Thursday: Keeping the Sabbath
As should be clear from the Gospel records, Jesus didn’t abolish the Sabbath. If anything, He restored the Sabbath, freeing it from the cumbersome burdens people had placed on it. Hundreds of years later Christians were still resting and worshiping on Sabbath. The fifth-century historian Socrates Scholasticus wrote:
Image © Kim Justinen from GoodSalt.com
“Almost all churches throughout The World celebrated the sacred mysteries (the Lord’s Supper) on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, refuse to do this.”—Ecclesiastical History, book 5, p. 289. No question, whatever the reasons all these incidents were recorded in the Gospels, it wasn’t to point anyone away from the Sabbath.
Read again Matthew 12:12 and focus on the phrase: “Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (NKJV). What does that mean in the immediate context that Jesus was addressing? And what does that also tell us that Sabbath keeping should include?
Though Jewish law did permit giving medical attention on the Sabbath to a person whose life was in danger, Jesus took it further. Healings, perhaps even healings that could be done on another day, are permitted on the Sabbath. With all this in mind, look at what Jesus said later in Matthew. “‘Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old’” (Matt. 13:52, NIV). No question, Jesus was clearly bringing out new treasures, as well.
Read Isaiah 58:7-13. How does what is expressed here help reflect what it means to truly follow the Lord and to live out the principles of the law, including the Sabbath? How do we understand the phrase “repairer of the breach,” especially in the context of the three angels’ messages?
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Actually acts of mercy are allowed on SABBATH things like helping the sick,feeding the hungry,visiting the prisoners and a Praying with them actually
Is coocking on the sabbath regarded as sabbath breaking?
Maybe way back, when we had to chop the wood for the stove, but today U just turn a nob & U can cook, so I think not.
By cooking on the Sabbath means power is used which causes people to work
James, I don't know from where you are writing and what the source of your power is, but in the West, power generally comes from electric power plants that run automatically with just a few people who monitor the equipment. Such plants are not ever shut down on purpose and run continuously. Thus your argument against cooking on Sabbath is not a compelling one.
But perhaps there is a better argument to be made for preparing meals ahead of time so that we can demonstrate respect and anticipate the special time we will spend with the Lord on the Sabbath?
When more people use any services in any country, there are strains put on there service, which is why we have maintenance crews who, are called out on any day-time to repair all types of faults. It's not just using electricity-gas-thermal-wind-solar that's the issue, it's when any of these services are used, breakdowns can happen. Why? Because it's man made. The result is, this can cause people to work on the Sabbath.
Mathew 5:17 "i did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,but i have come to fulfill"
Mathew,clearly testifies that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law (The Ten Commandments) But to establish it by removing obstacles from the path taken by the hypocritical teachers of the law,which resulted into hindering a thousand of souls to know the love of God hence painting a bad picture about the Holy day(Sabbath day)and the Sabbath day became a burden to many, Luke 4:16 also testifies the day of worship by saying "As his custom" therefore let us keep the Sabbath day Holy, as Isaiah 58:13 Illustrated.
There is no other day of worship apart from what God established at the beginning of the world, REV 14:12 "here is the patience of the saints:here are they that keep the commandments of God,and the faith of Jesus" Mathew 14:15" if you love me keep my Commandments" Jesus gives one of the qualification of being a disciple, No doubt,the Sabbath is the day of worship!
Two SDA's were walking along a beach side path on the Sabbath in opposite directions when they came face to face, after greeting one another, the first one said "I see you're carrying diving gear "
"Yes, I'm going to put in a spot of exploring the ocean"
"Don't you know you shoudn't be doing your own pleasure on the Sabbath?"
The other replied "Isn't that a camera on your shoulder?"
"True" said the first, "I'm going to the park to meditate on the wonder of the Lord's creation and a spot of bird watching"
"Well then,"replied the other "I'm going fish watching to observe the mysteries of the underwater world"
The question is: What constitutes "doing your own pleasure? and speaking your own words" as mentioned in Isa. 58:13.
