Sabbath - Necessity of Unplugging From The Matrix

We find ourselves in a society where leisure time is shrinking. We are on a long trend of work, work and more work. Many of us judge ourselves by how busy we are. Some see a beeper as a sign of "importance."

We are busy, but what are we doing? Sometimes you can be so busy doing things that you don't ever take a step back and see how this busyness affects our families, friendships, and connection to God.

I can remember someone telling me that he must be must always retain a connection to the activities and events of the world during the hours of the Sabbath. His fear is that something important will happen and he will not know. Something big that he needs to address could come up during the hours of Sabbath that require him to respond. Many of us think just like that. We need to know so that we can be able to "do" and "work" at a minutes notice.

In light of these observations one might come to the conclusion that a time of complete disconnect from the powers-that-be during a 24 hour period is not possible. A time when we can "unplug from the Matrix" is something we cannot afford. We may miss something. We may be disconnected from something that may happen that we want to know about. We cannot afford Sabbath because the society in which we live makes Sabbath impossible.

We Come Back With A New Mind

One thing that we will learn when we begin keeping Sabbath is that the world goes on just as it has always been without us. When we begin our "six days of work" we learn that we are not indispensable to the working of this present world. It goes on, and we will have to "plug back in at the end of Sabbath. However we come back to the world with a different mindset.

We come to the world with a mindset enlightened by taking time off to live outside the confines of the kingdoms of this world. We come back to this world knowing that our society does not have the final word on what is possible and what is truth for we have boycotted that society for 24 hours and tasted at least partially the coming Basilea of God.

We have learned that our disconnecting from this world is the point. We need that disconnection! We must take time to see a vision. A vision where people are not judged by what they can produce, for all production and work is to cease. No we are are judged from the vision of the coming Basilea.

We have learned that family, faith, and friendship is important and must be celebrated and intentionally valued if we are to live in the coming Basilea rather than the Kingdoms of this world.

Is The Sabbath Relevant?

Is the Sabbath relevant? Certainly the Kingdom's of this world would rather you take an hour or so to "go to church" as long as you don't catch this vision of the new paradigm that we call the Basilea of God. Certainly the Kingdoms of the world would rather you keep looking at your clock hoping that this time period will go away so we all can get back to more pressing matters of ceaseless activity...

But let us not give up Sabbath. Hold on to it. It is the vision that God has given to us of what is to come. Let us hold on to Sabbath. For while the Kingdoms of this world might see it as unnecessary or a hindrance, it is a training bed for living the coming Basilea. Finally, it provides direction to help us during every other day of the week.

Sabbath More Fully?

I remember talking to a Seventh day Sabbatarian once about some of the emerging literature on the Sabbath. This Sabbatarian didn't see the relevance of Sabbath beyond Seventh Day Sabbath Apologetics. By that I mean defense and teaching of the seventh day as the Bible Sabbath. She asked me, "what else do we need to know but that the Seventh day is the Sabbath?"

The question betrays an attitude that will on the one hand promote ecclesial chauvinism and on the other hand promotes a lack of theological sophistication in matters surrounding the Sabbath. First it promotes ecclesial chauvinism as we sit back proud of the fact that we keep the Seventh day while others do not. We "know the day" and they "do not." But our celebration of that day is not enriched by an understanding of what role Sabbath plays or should play in our daily lives.

A Bad Argument For The Sabbath

Let me preface my remarks by saying that I am a Seventh Day Sabbath keeper, however, from time to time I hear absolutely terrible arguments from Seventh Day Sabbatarians. I am not talking about debatable points or arguments where reasonable people could come to different understandings, but I mean poor argumentation.

One of these poor arguments came from an Adventist local elder reading the King James Version and it was based on Hebrews 4:8. The Biblical text reads, "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day?"

After reading the text, the Sabbath defender told me, this is the best text I have found against those who would say that the Sabbath has been changed. I then asked the individual, how so? The individual said, "the text plainly says that if the day would be changed from the Seventh Day of the week then why didn't Jesus tell us of the new day? This is why the 'Sabbath remains' in Hebrews 4:8 because he didn't tell them of another day."

