The Sabbath

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14. THE SABBATH As we saw in the previous study God’s law is still valid today as it has been throughout eternity.

There is one specific commandment that God knew would have been forgotten.

In this study we will speak about a biblical truth that for centuries had been lost and forgotten by the majority of the Christian world, but that has a fundamental value even today.

1. What Commandment did God Want Us Especially to Remember?

 Exodus 20:8-11 God appointed a special day of rest, every week. The reason why God did so was for us not to forget that God is our creator, who in six days created the heavens and the earth.

He knew this day would have been forgotten and this is the reason why the commandment begins asking God’s people to “Remember”.

2. When was This Day of Rest Established?

 Genesis 2:1-3 God Himself was the first one who kept the Sabbath. After six days of work in creation, God ceased from His activities and consecrated one day to be spent together with His creatures.

He gave an example to Adam and Eve (they were created on the sixth day, according to Genesis 1:27,31, so witnessed God keeping the Sabbath), so that they could do the same after their first six days of labor, resting on the Sabbath day to meet with their Creator.

3. What is the Purpose of the Sabbath, According to the Bible?

IT IS ASIGN: Ezekiel 20:12,20 The Sabbath is a sign that God is the one who sanctifies us, or in other words, He is the one who makes us holy. It is through the power of God that we can have victory over temptation and sin.

The Sabbath is a sign that God, the God of the Bible, is our God. What a precious reason to keep this day holy.

TO REMEMBER: Exodus 20:11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15 To keep this day every week helps us to remember the purpose of our lives. 2 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 We were created by a loving God who made us with a special purpose in His mind. He is the one we should then ask for this purpose, remembering where we came from.

God is not just our Creator, but also our Deliverer. He is the one who sets us free from the slavery of sin and the condemnation of death. We constantly need to ask for His guidance and protection.

4. How are We Supposed to Keep the Sabbath?

DOING GOOD TO OTHERS: Matthew 12:11-12; Luke 14:1-6 When Jesus was on this earth, He left us an example on how to keep the Sabbath. He used the precious hours of this day to do good to others.

The Bible tells us that more than once He healed people on the Sabbath day. When he was rebuked for that, He clearly explained that it is lawful to do good on Sabbath.

THINK AND TALK ABOUT GOD: Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14,42-44; Acts 18:1-4 Every Sabbath Jesus was going to the synagogue, the place where believers were meeting in His times, in order to pray together and to study together the Word of God.

Also, the apostle Paul, years after Jesus’ resurrection, attended religious meetings and rested from other works every Sabbath (see Acts 28:17).

When Paul was asked to speak again on Bible topics by the Gentiles, they themselves did not invite him for the next day, but asked to do that on the next Sabbath, and the entire city came to listen to him on that day.

When Paul had to work to sustain himself, every week the Sabbath was a day for sharing God’s word with others.

ENJOYING GOD’SCREATION: Psalm 19:1-4; Psalm 8:3-9 God’s creation still speaks about Him, even though now it carries signs of decay because of sin (see

Romans 8:21-22).

The Spirit of God can help us to understand the spiritual lessons that are found in nature, some of which can be found explained in the Bible in songs and parables. What a better day than the Sabbath to remember of our Creator through His own creation.

AVOIDING DISTRACTIONS: Isaiah 58:13-14; Leviticus 23:3; Nehemiah 13:15-19 This day is so important for our relationship with God that we must avoid all kinds of distractions that might take away our attention from Him.

God has greater blessings for us than those we are able to provide for ourselves. 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 3 So, to stop for a day from our work, from our travels, from talking about our interests, from seeking our own pleasure and from buying and selling, will not be a loss but we will find it to be a greater blessing, both for us and for our family.

FROM SUNSET TO SUNSET: Leviticus 23:32 (Genesis 1:1-5) The keeping of the Sabbath has to go from evening to evening, or in other words, from sunset to sunset.

This is because God established at creation the turnover of day and night: initially the world was in darkness (night) and then God created the light, having then the first morning of this world’s history. The second day started from the end of the first light period, at sunset.

Days are described in the Bible always as an evening and a morning, in this order. Therefore the biblical Sabbath also starts at sunset and ends at sunset after one day.

5. Which Day is the Seventh - Day Pointed Out by the Commandment?

 Luke 23:53 – 24:2 Jesus died on a Friday, which was called the Preparation day, according to the Bible. The women that were with Him, seeing that sunset was near, hastened to prepare all that was necessary to treat the body of Jesus according to the custom of the Jews, but did not apply it to the body yet, but rested during the Sabbath, from sunset on Friday evening to sunset on Saturday evening.

This is the Seventh-day Sabbath. In fact this was specifically done according to the commandment (see Luke 23:56).

On Sunday morning, which is here called the First day, they went early to the tomb to accomplish the embalming, but they found it empty because Jesus was resurrected.

Throughout the Bible we find that among the days of the week only two days have a name: the Preparation day (Friday) and the Sabbath day (Saturday). Only those things that have a special value receive names (in fact a name is given to a pet, while it is not given to a table or a chair). We can clearly see that the Seventh-day Sabbath really matters to God.

6. When does the Bible Say We Should Quit Keeping the Sabbath?

 Matthew 24:20; Isaiah 66:22-23 The Bible tells us that Jesus expected the Sabbath to be kept even about 40 years after His death and resurrection, at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

The disciples were suggested by Jesus to pray not to be forced to escape on the Sabbath, to avoid a major interruption of this important day of rest. 4 14. The Sabbath – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 The Bible teaches us that the Sabbath will not just be kept for a limited time, but it will be kept even by the saved throughout eternity. If the Sabbath will be kept even in eternity, how much more we need to take possession of this foretaste of heaven in our lives today, in this world filled with worry and distress.

Appeal

Our focus should be the opportunity we have to spend a day that is indeed a blessed one, a blessing that God provided for our benefit and for that of those around us, to stay with our families and friends, but most of all to stay with God in a special and meaningful way.

Wouldn’t it be beautiful to forget once a week about all the stresses and problems of our daily life and spend this day with our families, learning more about such a loving God as the God of the Bible?

Do you want to take the decision today, to keep the biblical Sabbath day holy according to what God is asking us in the Bible?