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Words of Life - Sabbath
WORDS OF LIFE
“But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand….” / Jude 17
SABBATH
SAB-ETH
1. The seventh day of the week, Saturday, named in the Ten Commandments as the
day of rest and worship and observed as such by Jews and some Christian sects.
2. The first day of the week, Sunday, observed as the day of rest by most Christian churches.
3. For Israel, the Sabbath commemorated God’s creation rest (Ex.20:11) and their deliverance from Egypt (Deut.5:15).
For the believer in Christ, the Sabbath rest of God at the original creation is made an illustration of “the rest” into which
the believer enters in the new creation when “he also hath ceased from his own works” trusting in Christ (Heb.4:1-10).
Definition #1 above applies to the Old Testament era which was not totally consummated until AD 70 (Heb.8:13).
Definition #2 is a man-made notion with no real Biblical authority behind it.
Definition #3 applies to the Christian age of which we are now a part.
Questions For Discussion?
1. What day of the week was the Sabbath? – Gen.2:2
2. What does the word Sabbath mean? – to cease & desist and rest.
3. Did Abraham & Noah and those who lived during the Patriarchal age keep the Sabbath?
There is no Biblical record of such!
4. Were the stipulations regarding the Sabbath Day specifically for those who lived during Mosaical Age?
~ God (thru Moses) ordained that they “keep the Sabbath”. cf. Ex.20:8-11; 16:22-30 & 31:12-17
~ The OT contains several specific prohibitions related to “keeping the Sabbath”.
cf. Ex.20:10 & 35:3; Num.15:32-36; Jer.17:21ff; Amos 8:5; Neh.10:31; 13:15-19.
~ A sabbatical year was also taught in OT times – cf. Ex.23:10-11; Lev.25:2-7 and Deut.15:1
~ After every series of of seven sabbatical years, a year of Jubliee was ordained. – cf. Lev.25:8-55
5. Why did Jesus seem to buck against the laws concerning the Sabbath? – Mt.23:4 & Lk.11:46
~ cf. Mt.12:1-14; Mk.2:23-28 and Lk.6:1-7 & 11: plus Mk.1:21f; Lk.6:5 and Jn.5:13-17
~ During the inter-testamental era the Jews codified 39 Sabbath violations - - many of them man-made prohibitions.
6. Why did Paul and the first-century apostles continue to “honor the Sabbath”?
~ Since many of the first-century believers were Jews, they continued many of their Jewish practices.
~ The Jewish Sabbath Day assemblies proved to be a ripe venue for preaching the gospel of Christ.
cf. The Acts Of The Apostles - - 13:14, 42 & 44; 16:13; 17:2 and 18:4 - - see also 1Cor.9:20
7. Practically speaking, what does “the Sabbath/rest” mean for Christians?
It is faulty to claim that the Sabbath (seventh day) simply evolved into the (First) day?
~ Why did the Christians begin the practice of assembling on the First Day? – cf. Acts 20:7 & 1Cor.16:2
~ What significant event happened on The First Day? – Mt.28:1
The Sabbath/rest in the creation was a portent of “the rest” that would come in Christ via the new creation.
Like the “promised land” (Ps.95:11), the “Sabbath Day” was a foreshadowing (Col.2:16-17 & Heb.10:1) of the REST
that was to be ushered in by Jesus and the establishment of the New Covenant. cf. Mt.11:28 and Heb.4:1-11
