Thursday: Remembering the Sabbath
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).
The Sabbath was and is a sign for man to “remember.” The use of the word remember can serve various functions. First, to remember something implies looking backward, looking to the past. In this case, the Sabbath points us to the fiat Creation, which climaxed in the institution of the Sabbath as a weekly day of rest and special communion with God.
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The injunction to remember has implications also for the present. We are not only to “remember” the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8); we are to “observe” and “keep” it (see Deuteronomy 5:12, RSV). Thus, the Sabbath has important implications for us now, in the present.
Finally, remembering the Sabbath also points us forward. The person who remembers the keeping of the Sabbath has a promising, rich, and meaningful future with the Lord of the Sabbath. He or she remains in the covenant relationship, because he or she remains in the Lord. Again, when we understand the covenant to be a relationship between God and humankind, the Sabbath, which can greatly help strengthen that relationship, comes into specific prominence.
Indeed, in remembering Creation and its Creator, God’s people also remember God’s gracious acts of salvation (see Deuteronomy 5:14, where the Sabbath is seen, in this context, as a sign of deliverance from Egypt, a symbol of the ultimate salvation found in God). Creation and re-creation belong together. The former makes the latter possible. The Sabbath is a sign that communicates that God is the Creator of the world and the Creator of our salvation.
“By keeping His Sabbath holy we are to show that we are His people. His Word declares the Sabbath to be a sign by which to distinguish the commandment-keeping people … Those who keep the law of God will be one with Him in the great controversy commenced in heaven between Satan and God.” — Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 2, p. 160.
Look at this statement from the Lord’s servant. What is it about the Sabbath that makes it something that can distinguish us as “the commandment-keeping people” more so than, perhaps, any of the other commandments?
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I want to tell you a bit about the Samaritans. They believed that they were the true religion, based on the Hebrew religion before the Babylonian captivity. Their religion had not been contaminated with ideas from Mesopotamia. They had kept the faith. They had their own Torah, and they believed that Mount Gerizim was the original holy place established by Joshua when he lead the Children of Israel into the promised land. They saw the Temple on Mount Moriah as an imposter.
This of course is the background to the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. The Samaritan woman raised the issue about the true place of worship. This is the record of their conversation:
Why am I telling this story when the lesson is about "Remember".
We believe that we are the true church worshipping on the right day; We have even incorporated that idea into our name. But have we become so concerned about the day that we have forgotten its purpose? The place of worship had become a contention point between the Jews and Samaritans but Jesus pointed out that it was more important to worship God in "Spirit and Truth".
I am not denying the importance of the Sabbath, but in our defence of the Sabbath, the contention point between us and other Christians, do we need to be reminded that the Sabbath day is when we worship God in "spirit and truth"?
The commandment does not say, "Remember the Sabbath day"; the true meaning is in the whole sentence, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy."
Isn't it interesting that God uses the word “Remember” for the Sabbath command? I'm sure most could share an experience of circumstances where they suddenly realized it was Sabbath, and they were still in a worldly mindset, and perhaps activity. God knows that we “are but dust” and understands the limitations of the fallen nature far more than we who are fallen, and does all He can to help us with our desire to overcome sin in our lives. Having His "perfect" law written upon our heart will be our greatest ally in the "good fight of faith".
"What is it about the Sabbath that...can distinguish us as “the commandment-keeping people,” perhaps more so than any of the other commandments?"
The Sabbath command requires going contrary to the world in a noticeable way, and only faithful Sabbath observance will make this obvious.
It is important to always remember that we are not to worship the sabbath, or a day, but the God of the sabbath .Ezekiel 20: 11; 20 . Keep the sabbath, that they may know that I am the lord your God who sanctifies you . The sabbath reminds us of who our creator, and redeemer is, Jesus the one who is our great savior . Praise God .
The 'Commandment Keeping People' love God with all their heart, they seek to *know* their God personally; to learn from Him
and understand His Will to live their lives accordingly - 'this is the first commandment'!
They are not judgmental, they seek no strife, they do not judge each other’s conscience, are observant and helpful and are willing to go the extra mile if needed - 'this is the second commandment'!
'Loving their neighbor as themselves' is expressed in this way in their daily lives. By the way they interact with their fellow man they demonstrate the loving kindness of the Father’s Way of Light and Life and so with honor the Lord of the Sabbath – the Creator God – our heavenly Father. Matt.22:36-40KJV
Remembering the Sabbath – to set it aside, to keep it holy! We anker our lives in its 'Save-Harbor', bringing down the sails so the winds of life cannot set as adrift, to stay savely out of the ever blowing wind of life's daily demands.
God watches over our spirit's health and wellbeing, and the Sabbath He designed for us to ‘tuck-away’ in, to stir clear of life’s entangleing snares for a while.
Where is our mind's and heart's focus – is it on the Father who gives us our true life, or is it on our ways of ‘making a living’?
We need to put the word remember into context. The children of Isreal had just been rescued from oppression where the Sabbath was suppressed. Moses plea was for Pharaoh to let his people go out into the wilderness to worship God, to remember the Sabbath. Before Sinai and Egypt, the Sabbath was a part of their lives, a day once a week set aside by God to rest in reflection on Him. Thus remember had two meanings, don't forget My Sabbath, and remember also ment observe the Sabbath.