It really looks like the awkward rendering in the KJV version of the Bible might be tripping up the individual who does not really understand the argument of the book of Hebrews.

The book clearly says that the rest (Sabbatismos) remains. It is also noteworthy that the book says that the Sabbatismos remains while so many other things connected to the Jewish economy has been done away. That is an interesting argument that I think is a strong defense of the validity of a literally keeping of the Sabbath, but that is not the argument presented by the elder.

But simply put, the argument of the elder is that the rest remains because "Joshua (Jesus) didn't tell them of another day to take the place." But the book of Hebrews argues that the rest remains because Joshua (Jesus) DID tell of another day, namely the day described as "Today" before this text. But let's read the text in context.

Context Solves A Lot Of Problems

The first thing I would say about this argument is that one must always look at the text in context. I think it is reasonable to argue that if Jesus had changed the day he would have told us about it. Just because that is reasonable and this text seems to say that does not mean that this text says what we want it to say. It ain't talking about the change of a day. And furthermore the very argument in the text is that Jesus (Joshua) DID speak of another day.

OK, let us attempt to look at the text. First we must recognize that the name Jesus and Joshua are equivalent names in Hebrew. So it is interpretation to decide whether to interpret this as Jesus or Joshua. But let us go on.

Hebrews 4:1 says the we should fear that a promise of "entering rest" has come to us and we don't go into it. We are told in Hebrews 4:2 that the promise was preached to the readers of Hebrews as well as the ancient Isrealites to enter the rest. The ancients didn't, according to Hebrews 4:2, didn't have faith.

Now Hebrews 4:3 makes the argument that we today enter that rest by faith. In Hebrews 4:4-5, the author quotes that God rested on the Seventh day. The author then quote that it is still possible to "enter into God's rest." In Hebrews 4:6 the author then argues that because the ancients didn't enter then the "rest" still needs to be entered into.

In Hebrews 4:7, the author now quotes Joshua, "Today if you hear my voice harden not your heart." This is proof to the writer that the "day" to enter into rest "still remains."

Then comes our text. In Hebrews 4:8, the author argues, "If Joshua (Jesus) had given them rest, then why did he talk about another day." Namely the "Today" when we all must come to Jesus and accept the salvation that he has provided.

So the author concludes in Hebrews 4:9, "therefore a rest remains for the people of God." So The author is arguing that because the Bible writer spoke of another day to accept this rest, then the acceptance of that rest is still applicable to us.

The Text Says The Opposite

Turning back the page. So the text says the very opposite of what the one who is arguing is saying. But what is interesting however is the nature of this "rest" and what it means. I will get back to that at some point, but my point in this article is that context is everything. Don't argue any point simply becuase you heard someone say it in a pulpit or anywhere else. Read the text yourself!!

Now in case you think I am playing with the text, read the text in another translation, which is always a good step. If the original person had read the text in a translation that she or he understood there would have been no difficulty. Please note how it is written in the NIV Hebrews 4:7-8

7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”[a]

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

Conclusion

It is important that we use good arguments for whatever position we hold. If someone had read the text in context they would be less likely to hear what you have to say about this and other issues in the future. We all make mistakes, and I know I have as well, so let us move forward from where we are to where we should go.

Sanctuary Living - Do No Work

The people of God were required to refrain from work (have a Sabbath) while the priest was performing his duties in the Sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. This command is found at Leviticus 16:29, 31, Leviticus 23:28, 30, 31. Just like on the 7th day Sabbath, the people of God were to set aside all work. They were to be involved in a total disengagement from the present world. Here the people of God had a special Sabbath to keep. They must set aside their daily regular work. It is a time to place God and the interests of spiritual things in the forefront. To do this, one must totally set aside all other things.

