things; they
do not distinguish between the holy
and the common; they teach that there
is no difference between the unclean
and the clean; and they shut their
eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths,
so that I am profaned among
them.” (Ezekiel 22:26)
Do No Work
The second statement,
“Do no work on the seventh day,
it is holy, “raises several
questions. What is work? Work is
defined as something we do for gain,
something we do for survival, and
something that we have to do to
sustain life. The fourth commandment
does not mean that we have to stay in
bed on the Lord’s Day. It means
that we should not do things on the
Sabbath that we do during the week.
What about the dairy
farmer? Should he forego milking his
cows on Sabbath? How does a nurse
keep the Lord’s Day when
patients need care in the hospital?
How does a policeman keep the
Lord’s Day when criminals are at
work seven days a week? How can the
mechanic or electrician, who services
the generators that provide
electricity to thousands of homes,
take the Lord’s Day off? How can
cooks in nursing homes observe the
Lord’s Day when the elderly need
food seven days a week? When God gave
the fourth commandment, did He
anticipate the problems that we
should face today? Yes, of course.
Then, how are those needs reconciled
with the fourth commandment?
Before answering these
questions, we need to observe how
Jesus interpreted the intent of the
Lord’s Day. The following text
is the first of three important
texts: At that time Jesus went
through the grain fields on the
Sabbath. His disciples were hungry
and began to pick some heads of grain
and eat them. When the Pharisees saw
this, they said to him, ‘Look!
Your disciples are doing what is
unlawful on the Sabbath.’ He
answered, ‘haven’t you read
what David did when he and his
companions were hungry? He entered
the house of God, and he and his
companions ate the consecrated bread
– which was unlawful for them to
do, but only the priests. Or
haven’t you read in the Law that
on the Sabbath the priests in the
temple desecrate the day and yet are
innocent? I tell you that one grater
than the temple is here. If you had
known what these words mean, ‘I
desire mercy, not sacrifice,’
you would not have condemned the
innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord
of the Sabbath.’” (Matthew
12:1-8)
Jesus makes four
points within this text. First,
gathering food to eat “on the
way” through the field that day
was not a violation of the Sabbath as
God interprets the law. (See Exodus
16:23,24 for the basis of the
Pharisee’s complaint.) Second,
Jesus pointed out that when it comes
to survival, David and his men ate
the holy bread that was in the
tabernacle without incurring guilt.
The bread they ate was reserved for
priests only. So, there are instances
where the immediate preservation of
life momentarily overrides the letter
of the law. Third, Jesus pointed out
that the temple priest worked on the
Sabbath (desecrated the day) without
incurring guilt. Even though the
Sabbath was a heavy workday for them,
they were not guilty of contempt for
God’s law. (Note: The priest
rotated assignments so that no priest
was continuously desecrating the
Sabbath. See Luke 1:8) Last, the
“Lord of the Sabbath,”
rebuked the Pharisees for abusing the
purpose and intent of the Sabbath. As
scholars and leaders of the people,
they should have known better. When
Jesus told them that He was the
“Lord of the Sabbath, “ He
applied a title to Himself that shows
ownership and sovereign authority.
For example, a person is called a
“landlord” because he or
she owns property and has control
over the use of that property. When
Jesus declared Himself to be the
“Lord of the Sabbath,” He
indicated that He – not the
Pharisees – had the authority to
interpret how the Sabbath should be
observed. Jesus Himself made the
Sabbath and He alone has the
necessary authority to define proper
Sabbath conduct. The Pharisees did
not understand the law or its intent
and in their perverted, sanctimonious
judgment, the Creator of the universe
and His disciples continually broke
the Sabbath. (John 5:18) How amazing
that created beings would condemn
their Creator!
The second text brings
even more understanding to the
subject of Sabbath observance:
“Gong on from that place, he
went into the synagogue, and a man
with a shriveled hand was there.
Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus,
they asked him, “Is it lawful to
heal on the Sabbath?” He said to
them, “If any of you has a sheep
and it falls into a pit on the
Sabbath, will you not take a hold of
it and lift it out? How much valuable
is a man than a sheep! Therefore it
is lawful to do good on the
Sabbath.’ Then he said to the
man, ‘Stretch out your
hand.’ So he stretched it out
and it was completely restored, just
as sound as the other. But the
Pharisees went out and plotted how
they might kill Jesus. Aware of this,
Jesus withdrew from that place. Many
followed him, and he healed all their
sick, warning them not to tell who he
was.” (Matthew 12:9-16)
From Jesus statement
we glean two important points: First,
Jesus went about doing good for
others on the Sabbath. He did not
sleep the Sabbath away. He did not
pass the Lord’s Day in a
mindless state of exhaustion because
He had overworked during the previous
six days. Instead, He used the
Sabbath Day to minister to others.
