Keeping The Sabbath

September 17, 2022 – Ron Green

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8 KJV

Exodus relates more miracles than any other Old Testament book and is noted for containing the Ten Commandments. 

You will find the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-21

There are 10 Commandments that God has given to Moses to give to the people. But the 4th Commandment is the only Commandment God told us to remember. 

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11 

Sabbath: a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by the Jewish people from Friday evening to Saturday evening. 

The Pharisees and other religious leaders tried on many occasions to trap Jesus for healing the sick and crippled on the Sabbath. The religions leader created many laws that defined work, by doing this it made the Sabbath a burden instead of a blessing. 

Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:11-12 

From the book of Maranatha, Ellen White writes in part: 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 evidence of His mighty power in redemption. While it calls to mind the lost peace of Eden, it tells of peace restored through the Savior. And every object in nature repeats His invitation, “Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28…Mar 244.5

Conclusion:

Keeping the Sabbath is not only an observance but obedience to the law of God. Some people believe that God’s laws were nailed to the Cross with our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. Jesus came to fulfill God’s laws not to do away with the laws of God. 

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17

And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28 

Imagine when God was creating the earth. He worked for six days creating everything’ and then He created the seventh day. That seventh day “The Sabbath” was created for you and I to find rest in Him. I pray that you find rest in God on the Sabbath. 

—- Chaplain Ron