Anti-Type Sanctuary Sabbath

Now in the anti-typical Day of Atonement, we cannot totally and fully rest from all work, but there is something in this command that is of interest. First, at this time, we note that there is a predicted revival of the Sabbath in Isaiah 58. This predicted revival of the Sabbath is also alluded to in Revelation 14:7 as the fourth commandment (Sabbath) is quoted. During the Day of Atonement, we have a revival of Sabbath interest and we as Sabbatarians have the job of preaching and teaching this important truth in these last days.

But more than that, Hebrews 4 reminds us that the Sabbath rest must be totally and completely internalized in the Christian. We are to have a life of Rest. A life where we rest in the work of Christ on our behalf.

Finally, we live all of our days placing God and eternal interests at the top of all that we do. As our heavenly High Priest does His important work in the Sanctuary above, let us live so that we will not be overtaken by the cares of this life, but place God above all things (Luke 21:34-36). Let us have a Sabbath Reform that is informed by the Sanctuary service.

Audio 54 - Sabbath As Permission to Stop

Are you tired of the never ending push to more and more activity? The Sabbath is God's vehicle to provide for all of God's beings much needed rest. Listen as Elder Cox talks about the Sabbath as permission to just stop.

Audio 53 - Sabbath and Victory

When Sabbatarians speak about the Sabbath, they often defend the correct day. Sometimes they speak about the correct way to keep the Sabbath, but we often neglect the Spiritual power that comes to the Christian.

In this audio, Elder Cox, talks about the Sabbath and how it points you to victory.

What Bind Does the Sabbath Get You Out Of?

A while back I wrote a post on "E. J. Waggoner as a Practical Theologian." In it I quoted Waggoner who stated that "Every doctrine of the Bible is for our practical benefit, and should be studied for that purpose."

Practical and Doctrinal Opposites?

This is a very interesting thought for much of our preaching and thinking. Often we think of "practical" and "doctrinal" as being on two sides with a chasm in between. We cannot go over the chasm. So sometimes we preach "practical" sermons, and sometimes we preach "doctrinal" sermons.

Members long for "practical" preaching that will help us live faithfully in our daily lives. However, there is also a call for us to know "doctrine." We are to gain a deeper awareness and understanding of the truths that hold us up.

We Cannot Forget Doctrine

We cannot forget doctrine. When we do we lose something of who we are. The deity of Christ is a doctrine that is hotly debated in some circles today. However, the doctrine is an important one in our Christian heritage. The doctrine of the Sabbath also has a call on us as Seventh day Sabbatarians.

And for this reason, sometimes we teach and preach doctrines, while other times we teach and preach themes of practical living. E. J. Waggoner comes in and asks us why do we have this dichotomy? Why not preach doctrine by emphasizing its practical relevance? Why not preach doctrine by emphasizing its importance in our daily living? Why not preach and teach doctrine in such a way that we will immediately see its practical relevance just as we see the practical relevance of the traditional "practical" sermons?

Lowry's Question

In short, we ask the same question that Eugene Lowry, the homilitician, wrote in his classic preaching text The Homiletical Plot. Lowry asks of any doctrine before he preaches it, "What bind does the doctrine get you out of?" In short, how does this doctrine help me overcome a problem?

Certainly there are times for more didactic teaching, but all of our doctrinal preaching need not be in lecture form. If we truly are to teach the Sabbath more fully, then we must find a way to live out the implications of the Sabbath in our daily lives. To do that, we must listen to both Lowry and Waggoner by asking about the practical benefit of the Sabbath. Then we will be in a position to be the witness to the Sabbath that God has called our movement to be.

The Sabbath and the Way-Maker

E. J. Waggoner, in Gospel in Creation writes:

The Sabbath is for the purpose of keeping in mind the creative power of God, which is His distinguishing characteristic. But creative power is the power of the gospel, so that that which celebrates creation also celebrates redemption.

The Sabbath is about celebrating creation and the creative power of God. The Sabbath is the time that we are called to remember what God can do. The Sabbath is about God's ability to create something out of nothing.