Could someone pleas elucidate on this passage, because I am confused.
John, The answer for all our questions about how to keep the Sabbath Holy, begins with Exodus 20:8-11 and concludes with Isaiah58:13. If there is any confusion over the meaning of those verses I would believe they are self inflicted.
As I understand it Isaiah 58 is connected with Leviticus 23:32 not Exodus 20:8-11. Whereas the 7th day Sabbath was a day to feast and enjoy, the Day of Judgement was a day to fast, afflict, and abstain from pleasure. It was when they would recall their sins. The question Isaiah writes about is how to keep the Fast day not the way they choose (sitting in sackcloth and ashes) but the way the Lord chooses i.e. free the oppressed and help those in need. This we could apply to the 7th Day Sabbath and this seems to be message in Matthew gives us, the Sabbath is about freeing the oppressed and helping those in need. However is the 7th day to be as Fast day, a day to abstain from pleasure and day to afflict oneself as on the Day of Judgement (Yom Kippur)? No I do not think that is what the 7th day Sabbath is about.
Robert, chapter divisions were not originally part of the biblical text. So we cannot take for granted that every text in a chapter refers to the same subject.
That said, it appears that the passages in this chapter deal with true and false worship and address various aspects of worship, including worship on the seventh-day Sabbath. Isa 58:13-14 does appear to refer specifically to the seventh-day Sabbath:
Just wondering in Exodus 20:8-11 Why wasn't the spouse mention that In it you shall do no work.
Dear John Kriskans,
Isaiah 58:13 teaches us that we can't do our own will or speak our own words. In other words, the example provided about the two SDA people walking along the beach path, simply tells us that they were doing what they thought at the moment that was ok to do on Sabbath. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the Lord's creation or to enjoy the mysteries of the underwater world. The question that we should be focusing on is;
"what would Jesus do?" Remember that he healed on Sabbath "Matthew 12:9-13".
He focused on the poor, and the vulnerable. Would it be fair to say that God should prohibit the sun to come out on Sabbath?
Read yesterday's lesson May 4, 2015. It provides you with more examples but simply studying the holy scriptures will help you understand what God is trying to teach us on a daily basis. God left us many examples of what we can do on this day. He doesn't not want us to be selfish.
I would like to share with you what my day on this beautiful holy day is like.
9:15 am - Teacher to "Earlyteens" class
11:00 am - Worship Service
1:00-3:00 pm - Late lunch
3:00-6:00 pm - pick up food donations & distribute them to the homeless (with my kids and other church members)
6:00 pm - ? Youth Service
7:30 pm - Enjoy the rest of my evening with my family at church just hanging out enjoying and watching my kids play in our church parking-lot; soccer, basketball, or volleyball. We adults just enjoy each other's company and go home whenever we feel it's time to call it a day/night. I hope this was helpful.
May God Bless you, now and always.
The list of things to do on Sabbath isn't short on time to accomplish them all. Credit the manager.
John, you provided a wonderful illustration of the futility of making rules for Sabbath keeping the way the Pharisees did. There are many ways of honoring the Lord on the Sabbath day, and I believe the emphasis in the text is on the difference between focusing on our personal interests but, or instead, "delighting" in the Lord. Notice that "delight" is a very positive word and would certainly be applicable to delighting in God's creation either on land or underwater.
God wants a special "date" with us on the Sabbath day - a day on which we can focus on spending time with Him in a variety of ways. 🙂
Ing, if you have or had younger children, I am familiar with what we would classify as appropriate Sabbath activity. Having raised 5, my wife and I. It was always a challenge. It is seldom if ever the same for all families. For us the bird sanctuary or the tide pools were always vote getters, in some type of nature outdoor activity.
help me on tithing, which one do we use to calculate tithe between gross salary and net salary.
On the gross - the sum total of your income. Lets say that your income is 100 sheep but to pay your suppliers for hay, water, renting etc, you have to pay them 10 sheep so your net income is now 90 sheep. On the gross, you would pay 10 sheep and on the net, 9 sheep.