Second, Jesus affirmed again that
there are certain acts that do not
violate the intent of the Sabbath. If
rescuing an animal is not a violation
of the intent of the law, then
rescuing a human being from sin or
suffering does not violate the fourth
commandment.
The last text reveals
two key issues on observing the
Lord’s Day. Notice the setting.
Jerusalem was being rebuilt under
Nehemiah’s leadership. He
writes, “In those days I saw men
in Judah treading winepresses on the
Sabbath and bringing grain and
loading it on donkeys, together with
wine, grapes, figs and all other
kinds of loads. And they were
bringing all this into Jerusalem on
the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them
against selling food on that day. Men
from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were
bringing in fish and all kinds of
merchandise and selling them in
Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the
people of Judah. I rebuked the nobles
of Judah and said to them, ‘What
is this wicked thing you are doing
– desecrating the Sabbath Day?
Didn’t your forefathers do the
same things, so that our God brought
this entire calamity upon us and upon
this city? Now you are stirring up
more wrath against Israel by
desecrating the Sabbath.’ When
evening shadows fell on the gates of
Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I
ordered the doors to be shut and not
opened until the Sabbath was over. I
stationed some of my men at the gates
so that no load could be brought in
on the Sabbath Day. Once or twice the
merchants and sellers of all kinds of
goods spent the night outside
Jerusalem. But I warned them and
said, ‘Why do you spend the
night by the wall? If you do this
again, I will lay hands on you.’
From that time on they no longer came
on the Sabbath. Then I commanded the
Levites to purify themselves and go
and guard the gates in order to keep
the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for
this also, O my God, and show mercy
to me according to your great
love.” (Nehemiah 13:15-22)
It is obvious from
these verses that conducting business
on the Lord’s Day is offensive
to God – whether it is for food
or merchandise is immaterial. Second,
like the Levites of old, we should
“guard” the gates of our
houses in order to keep the Sabbath
day holy. Did you notice that
Nehemiah associates God’s wrath
(the destruction of Jerusalem in 586
B.C.) with desecrating the Sabbath?
Like Nehemiah, I believe the basis
for God’s coming wrath upon the
world is due in part to the fact that
mankind does not have respect for God
or His holy day. When the Great
Tribulation rumbles across the face
of the Earth, God’s authority
and His Sabbath will be put into
proper perspective. The strength and
authority of His law will be plainly
seen. Until this occurs, this topic
remains a matter of prophetic faith.
If we honor the
Sabbath hours by resting from our
work and labor, we honor God. If we
honor God, He will bless us. The Lord
told Isaiah, “’If you keep
your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my
holy day, if you call the Sabbath a
delight and the Lord’s holy day
honorable, and if you honor it by not
going your own way and not doing as
you please or speak idle words, then
you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride on the
heights of the land and to feast on
the inheritance of your father
Jacob.’ The mouth of the Lord
has spoken.” (Isaiah 58: 13,14)
Sabbath Observance
What principles do we
apply to the dairy farmer, the nurse,
the cook, and the policeman? Here is
my personal view of this matter: The
Lord’s Day is the Lord’s
Day - all day long- from sunset
to sunset. (Genesis 1; Leviticus
23:32) The Sabbath was made for man
to be a rest, both physically and
spiritually, or a day of renewal each
week. God wants us to prepare all
week for the Sabbath. Jesus wants us
to enjoy the Lord’s Day and call
it a delight. The weekly Sabbath is
not for God’s benefit, but ours!
When we honor the Sabbath
commandment, we exalt the “Lord
of the Sabbath!”
Preparation for the
Lord’s Day is important. In
ancient times, the Jews did not have
names for the days of the week. They
used numbers such as the “the
first of seven” for Sunday, or
“the third day of the week”
for Tuesday. After the Babylonian
captivity, the sixth ay of the week
became known as “The
Preparation” or “the day of
preparation.” This title
summarized the importance of being
prepared for the Lord’s Day.
(Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke
23:54)
As I understand it,
actions that bring the blessing of
Sabbath rest to others are
permissible on Sabbath. Whether you
prepare a good meal for a patient or
help victims from a tornado, the
Sabbath was made for man. Yes, the
dairy farmer has to milk his cows.
Yes, the doctor may be called for an
emergency. Yes, the nurse may need to
render care and the preacher may have
to work harder on Sabbath than any
other day. But, the first
consideration that people need to
address when trying to resolve this
matter for themselves is this: How
can I submit to the demands of the
fourth commandment and still honor
the Lord on His holy day with deeds
of compassion?