Raw Materials for Creation

In Hebrews 11:3 we are told: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

The Sabbath is our faith building device to help us understand that everything that is seen is made of things that we cannot necessarily see or even understand. When someone says that God is a "waymaker," that one is simply talking about God's ability to create a way out of a way that does not appear to be open.

Deliverance from Sin in the Sabbath

The Sabbath reminds us that our deliverance from sin and holy living is not based in what we can see. We may have fallen to that same sin continuously, but the Sabbath reminds us that God is a creator, and creative power doesn't require us to see what God is going to do.

When someone says that "God is able", that one is simply stating that God's creative power is not constrained by circumstances that "do appear," but by God's ability to create something out of nothing. And every Sabbath we come together to celebrate that power.

In the last days, God will have a people who will "worship him who made." (Revelation 14:7). The day designed to remember this creative power is the Sabbath. Let us believe and live as if we are "Sabbath-keepers" who always seek to remember the Creative Power of God.

The God of Creation and the Advent Faith

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The Second Advent Movement has a two fold reason to emphasize the importance of the creative power of God.  The first of these points is the Sabbath.  The fourth commandment tells us to remember the Sabbath day for it was on that day that God created the heaven and the earth.  (Exodus 20:11).

In addition, Revelation 14 :7 tells us of a last day revival of this important work as the first angel yells "Worship him who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters!"  For these reasons, the creative power of God is an important message for these last days.  In this audio, Pastor Cox emphasizes these points as well as the "gospel connection" for an emphasis on creation.

The Sabbath Means God Can Make a Way

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In the last days, Revelation 13 paints the picture of a beast that rises out of the sea and a beast that rises out of the Land. These beasts seek to overtake the people of God by forcing all the world to obey their dictates. The beast that comes out of the Land even causes fire to come down from heaven as it seeks to add divine authority to its dictates. This symbolizes a "false" revival that seems to attempt to replay the test given on the Mount by Elijah that the God who is really God should cause fire to come down from heaven.

Revelation 14 and the Sabbath

But in the midst of all of this error a message comes forth. The message is written of in Revelation 14:6-12. The people of the Second Advent Movement have referred to these messages as the three angels message. There are other messages in that chapter, but these three were seen as specifically for this time to tell the world.

The first of these messages is from an angel that has the everlasting gospel to preach unto those who live on the earth. The angel says to worship the creator in light of the judgment. Worship the creator. There is something about the two beast deception that requires a remembering of the Creation. It is here that the Sabbath comes in. For the Sabbath was created to remind us of the creator and the creation. It is here that we remember that God creates things out of nothing. It is here that we gain strength in the realization that no beast whether from land or sea, or dragon from heaven can mess up the desires of God.

Sabbath's Unique Reminder

The Sabbath has been uniquely designed to be a reminder of the Creative power of God. And if we are going to make it through the evil days ahead, we must take ahold of that Sabbath-Creator truth.

Sabbath Pulpit's Reflection on the Life of Samuel Bacchiocchi

It is with sadness that I report what many of you already know that Dr. Samuel Bachiocchi has died. Dr. Bacchiocchi was an interesting scholar, his writings were not confined to the libraries of the academically gifted, but was taken to common people. Certainly his writings were not "dumbed-down," but they were accessible to many.

I have the four volumes on the Sabbath in my library and refer to them often. Reading his book Divine Rest for Human Restlessness was the beginning of my thinking of the Sabbath along these theological lines. His book Advent hope for Human Restlessness and the book on Hal Lindsey's prophecies helped me to think about the end times in terms of more than just end time speculation and waiting for doomsday. I can't say that I always agreed with him, but I can say that I was always challenged by him to think Biblically and more deeply about the subject. My MP3 player right now has all of his available MP3s. I love to listen to his energy and enthusiasm.

But more than theologically, Dr. Bacchoicchi has challenged me in that while he was a professor at Andrews University, he still had his independent publishing ministry that was not beholden to anyone. I appreciate his willingness to step outside of the "regular lines" and thus provide a model for some of us younger ministers to follow.