But you would not have been able to pay the suppliers etc had God not provided the sheep in the first place, so your income is not 90 sheep but 100 sheep; the 90 is just what remains.
Prove the Lord He says and my family have proven him - God loves a cheerful giver.
George, there is no hard and fast rule for gross and net tithe. The word is increase and has more to say regarding an amount of "1/10th of the increase\" in the SDA church manual page 130. I could go into more detail but feel it unnecessary. What others choose can often be more than is acceptable.
The easiest solution is to return a second tithe - on either gross or net. Not only will you cover all your bases, you also will be amazingly blessed. Test Him.
This may be a cover all your bases solution but then no one makes their own rules as they go. I would like to switch gears completely. This is about what burdens that are lite and the Sabbath rest, un.contestestd. Romans 6:23 and Romans 3:23,24. If you thoroughly and completely understand those verses personally, You will understand what burdens have been made lite. And how to rest without a thought of obligation or payment. By complete freedom called Grace. To me these are promises that are real eternal life savers.Jesus. Not just temporary lip service.
As others have said, this matter is between you and the Lord. We always tithed on the full cheque earned as employees and returned a second tithe as offerings. We didn't become rich, but the remaining funds stretched remarkably far.
The Bible says to return 10% of the *increase.* Benefits that are paid by deductions would appear to be increase. Taxes are supposed to pay for benefits as are healthcare deductions.
We paid tithe also on pension deductions, but this is a highly personal choice because it is really deferred income, and it is reasonable to return tithe when you get the income. We are now receiving government pensions, and, since we don't want to be left without the blessings of giving, we are simply continuing our previous practice of two tithes, with rare exceptions. We haven't really suffered lack.
I might also mention that returning tithe on "gross income" doesn't work for self-employed people like farmers (your example of sheep farming) or contractors. The cost of the "increase" may be much more than 10% of gross - maybe even as high as 90%. Net income is what is left after all *expenses* are deducted from gross income, and that is real income.
It is left up to each of us to decide what we consider "income" and what we consider expenses. Remember the Lord said, "Prove me now ... " and you can't really outgive the Lord. 🙂
We have our own business. The cost of running the business is usually very close to half of the gross receipts. I keep track of income/expenses and tithe on the actual increase. Tithe and 10% offerings is our systematic stewardship. More offerings as need arises. Our accountant comments often on those numbers. We have been able to be completely debt-free by thanking God first in our giving. His financial principles are out of this world!
Tithe on gross, then if your retirement grows tithe only on its gain. It is preservation of your elderly income.
Tithe on net and establish a life long giving habit, since you will have to tithe bigger in retirement.
God us not exacting. It depends on how much you want to be blessed! He promises more than you can hold. Malachi 3:10
10% of your Gross Salary.
Nothing we do can save us. God is our only saviour.
John that's a great question, one that I've pondered myself being that I live on an island and recognize that enjoying nature not only includes nature walks in the woods but also the undersea world. Some would argue that the former is ok but the latter is somehow sabbath breaking. I've come to understand that the sabbath is God's invitation for Him and man to reconnect and deepen our relationship. If through the activity of observing nature,
whether under sea or above ground, we are brought into a deeper connection with our savior I believe the conditions of sabbath keeping are met. Our intent and motive dictates the nature of our actions. It's a personal relationship between YOU/I and God . Certainly not between us and church members.
Remember how God provided food for the Children of Israel during their 40-year sojourn through the wilderness, that He gave specific instructions for gathering the manna on Friday,in preparation for the Sabbath. This was the only time God told them to do this and the manna was preserved. Any other day and the over night "what is it", bread from heaven, would turn to worms. This is a very enthralling story of God's loving care and goodness toward His creatures. You can read it all in (Ex. 16:14-30). I have read the following excerpts from Testimonies to the Churches, Vol.6, p.353 that you may find useful in answering many questions on true Sabbath keeping:
How should we understand these two verses?EX16:23 and EX35:2,3.
