Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." Exodus 20:8-11
I wrote on this subject several days ago in "A Matter of Rest" (January 13th) and had some excellent feedback. One asked me a very good question: Isn’t the Sabbath on Saturday and, if so, why does the majority of Christian churches worship on Sunday? His inquiry challenged me and so I did a little digging. This is what I found out.
First of all, we need to remember that days back in biblical days were observed slightly different to what we observe today. Each day actually began at sunset and would extend 24 hours until sunset the next day, far different from our midnight to midnight days.
Second, the scriptures clearly point to the Sabbath, the seventh day designated as a day of rest and made holy being on Saturday with the day starting at sunset on the sixth day, a day we know as Friday. Consider this passage from Luke 23 and 24: "Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus"
Preparation Day was the day before the Sabbath and we read where Joseph and the "women who had come with Jesus from Galilee" went to the tomb and saw Jesus laying in it, dead and awaiting preparation for burial. The women returned home to prepared spices and perfumes but, the bible says, "they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment." Then "on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus." The first day of the week was Sunday and the women go to the tomb early in the morning only to be shocked in finding the tomb empty. Jesus had risen from the grave. This was the premise for Easter sunrise service being traditionally observed annually on Easter Sunday morning but it doesn’t disprove that the Sabbath is Saturday because it can’t be disproved. It is on Saturday and is a day that we are commanded to rest and keep holy.
How well do we do that each and every week? Not very well I’m afraid. But Christians, myself included, head to church on Sunday mornings to worship the Lord and do keep that day holy, even resting on that day. Sunday if often referred to as the Lord’s Day to mark the resurrection of Jesus. Many scholars believe the origin came in the New Testament as Jesus’ disciples gathered regularly on the first day of the week to break bread. Thus the Christian church saw that day as set apart for fellowship and worship and established the first day of the week as the day of worship and rest.
So thus is the spark of debate and question. If we are going to honor the scriptures then we need to obey God in all things and at all times. There’s a danger in picking and choosing which commandments not to honor and this fourth commandment calls us to reassess how we’re living in obedience to His word. The women stopped and rested on the Sabbath before going to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for burial with their spices. We should follow their suit…and do so because God said so when He said, ""Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." Amen.
Bonus question: Did you know the word "Sabbath" is used 112 times in the bible?
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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