My life has been enriched by my tangential acquaintance with him largely through his materials. I give my condolences to the family and I pray that God will protect the ashes of this man until the return of the Lifegiver.

Three Views on the Sabbath

I was reading Dr. Bacchiocchi's book The Sabbath in the New Testament: answers to questions. In the first chapter Dr. Bacchiochi presents three understandings of the Sabbath's relation to the New Testament which serves as a backdrop for this whole presentation.

Abrogation View

Certainly we as Sabbatarians have heard this view. The understanding is that the Sabbath of the Old Testament was removed at the cross of Jesus Christ. The view rests on the belief that there is a "radical discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments."

Throughout history Martin Luther, Anabaptists, leftist Puritans, Quakers, Mennonites, Hutterites, and many antinomian denominations have all held to this view according to Bacchiocchi.

The basic problem is that the view rests on an assumption of a radical break between the Old and the New Testament. The basic question is, was the break between Judaism and Christianity as clean as this view would have us to believe? There are many who would argue that Judaism and Christianity were not two religions at that time, but the Christians were simply "Jews who Believed in Jesus Christ." The idea of a radical break does not seem to be the view of the New Testament or early Christian history. We will come back to this in later posts.

Transference View

The next view is the transference view. This is the understanding that there is truly continuity between the Old and New Testament, and thus the Sabbath commandment still has relevance and validity for contemporary Christians.

However, proponents of this view state that the ceremonial aspects of the Sabbath commandment have been done away with. In this view the moral aspect of the commandment is in the principle of "one day in seven" while particularly the "seventh day" is a ceremonial aspect pointing back that was abrograted. St. Thomas Aquinas taught this moral-ceremonial distinction.

John Calvin, according to Bacchiocchi, clarified this understanding by stating that the moral aspect is the function of the day which was to allow God to "work in us, provide time for church services, and to protect dependent workers."

This view is largely held by those in the Reformed tradition like Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and English Puritans. You can find my own critique of a presentation by T. D. Jakes where he takes a view like this one.

The basic problem here is that it rests on an artificial distinction between moral and ceremonial aspects of the Sabbath. In short the Sabbath is never talked about in such terms. One would not be able to find this distinction taught in the scriptures themselves.

Permanence of the Sabbath View

Bacchiochi's (and my) position is that the New Testament does not nullify the Sabbath, but clarifies the Sabbath. As I continue to look at this book I will discuss more of what Bacchiocchi means by that.

Conclusion

The Sabbath is even today still in great dispute. I think some sort of classification scheme is necessary to understand different perspectives on the Sabbath. I am going to think about this scheme a little more especially in light of the "New Covenant Christian" argument against the validity of Sabbath keeping for contemporary Christians.

Be that as it may, Bacchiocchi distills a ton of information in this short chapter of this important work.

Sabbath and Creation/Redemption

The website 1888 Most Precious Message has posted an article by E. J. Waggoner titled "The Object of the Sabbath." In it Dr. Waggoner makes the following statement:

The Sabbath is the memorial of creation, but redemption is creation. David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart." Psalm 51:1. "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature." 2 Corinthians 5:17. The gospel "is the power of God unto salvation," (Romans 1:16), and the power of God is seen only in the things that he has made. Verse 29. So the power of the gospel is the power that created the worlds. Therefore, the Sabbath, in commemoration of creation, makes known to man the power of God to save from sin. As it calls to remembrance the power of God as shown in the works of his hands, it reminds us of the words of the apostle: "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10

Creation and Redemption's Connection

This statement deserves contemplation. The connection between redemption and creation is an important one. When God seeks to do something with humanity, God is not simply doing a renovation project, God is engaging in creation. God has to begin again as in the original creation. God starts over and creates in us that which is not there. The only real way to understand or see this power of God to do something with us is to look at the creation. Look at how God can take nothing and make something. And to do that we need to look at the works of God's hands.