Isn't there anything else that we can eat without having to Cook on the sabbath?for ex, a beautiful plate of coloured vegetables.
1) The passage means cook your food the day before the Sabbath for the Sabbath day so you may enjoy cooked food on the Sabbath without having to cook in on that day. 2) No you are not expected to nor commanded to put people to death who cook on the Sabbath.
keeping the Sabbath is our theme in this part of Thursday,why is it a greater significance in our daily life,what can we learnt from Jesus life when still on the earth,we show in the Bible he travel for along time to fulfill that promise he made in Ezekiel 20:20.It tells us when we are united to our God we get deliverance from our burden and refresh us to continue with our journey to Heaven.
In other-ward when we keep the Sabbath the more we will draw closer to our God and accept him us our friend and our HELPER.
The text does not really say 'doing your own pleasure,' as I understand it. The verse actually says not doing your own business on the Sabbath (i.e., a rest from one's everyday work). There seems to be a big difference here in the translation. I remember reading an article in the Review a few years ago about young Adventists in Europe playing soccer on the Sabbath and seeing nothing wrong with it. It is so easy to be a Pharisee in our carefulness about Sabbath keeping. God wants us to call the Sabbath a delight (what a wonderful word).
On Tithing. I heard it said "Do you want a "Net" Blessing or a "Gross" Blessing.
That's a wonderful statement
Praise the Lord for His abundant gross blessings
"God is merciful. His requirements are reasonable, in accordance with the goodness and benevolence of His character. The object of the Sabbath was that all mankind might benefit. Man was not made to fit the Sabbath; for the Sabbath was made after the creation of man, to meet his necessities. After God had made the world in six days, He rested and sanctified and blessed the day upon which He rested from all His work which He had created and made",Testimonies for the church, vol 2, 582.
The Lord says, "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; . . . then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isa. 58:13, 14. To all who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ's creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight. Seeing Christ in it, they delight themselves in Him. The Sabbath points them to the works of creation as an evidence of His mighty power in redemption. And every object in nature repeats His invitation, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28.
In the parable of Jesus feeding the five thousand I have heard the illustration and I believe that it is true that just like the boy's sack lunch went farther after giving it to Jesus, we can do more with 90% after returning our tithe than we can with 100% without giving tithe. We can also accomplish more in 6 days after keeping one day holy, than we can in 7 days without keeping one Holy. The tithe and the Sabbath are both very sacred. Tithes and offerings help us to overcome selfishness with our possessions while the Sabbath helps us overcome selfishness with our time. And yes, these are very personal matters where we must follow our own convictions, but the important thing in both cases is that we are honest with ourselves and God.
The boy gave 100% to Jesus in this case and Jesus here did not require anybody to take 10% of any of this to the Temple. God apparently did not view any of these benefits as being "increase," at all.
Good point Pete. Jesus could have worked the same miracle with just one piece of fish or bread, but I imagine after the boy heard about God giving all of Himself for us, the boy wanted to give all he had to Jesus. That is what the gospel is all about. So we see in this story, whatever we return to God, He blesses and makes it go farther.
Evie Young,I totally agree with you,the moment we start thinking of what to and not do on sabbath its the point we start loosing focus and i think is the same that happened with the Pharisees. Resting in Christ:- when you rest on anything its that which you rest upon that supports you,thus what we need to do is let Christ control us. Jehova bless you all,shalom.
Some of us became Seventh Day Adventist in 2014 and this week's lesson and last week's lesson have not been clear to me. It appears there is a lot of different interpretations and this is not good for us new members. Unfortunately little time is given in my church for the quarterly lesson mainly due to lack of preparation my members.
It would appear that the understanding is that it all depends on culture and environment? Some are suggesting sport, swimming are not sinful, cooking by stove is allowed? Washing plates in the sink is allowed if there are flies or cockroaches, making fire to boil my bath water on Sabbath is not sinful (no electricity)? Is it all about ones intention?
