The past couple weeks we have looked at the origins of the Sabbath, and a sampling in the Old Testament on what it means. I have not added too much of my own commentary for I have been letting the scriptures talk for themselves. We know that God created the Earth and everything in it in 6 days and he rested the 7th (Sabbath). We do not get anymore mention of this rest until we get to Exodus When God gives Moses the ten Commandments when the Israelites were leaving Egypt. I am going to be thinking outside the box today. We know for a few hundred years the Israelites were held captive by Egypt. They were at the mercy of what their captors would allow them to do or not do. Literally being slaves. Would it not make sense, that now they are no longer captives, that God tells them they need to make time for rest? God had given clear instructions for the Sabbath (day of rest). Possible consequences could even be put to death. The thing about the ten Commandments was to show that we all were sinners and were going to fall short of the Glory of God! And we know the wages of sin are death!
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now we also need to understand that the ten Commandments (Exodus 20) were a covenant between God and the Israelites. Let’s think about this. It was not given to the Egyptians or any other group/nation. (Side note here: I find it very interesting that no other nation/people had God on their side! I have a theory on this but that is a later discussion.) This was strictly between God and the Israel nation. This was their Law that God had given to them to follow. Now here come JESUS! Jesus was not just for Israel, but for everyone!
Let’s read Mark 2
(23) And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. (24) And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? (25) And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? (26) How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? (27) And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: (28) therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
I used this select set of verses because Jesus is going to use Old Testament scripture to tell the Pharisees why his disciples were picking corn on the Sabbath. Then explaining to them how the Sabbath was made for man, not man made for the Sabbath. He then goes on to say that He, Jesus, is still Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus performed many duties on the Sabbath through the New Testament
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
I do not want to take anything out of context. I think the scriptures are very clear. When Jesus came to Earth, He fulfilled the law and extended God’s covenant to any who would now believe in Him. We are no longer subject to the law, if our faith is in Jesus. It still does not mean we can just go break the law, being we sin against our own fellow people. Out of the Ten Commandments, The Sabbath is the only one Jesus went against. As stated back in Mark 2. The Sabbath was for man. All the other Commandments meant you sinned against or used someone or something else. The Sabbath was for us.
Matthew 22: (36) Master, which is the great commandment in the law? (37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
I wanted to share the passage in Matthew 22 when the Pharisees were asking which was the greatest commandment. Religion now a days argue so much about the Sabbath. You see more doctrine surrounded that one topic, yet it was the least of the commandments Jesus was concerned with.
Hebrews 4: (8) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. (9) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. (11) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
According to the scripture we can easily conclude in today’s time it is ok to work on the Sabbath. Should we take time to rest and reflect on God’s greatness? YES, ABSOLUTELY! Just as the Israelites needed rest after being held captive for a few hundred years, we also need rest from our day-to-day routines. Jesus is our rest.
COMMENTS
[ posted by Cindy, 02/04/2024 12:17 PM ]
Yes, the commandments were given to the Israelites for their rules to live after being freed from a long life of slavery. Their God was different than the pagan gods of the Egyptians and other regions during that time. The Israelites God was ' unseen' and only known thru the teachings passed down thru their families' generations. Their hope was awaiting their coming Savior their holy book and religious leaders talked about.Jesus became the new law of being forgiven for sinning. The commandments are important, and I think the foundation of a Christian life. We are still held accountable by the laws of man for breaking some of them. We are no longer bound by the Old Testament laws but I think they are indeed moral laws we should follow. They were important enough for God to outline them for His people. Even after being freed from slavery, remember what they did when Moses went up on the mountain when receiving the 10 Commandments? They made idols of gold????? Can you believe that? They receive freedom, are heading to a new place and different life, and they go do just what their captors have always done. I guess God knew what they were gonna do, and gave Moses their laws to help them get in line. Back then, remember sin was atoned by animal sacrifice, incense burning, going to the temple, body cleansing, etc. And, the key part here, was the animal had to be perfect, exact herbs to burn, exact essential oils. It was a precise and exact procedure. There was no skimping on that sacrifice. Jesus coming changed all of that. Jesus tells us to " rest" in Him now. Jesus tells us He is " the law" now. Jesus tells us He is the "Sabbath" now. We now have God inside us with His Holy Spirit. I wonder about what does that mean? Before the Holy Spirit came thru the disciples, did the people in the Old Testament have that? Did they feel conviction? Did they feel the presence of God like we do praying and talking to God? Or was their only connection if an angel or a message told to someone by God, etc. the way He communicated, since their was no way to be " born again" or " baptized" to enter the relationship with Jesus. OK, I am getting off track....lol Just like last week, I strongly agree that the Sabbath is still important for Christians today. Many times Jesus would take off for days. For what? I am sure rest and time with His Father. Especially in the last days, He went off to spend time talking to God. And you know He was pouring out His own heart about what was going on, what He was seeing and experiencing and what He knew was coming. That is exactly why WE still need to have a day of rest. I agree Mike it does not have to be a Sunday. Or a Saturday as in some religions. Those are all based on older timelines specified in religion. God just wants us to set aside a day of our work week to slow down, be still, meditate on Him and His word and give Him ( and Jesus) the time and praise He deserves and expects from us. He is after all, our Father in heaven! Everything in our life is thru Him and His great and unconditional love for us, His grace and mercy for mankind. Those of us He made in His image. We are not saved by law, but thru Jesus. But we still need to obey laws. Jesus did not like that the religious leaders were always deciding just what they deemed was the law by tweeking them to fit their ideas of control for the people. Just like the religious leaders being able to eat certain things, the regular folks couldn't. Doing 'work' in the temple when regular folks couldn't do any kind of work. Jesus tried to explain that they were just taking it too far, there were things that could be done that wasn't a sin. How could healing someone be a sin, if it changed his life and made him able to return to society and be productive? They ate some grains as they passed by an area because they were hungry? Deut 23:25 states you could " pick with hands" but not put a sickle to standing grain. Jesus and His disciples did not tear down someone's crops, just grabbed handfuls of grain off the stalks to nibble on. Jesus did many things on the Sabbath that the Pharisee's just went crazy about. Instead of seeing the goodness in what He was doing to help people, and unfolding of the fulfillment the prophecies the taught, they only were angered to declare what a lawbreakers and blasphemer He was. That had to make Jesus smirk huh? He knew He was the law now. He knew He was their Savior. And it was all right in front of them. So Jesus came to rule over a day of Sabbath, to be the rest. He didn't cancel it. He defined it. " The Son of Man is the Sabbath" "The Sabbath was made for man, not the man for the Sabbath" Jesus is telling us to keep a day of Sabbath and bring your rest and thoughts and concerns and place them unto Him. I do not think He judges what day we use, but that we make that time to slow down, and bring yourself into His presence. He also knows it also brings us comfort, peace, happiness, clear thinking, better decision making, and closer to God and Jesus. What is the world's definition of rest? Measure YOUR "rest" by how it aligns with God. Find your rest in Jesus, who is our rest, our Sabbath. He knows we have to go to Him for that spiritual rest, which we also need.