God Making a Way

I think it is interesting that just as what God does in us through creation, God does things for us through creation. When the old folks used to say, "God can make a way out of no way," they were simply saying that the creative power of God will be used to make ways where they were not before. All this is simply to say that when we speak of miracles, we are simply talking about the creative power of God, when we speak of hope in hopelessness, we are simply depending on God's ability to create.

Remembering the Sabbath

And the only mechanism that God has given us to celebrate this creative power is the Sabbath. God has called us to remember the Sabbath so that we can remember this power that does things in us and for us and through us. God calls us to remember the Sabbath so that we can let the world know that God "can-do..." And we as a people have been called to remind the world of this fact. If it had not been for the creative power of God where would we be? If it had not been for the creative power of God I would be nothing! If it had not been for the creative power of God, I wouldn't have any hope. This is why the first angel in Revelation 14:6-7 seeks to remind humanity of creation. And one day we as a people will proclaim this message "more fully."

Exodus 16:21-26 - Don't Gather on that Day

Exodus 16:21-26

To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD

It is sometimes argued that the Sabbath was instituted at Sinai, but here is unequivocal Biblical evidence that the Sabbath was instituted before the commandments were given. As we have noted, it was instituted at creation itself.

God rained a regular portion of bread from heaven on 5 days. The children of Israel were to gather it to eat, but on the 6th day they were to gather a double portion to experience on the 6th day and the 7th day. They were then to prepare for the 7th day. This was a day that they did not have to gather but simply enjoy the bread that was gathered and prepared on the 6th day.

bake that which which ye will bake to day, and seethe that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

The Sabbath was not meant for the same activities as other days. It was meant to be a day where you set these activities aside so that you can do other things that you normally would not be able to do. There is nothing wrong with baking or seething, but there is something wrong with anything that takes you from you Sabbath Purpose.

In this text, God is graciously providing a mechanism for the children of Israel to get ready for the day so that the gathering of bread, even though there is nothing wrong with that, will not deter us from the blessing of the Sabbath.

How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?

Some instead of gathering the double portion on the 6th day waited till Sabbath to gather the food. They ended up missing the food that was provided on the day before. When God gives a blessing on the 6th day that is meant to be enjoyed on the Sabbath day, you can't attempt to get the blessing on the Sabbath and enjoy it on the Sabbath as well. God has provided for our tomorrow blessing today, but we must work to gather the double portion today so that we can enjoy the Sabbath blessing tomorrow. There are many people who are waiting to gather the Sabbath blessing on the Sabbath.

Summary

God provided the blessing of the Sabbath in this scripture in two ways. First God rained a double blessing of bread on the 6th day. They were to gather that double blessing and prepare it not only for the 6th day, but also for the 7th day. Then God protected the bread so that it would last through the 6th and 7th days. The blessing of bread that was meant for the Sabbath blessing would not be ruined by time, what God meant for the Sabbath would be there for the taking on the Sabbath.

God graciously provided one day where they would not have to worry about gathering. Why do we choose to labor when we do not have to? Perhaps we didn't do the double gathering on the sixth day. Or maybe we don't trust the double blessing of God on the Sabbath. Whatever the case, today we can begin celebrating the good news of God provided rest.

The Sabbath - Participation in the Coming Kingdom

On the Sabbath we are free to live in the coming Kingdom rather than being constrained by the current one. On that day we lay aside all that will stand in the way of living in the Kingdom of God. This will require knowledge of what the Kingdom of God truly is. To live in this day correctly one must contemplate God's intention for humanity and the world. The Sabbath reminds us that creation is a good resource to look at how the coming Kingdom will look for the Bible tells us that the Sabbath memorializes that event. In addition Revelation 14 reminds us that to fight the great beasts of the end time we must worship the God who made the world. This contemplation of creation and how things "could" be different and how things "should" be different is subversive to the present world. We learn that things do not have to be as they are. We learn this because we have contemplated it, and more than this we know it because we have participated in it by living in the coming kingdom.