Dear Gari,
I can understand how things might be a bit confusing. Culture applies to such things as to how our stoves function, how we get our hot water, etc. In the West, a great many people shower every morning by stepping into a shower and turning on a tap. Not showering on Sabbath morning would make them feel less clean than on other days, and that is hardly God's intention in asking us to keep the Sabbath holy. I come from a background where, as a child, we had to heat our water in big boilers for our baths, and we always took our baths on Friday afternoons to be sure to be clean for Sabbath when it began at sunset.
Most choices of what to do on Sabbath depend on what will honor God the most. Many of us believe that going out in nature to appreciate God's creation is a good Sabbath activity, and we see no harm in wading or even swimming in a river or creek along the way. However, going to a public beach with others engaging in secular activities is a completely different thing and would not be appropriate on the Sabbath.
I don't believe that competitive sports are appropriate for the Sabbath, but in Germany where I come from, I remember casual games of "ball" played regularly on a Sabbath afternoon. This activity was played with a big ball and was not really competitive and was just one way of socializing. It just goes to show that the same sports words are interpreted very differently in different countries.
Different people have made excellent suggestions in their comments. Please consider them prayerfully, recognizing that circumstances differ in various cultures. The bottom line is that the Sabbath is reserved as God's time. and in order to keep the Sabbath holy, we need to be holy people, wholly surrendered to God. If we are wholly surrendered to God, He will guide us and teach us about Sabbath observance in our culture. Do not depend on others to tell you what to do. Ask God. The Sabbath is His day.
This is what Inge said to Gari above, this is 100% correct. Listen to that still small voice, {Holy Spirit} ask Him, He will tell you, He will convict you, don't listen to people, only God has the right answers for us. God is so good, He has our best interest in His plan for us.He loves us so, He wants us in heaven w/Him. When we surrender our hearts/minds to Him it's not hard to hear what He wants for us. Remember to listen to Him, not people. Gari, have a blessed Sabbath & rejoice in His {God/Jesus'} love for us.
Is it alright to attend the burial of a friend or relative on a sabbath?Most non Adventist bury on sabbath
Please go to funerals on Sabbath. It is for the family, the live ones need your witness and compassion!
I come from Papua New Guinea, a tropical island country in the Pacific. When the first Adventist missionaries came, they taught us how to keep the sabbath holy, the same way God taught the Israelites in the wilderness. No fire, cooking, washing clothes, playing, heavy work, school, business, ironing etc. Most Adventists prepare sabbath meal in earth ovens in rural settings. In urban settings, some do the earth oven meal preparation, others prepare sandwiches, fruit juices. The desire is too keep the sabbath holy. God is Holy. We are his children. We must be holy.
The problem with us SDA is that we say things to justify our doings which are wrong. I agree with those who say to ask God for the right thing to do. There are lots of food, good food that can be eaten on Sabbath day thand cooking. Here in my country it's also an issue,,, you will find pastors giving different answers to the cooking issues when christians ask.
Jesus said to give to Ceaser what is his, and to God what is His,,, out of the 100, government gets its tax,,and other deductions are made,, so saying to give tithe on the net income it's confusing.
About being at the funeral on the Sabbath day is being with the people who are going on through a hard time,, just being there heals souls of the friends who have lost their loved ones..
Also if the person dies Friday at home, let's say in rural areas, they cannot keep the dead body till Sabbath is over, definitely burial will take place on the Sabbath day.
Talking about culture, I have seen that in other churches in some countries the ladies wear pants/ trousers even in the church, even on the pulpit while in my country it's not the right thing for a woman to wear trousers in the church,, they are meant to be gents clothing. As a result I wonder about all this. As some have said it's a personal thing,, we need to do as the Holy Spirit tells us to do
The bible says do not light a fire in any on your dwellings on the sabbath day. So even just turning the nob of your stove is lighting fire.