Imposing Work on
Others
The fourth commandment
says that we are not to impose work
upon others under our dominion,
whether man or animal, on the
Sabbath. This issue raises some
interesting questions. Would it be
appropriate for God to create the
Sabbath and then force humanity to
work on the Lord’s Day while he
rests? No, of course not. God is fair
and just and He wants us to follow
His lead. If the Ruler of the
Universe gives rest to His servants
each week, then each of us, as
God’s servants, must give our
dominion (those under our management)
rest as well.
A Holy Day Not a
Holiday
The Bible says the
world and all that is in it belongs
to God. (Psalms 24:1) This means that
human beings are stewards of
“God’s property.”
(Matthew 25:14; Leviticus 25:23)
Jesus is the Landlord of Earth. Jesus
is also the owner or “the Lord
of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27,28)
Observing the seventh day reminds
humankind each week that we are not
the owners of time and possessions.
Notice how this works: Observing the
Lord’s Day always puts a person
at odds with the pace and activities
of this world. (This is a world in
rebellion against God’s will and
His ways.) From the beginning of
time, antagonism between God’s
Sabbath and the world has existed.
God set apart a day for Himself and
His children which not only offers
physical rest, but also offers a time
to spiritually reconnect with God
each week. To the carnal mind, the
Sabbath conflicts with our use of
time or our pursuit of wealth and
pleasure. To the spiritual mind, the
Sabbath is a “time out”
from managing the assets God has
given us. (Matthew 6:33) The command
to rest on the seventh day may sound
easy to do, but in fact,
“resting” according to
god’s commandment has financial
and social consequences in a world
that has no respect for God. Keeping
the Sabbath day holy can mean loss of
income, job or a career. Yet, we need
to remember that we really do not own
these things in the first place. For
some people, keeping the Lord’s
Day holy means rejection and ridicule
by family members and friends. The
devil has done and will do everything
possible to make sure that the world
forgets or rejects God’s
Sabbath. But, we can be sure of one
thing: if we are willing to honor the
Creator by resting on His holy day,
we find a faith experience. God
sustains whatever we lay down so that
when we resume our management of His
assets after Sabbath, nothing will be
lost or hurt. The devil is able to
bring ruin and loss, but God owns
everything and He will recover His
losses if we are faithful. This may
seem scary, but it is also the
exciting part of living by faith.
Observing God’s Sabbath involves
risk and the presence of risk proves
necessity for faith. If we are
faith-full with all that God has
given us to manage, we can be sure
that Jesus will reward in full every
faithful steward at the Second
Coming. (Matthew 25:23)
The faith-full people
who honor the Lord by keeping His
Sabbath holy will come to know the
“Lord of the Sabbath” more
intimately. God will bless the people
who look forward to entering into
God’s rest each week by giving
them His eternal rest. (Hebrews 4)
This is why God said: “The
Israelites are to observe the
Sabbath, celebrating it for
generations to come as a lasting
covenant. 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.” (Exodus 31:16,17)
Summary
The blessing
surrounding the fourth commandment is
both timeless and universal.
Unfortunately, the corporate race to
make money and capture the market
share has become a powerful economic
force that has pushed God’s
command to rest out of the weekly
cycle. Jesus said, “You cannot
serve both God and money.”
(Matthew 6:24) These entities are
diametrically opposed. The pursuit of
money never ends and opportunities to
compromise God’s Sabbath are
limitless. Therefore, we have to be
vigilant to “Remember the
Sabbath Day.” If we plan to live
in God’s eternal kingdom, then
the principles of God’s kingdom
need to be a priority in our lives.
Honoring God’s Sabbath is a
faith exercise that Jesus invites us
to experience with Him each week.
Obeying God when something important
is at stake is the meaning of living
by faith. I believe that if we forget
the Sabbath, we will forget God.
“If I were called upon to
identify the principle trait of the
entire 20th century, I
would be unable to find anyone more
precise than to reflect once again on
how we have lost touch with our
Creator…Men have forgotten
God.” (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn,
Reader’s Digest, September
1986).
Memory Verse: Matthew
6:24 “No man can serve two
masters; for either he will hate the
one, and love the other; or else he
will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and
mammon.
Quiz:
1. How would you
explain or show proof to another
person God’s true Sabbath Day
from the Scriptures?
2. Is the fourth
commandment as important as the other
nine?
3. What
does God allow His children to do on
the Sabbath Day?
4. Are we right by
imposing work upon others on the
Sabbath Day or is it just for
ourselves?
5. Does the keeping of
the Sabbath Day create faith?
6. What is living by
faith mean to you right now in your
life?
7. Would you be
willing to share your faith with
others today, tomorrow or when the
need arises?
Notes:
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