A Sabbath keeping church must spend some time in reflection of how the coming kingdom will look and thus be able to live in that kingdom every week. We cannot live in the new kingdom without knowing how the kingdom will look. Something is wrong when we perpetuate the worst parts of the present evil world even on the Sabbath. Something is wrong when God has given us this gift to live in the coming Kingdom and we live it just as we live every other day. We continue to make differences between people based on class. We treat the rich tithe payer as of more importance than the poor one. Something is wrong when God has given us this gift to live in the coming Kingdom and we perpetuate the worst of the present order by placing the fight for justice on the same level as the fight for injustice (I once heard a Sabbath School teacher say that the NAACP was the exact same thing as the KKK). Something is wrong when we take principles of injustice and inequality with us into the Sabbath when according to the Bible ALL rich, poor, slave, free, male and female were nothing but simply "resters" on that day.

But thanks be to God, we may not have kept the Sabbath correctly and participated in the Coming Kingdom, but another Sabbath is coming...And God calls us to "Remember the Sabbath day...."

Genesis 2:1-3 - Blessed, Rested, and Sanctified

Genesis 2:1-3

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

The first chapter of Genesis provides a fitting backdrop for the institution of the Sabbath day. Here the scripture tells us that the containers were finished (heavens and the earth) and the inhabitants of the containers were finished (host of them). It is then that the Sabbath is created.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made;and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made

God "finished" God's work or "ended" God's work on the Sabbath. Here God created something very valuable on the Sabbath, God created rest. We cannot be forever judged by what we do. We cannot forever place ourselves on the treadmill of mindless acquisition of resources. No if God can end God's work then certainly we can end ours.

And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it

God rested, blessed, and sanctified the Sabbath on that first Sabbath. No other day in the history of mankind has been identified as being rested, blessed, and sanctified. Sanctification means to set aside for holy use. God has sanctified that day for a purpose. That purpose is to create a sanctified people. God blessed that day for a purpose, to create a blessed people. And God rested on that day for a purpose, to create a people that understand and appropriate the benefits of rest.

This is key, what God does to the Sabbath, God wants to do to humanity. God wants to bless us. God wants to sanctify us, and God wants us to rest.

In addition, God wants us to follow God's lead and be a vehicle for the blessing of the Sabbath to come to others. Thus we should bless humanity in our Sabbathkeeping. We should be a means of the sanctification of humanity in our Sabbathkeeping, and finally, we must provide means for significant and meaningful rest to humanity.

be­cause that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

Why was the Sabbath created? The Sabbath is God's creation because God had created and God rested. We participate in and experience the Sabbath, but it is ultimately God's Sabbath. The Sabbath is ours by gift, God has given it to us. The Sabbath was given to us by God who is the ultimate owner the one who created and rested.

Another Sabbath to Keep

As we encounter another Sabbath day, I encourage you once again to keep the Sabbath as a day to set aside the things of this side of the Jordan so that you can more fully interact with family, community, and God. When we do this, we can truly begin to see the other side and more fully partake of the blessings of eternity.

The Perspective of Eternity

It is on the Sabbath day that we are to look at the world from the perspective not of one who is daily battling with the foes and constraints of today, but one whose vision includes an eternal frame that will change us as we pick up the mantle of working upon the first day of the week.

The Sabbath is truly the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God into human existence. All too often the cares of today push out this vision of eternity. The test we have to take, the paper we have to finish, the sermon we have to preach, the sick we have to visit, the meeting we have to attend, and simply the work we have to do, all push out the vision of the Sabbath. We allow all of these pressing concerns to rob us of Sabbath. It is as if we think we are going to miss something. If we are not keeping up, if we are not attending to our Instant Messager, cell phone, television, radio, and/or beeper, we will miss something that we need.