How will you deal w/the cold winters, no fire? I think you are getting legleistice here. Can you give me a text for your thoughts? I'd like to read before and after on this.
William, after having read through the whole blog, my first thought at the beginning is also my final thought, and you expressed it well. We need as a people to stop comparing ourselves to others, or them to us. Isaiah 58 says, “If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger".
Simply live every day, inviting His Spirit to fill the heart with His love, and allow Him to direct your day. This is how Jesus lived. He spent nights in presence of His Father, and His days living out the guidance of His Father's Holy Spirit. We can also spend time with God, in His word, daily or at night, and then trust Him to give us His Spirit to guide us, teach us, give us understanding, fill the heart with grace for our fellow man. Of ourselves, none of it makes sense, but with Spirit, just as He promised, it all comes to have meaning and then deeper and deeper meaning. He lives His life through our love for Him, and our growing willingness to grow in His light. Whether we are at church among like believers or downtown, where ever, by beholding we become changed into His likeness. We encourage each other, love each other. We become real, and have the hope of eternity to know the Father.
Exodus 20:8 - Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Whatever you do, let it glorify God. - When visiting an elderly person, they ask you go to the shops for them to buy something they need, will you say no because how you under stand the Sabbath. As referenced earlier, what would Jesus do?
Let us Glorify God because we want to with a willing heart.
on the secondary point:
Exodus 35 - Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD.
Net or Gross - the key is to give with a willing heart.
I know many who use preparation day, Friday, to cook meals ahead of time.
Yes, most of us do, do that, but it's NO sin to cook the veggies fresh and etc. Who wants to spend time cooking a big meal on Sabbath anyway, when we could be spending time w/our Jesus. Spending time w/Him is the thing Sabbath is for, not cooking.
I am an SDA with a non-religious husband and 2 young children (1&3). My husband owns a restaurant and works 6-7 days a week, depending. Sabbath is not observed or truely understood by him. That leaves me the sole religious trainer in our family. Also, I grew up Methodist and became an Adventist so I don't have the example of how to observe the sabbath with children.
My question is this: How can I make the Sabbath a joy for me and my children? My son who is 3 is now starting to get upset when I say "Its sabbath now so we aren't going to read Thomas the Train tonight. Let's read about Daniel and the Lions Den." Btw, he does love all the Bible stories and I have read and we have watched Bible cartoons so he knows and enjoys the stories. But it seems he is getting more annoyed with the sabbath because he wants to do what he wants to do.
Also, in the winter we are stuck inside, my youngest needs to be held/nursed all day long (at least it feels that way) and I feel I am feeding them, picking up after them, and completely unable to study Gods word due to a million disruptions. I don't even attempt to open his Word now because as soon as I do I'm interrupted. I do occasionally watch a sermon on YouTube on our tv but feel I'm only getting that and not personal time with the Lord.
I feel guilty like I am not able to observe sabbath the right way. How do I do this and not feel completely exhausted and worn out on the day I am supposed to relax and enjoy God's fellowship?
The Sabbath was meant to be a delight and not a burden. Give God glory in all that you do focus on being with your family giving thanks to God for his many blessings, or visit to share your blessing with others. God invites us to rest from our weekly routine and to embrace his presence and to bask in His glory, meditating on his word to receive a double portion of his blessing.
If you feel no different on the sabbath from any other day of the week then something is missing on how sabbath is spent. Let the Holy Spirit inspire you to do the right thing. for me, being in fellowship with other believers brings the sabbath alive.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work.
What is the definition of work?
Gen 1:16 says Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
I think work refers to the toil of your labour, the burden of daily struggles. The Lord wants us to enter that rest from physical and mental toil.
I don't think he is referring to the necessities of daily routine like brushing your teeth, bathing, eating, etc. He just want us to take a break from our work and have a spiritual union with Him.
Then what constitutes a spiritual union? The answers are in the Bible. No need to say more. The Holy Spirit searches the heart and God Knows your true purpose and intentions.