There is a blessing from obeying the 4th commandment from the heart, and that is we will keep the other 9.
This week's study for Adventists is intended to discover the meaning and significance of the New Covenant. However, the emphasis seems to be on Sabbath keeping. I find this unfortunate. The distinctiveness of the New Covenant is glossed over by identity theology. We are not Jews, and never were part of the Old Covenant. We are New Covenant Christians, drawn from a thousand ethnic groups. We have no earthly priesthood; the standards and rules of the Levitical system are not ours.
The Sabbath has a part in New Covenant belief and practice, but it is no more important than any other commandment. If anything, the THE New Covenant commandment is the commandment to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34-45)--a new type of love that was unknown before Christ came. That is the calling and standard of the New Covenant:
"A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
This is the true sign of the New Covenant, not the Sabbath.
While I agree with you that loving God should come before sabbath observance. The same God said if we love Him we should keep His commandments. We can in no way separate loving God from keeping His commandments. Keeping the sabbath is one of those commandments. What makes this commandment unique and special to me is the way it addresses issues of identity. By keeping the sabbath we acknowledge God as the creator and us as the created who belong to Him. We acknowledge that we are His (Ezekiel 20:20)
Read the promise God is giving with regard to sabbath keeping and tell me there is no no hint of how special sabbath keeping is to Him (Isaiah 58:13 & 14)
Have ever considered why Jesus said we should pray that our flight is not on Sabbath?
Jesus Himself observed the sabbath. If you are His follower, you surely must observe it too.
Jordan – I wholeheartedly agree with your understanding of the New Covenant and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. To my understanding, the New Covenant is the last step of our sanctification by the Faith of Christ – His Father’s Gospel of Life and Light to all mankind; Christ came to show us how to live it! We, the believers in Christ’s teachings, live our new life in/by His Truth and Light!
Jesus was Jewish by birth and observed the Sabbath, but He represented the Father in Heaven. He was about His Father's work not that of the religious establishment. In their temples He taught His Jewish brethren God’s Truth and Light on Sabbath and anywhere and anytime He would find occasion to share the advanced Good News - the New Covenant.
The religious leadership could not allow the people to move beyond the 'old' law because they controlled this law; it had become their law, administered and people judged by them. ‘God’s Day of Rest’ – Sabbath, had fallen under the Sanhedrin’s controlling influence just as the Roman Sunday is now under the influence of its religious center. In our day and time, the Sabbath faces the same dangers and challenges of becoming a day based on legalistic, ritualistic, traditional observances.
The religious establishment, located in Jerusalem at the Sanhedrin, fought Jesus Christ unto His death to keep Him from drawing the temple tax paying people away from their influence, so attempting to keep them away from hearing and learning about God’s New Covenant which would ‘make them free indeed’! John8:31-32KJV.
From the Beginning, the Father’s goal was to free us from all snares common to man’s attempt to live life without Him. Step by step, from Covenant to Covenant, He showed man the right way to live with each other and to look to Him for guidance in all matters of life.
After all, are we not being prepared to life the Everlasting-Life?
Dear Brother River, I believe your comment is on the mark. It has often been explained that the first four commandments express love to God and the last six express love to fellow mankind, but what is the Son of God doing on the Sabbath? He is loving people: healing the sick, delivering from oppression, speaking encouraging words of hope.
On Sabbath, there is intense focus on the “self” and what the “self” must do to keep from breaking the Sabbath. But when God was with us, Immanuel, he clearly showed it is not about me and my self – it is about focusing God’s love through each one of us to those who need it most.
Indeed, “as I have loved you, so you also must love one another.” The Son of God calls us to a vastly higher standard of Sabbath keeping than we can even think or imagine. That is what is “new” in the covenant he offers to us. If we miss this, we have missed knowing God's Son.
"By this everyone will know that you are My disciples."
The focus on self in order to keep the Sabbath is NOT from God nor found in the commandment. That comes from the teachings of men in Jesus' day(Matt 15:9). Jesus gave the example of true Sabbath observance, and fulfilled the Law as our example to follow. He also claimed "the Sabbath was made for man", including the Jews. The world has forgotten the day God made on the 7th day(Gen 2:1-3) of creation, which His law written in stone bids us not to forget.
Mr River, what about the "first and great commandment", to "love the Lord thy God..."? The Sabbath is more about loving God isn't it? Read the commandment and see how it relates directly to God as Creator and Sovereign over all. This has never changed and never will.
Also, the "old" covenant was never for Israel alone. Read it and see that anyone who wished to serve God could "sojourn" with them, as we see with Rahab, Ruth, Naaman, and probably many we don't know the names of. God's law/covenant is for every descendent of Adam. "For God so loved the WORLD..." are the words of Jesus. Read also what Paul states to the Greeks in Acts 17:26-28, and what he wrote to Titus in Titus 2:11-14. There is no "Jewish" covenant, only God's covenant to sinners through Christ. This grace was given "before the world began"(2 Tim 1:9), before man fell into sin, before there were nations. God chose to work through Abraham's seed, and if any are saved, it is through His covenant given to Israel for the whole world. There is no "gentile" covenant, and Jesus told the Samaritan woman that "salvation is of the Jews"(John 4:22). Also, if we are Christ's, then we are "Abraham's seed" Gal 3:29, and "heirs according to the promise" given to Abraham and his seed.