Setting aside Busyness

However, God has given us a 24 hour piece of eternity where we are taught to place our hope and trust in the eternal God. What a blessing God has given to us, and the only requirement to experience that blessing is for us to lay aside our symbols of "busyness" on the 6th day. I praise God for the day, and I pray that this week I will truly keep it.

Sabbath Provides Time to See God's Work

We are commanded to remember that God created on the seventh day. (Exodus 20:11) We celebrate God's ability to make things out of things that do not appear. (Hebrews 11:3). In revelation we are reminded that there will be a movement and a message that celebrates God's creative power when it has the everlasting Gospel. (Revelation 14:7).

God Creates Out of Nothing

God creates out of nothing. When we celebrate this idea we celebrate that God needs nothing to make something. Such an idea implies that God has a way out of or through all of our situations because God doesn't need something that "appears" to create. When we find ourselves in need of rent money. We know that God can take care of it in God's own time and in God's own way. Even though we may not be able to see how God is going to do it, we can know that God will do it, because God specializes in making "something" out of things that do not "appear." It may not be money that God provides. I don't know what God will do, but how God does it is up to God, we just trust in the power and ability of God. In other words we trust God's creative power.

The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow

Our ancestors were right when they said, God will make a way out of no way. They were simply saying that God has the creative power to change any situation into a better situation. And even though we may not be able to see it, we can know it.

But how can we know it? God has commanded us to remember the Sabbath that we may have time to think about God's creative power. We can know it, because God has given us time to internalize the fact that God creates things out of things that do not appear. God has given us the Sabbath to remind us that when our back is against the wall, God is not surprised and that God can see you through the situation.

The Sabbath Helps Us Know It

If it weren't for the Sabbath, many of us would spend our lives in the constant worry of trying to take care of our needs and planning for our future needs. However, the Sabbath gives us time to sit back and think about how Jesus has been with us in our past, and anticipate God's continued presence with us.

What Happens When We Forget to Rest?

Wayne Muller writes in the book Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest:

If we forget to rest we will work too hard and forget our more tender mercies, forget those we love, forget our children and our natural wonder. God says: Please don't. It is a waste of a tremendous gift I have given you. If you knew the value of your life, you would not waste a single breath. So I give you this commandment: Remember to rest. This is not a life-style suggestion, but a commandment -- as important as not stealing, not murdering, or not lying."

Remember the Sabbath, remember to rest, and I would add remember to rest on the day that God created especially for that purpose. Don't get so caught up in work that you lose. Don't "waste a single breath." God has given us a commandment that we might be better spouses, community members, parents, church members, and human beings.

Was Public Worship a Part of Sabbath Observance?

I heard a Sabbathkeeper argue for a "deeper" understanding of the Sabbath. This is fine and I have argued for the same thing, however a growing number of people are saying that public worship was not a part of Sabbath observance. They argue that the Sabbath was primarily meant to be a one on one "date" between the individual and God and that there was no worship or communal component to the Sabbath.

The idea is that the Sabbath was a day for "individual rest" and not one of "corporate worship." One individual told me in an email, "Adventists took the Sabbath which was meant for individual communion with God and rest and made it a day of corporate worship." Then the person sought to defend this assertion by saying that "the fourth commandment says nothing about worship."

Independent Celebration

While it is true that the fourth commandment does not say anything about worship, one must recognize first of all that the commandment does not imply that it is a totally independent endeavor. The Sabbath commandment speaks of a rest that includes ones workers and others. It includes a manservent, maidservent, and even cattle. All of these are to be participants in the benefits of the Sabbath rest. In addition, the commandment was meant to "do good" to others rather than in an independent "me and God" experience.

Sabbath Include Worship?

Just as the Sabbath was not meant as an individualistic endeavor, it also includes a worship. The Bible says, in Leviticus 23:3, that the Sabbath was meant to be a Holy Convocation. A convocation is a gathering. The Sabbath was to include a holy religious gathering.

Thus the Sabbath was not meant to be a individualistic "rest" from others, but a corporate "rest" with others as we do good to others and we worship the Creator God.