We’ve got to learn to slow down before it kills us. In 1991 economist Juliet Schor wrote a book called "The Overworked American," where she demonstrated that work hours and stress are at an all time high for us (Bass 1). Today’s full-time employee works an average of 163 more hours than employees in 1969 (Russell 1). In a 1992 survey 38% of Americans admitted that they "always feel rushed" (Russell 2).
Even during our off time we’re often engaging in activities that are exhausting. In an article on work habits in "American Demographics," Cheryl Russell says, "There are more TV channels to watch, more amusement parks to visit, more movies to rent, more magazines to read, more online networks to explore, and more pressure to spend our leisure time wisely. Playtime itself sometimes seems too much like work" (2). How many of us after a week camping trip or a day at Disneyland feel like we need a few days off just to recover from our leisure time? We’ve got to learn how to slow down.
Job related stress is a leading cause in health problems among Americans. A magazine published by the New England Journal of Medicine called HealthNews claims that long term job stress increases blood pressure and significantly increases the risk of coronary heart disease (HealthNews 2/27/98). Chronic stress impairs our memory, accelerates the aging process, and weakens our immune system. We’ve got to learn how to slow down or it’s quite literally going to kill us.
We’ve been in a series through the 10 Commandments called LANDMARKS FOR A NEW MILLENNIUM. Today we’re going to talk about the fourth commandment, God’s command to keep the sabbath.
Now the fourth commandment is by far the most controversial of the 10 commandments among modern day Christians. Some Christians worship on Saturday, other Christians worship on Sunday, and some Christians worship at alternative times like Friday night. Some Saturday worshipping Christians believe Sunday worship is a violation of the fourth commandment, a few even calling Sunday worship the mark of the beast from the book of Revelation. Today we’re going to look at the fourth commandment and try to find how it applies to us today. We’re going to look at a sabbath principle, a sabbath law, and a sabbath blessing.
1. The Sabbath Principle
The 10 commandments are actually found listed in two different places in the Old Testament. The first list is in Exodus 20, and this list represents God’s original delivery of the 10 commandments to Israel. This occurred just months after God had brought Israel out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and brought them to the foot of Mt. Sinai. The second list is found in the book of Deuteronomy, and that list represents a second delivery of the law to Israel. The second list in Deuteronomy was given 40 years after this list was given, and it was given to a new generation of Israel, right before they entered into the promised land. So the second list represents a renewal of God’s commitment with Israel for a new generation. Until today I’ve been going out of the Deuteronomy list because the wording of the two lists are virtually identical.Here on the fourth commandment, we find a significant difference between the two lists.
Exodus 20:8-11—"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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" (NIV).The Hebrew word "remember" means far more than recalling a memory into our mind (NIDOTTE 1:1100). To "remember" in Hebrew means to "commemorate," much like we remember our wedding anniversary by buying a gift, or we remember a child’s birthday by throwing a party. This commemoration of the sabbath is for the purpose of keeping the sabbath holy, that is, for it to be set apart to God.Here we learn that God wants us to work, that work isn’t bad or evil. Since we bear God’s image, our labor is a noble, godly part of our existence. God wants us to work, to labor, to use our energies and our creativity to supply our needs.
But on the seventh day—-which is Saturday—-God commands Israel to stop working. In fact, the word "sabbath" comes from the word for "stop" or "cease" (NIDOTTE 4:1157). The idea here is an interruption of the work being done the other six days. Just to make sure Israel gets it, God lists six possible sources of labor (Durham 289). Everyone is to stop working: the children, the servants, the livestock, even the non-Jewish guest in the community. The entire Jewish economy is to grind to a halt on the sabbath day.
Now the first three of the ten commandments focused exclusively on our love for God. The last six commandments are going to focus exclusively on our love for other people. But the fourth command is like a hinge that has both the vertical dimension of our love for God, and the horizontal dimension of our love for other people. On the one hand, it’s a Sabbath to the Lord, which means it’s a sabbath for worship, a time for Israel to worship God together as a congregation. But on the other hand, it’s also a sabbath for the community, so everyone could equally rest from their labor, rich and poor alike. In the ancient world work was mostly reserved for women and slaves, while leisure was reserved only for wealthy men (Christiensen 118). This commandment cut at the core of this class system by insisting that everyone gets a break, both rich and poor, slave and free, even the animals. So in this respect, the sabbath is an expression of Israel’s love for other people, as they acknowledge that every person is made in his image and deserves of a break from labor.But the reason God gives in v. 11 is very different from the reason we’ll see in Deuteronomy. Here the reason is because God created the universe in six days but rested on the seventh day. God’s creation of the universe was the basis for Israel’s obedience to the fourth commandment. Because God observed the Sabbath on the seventh day, Israel is now to observe the Sabbath. Now of course, God resting on the seventh day doesn’t mean God was tired, but it’s a way of saying that God finished His creation. When God rested on the seventh day, that was God’s way of saying, "I’m done, I’m happy with what I’ve made and there’s no need to make anything else" (Moriarty 95). God is like an artist who finishes painting a masterpiece, and sits back to enjoy the finished product.The moment God rested on the seventh day he declared that our time is not our own, but that our time belongs to God.Now this raises the question of when exactly people started observing the Sabbath. God himself observed it when he created the universe, but there’s nothing in the Old Testament to suggest that Adam and Eve observed the sabbath, or that Abraham, Isaac or Jacob observed it. The very first time the Bible even mentions the sabbath is in Exodus chapter 16, which occurs after God delivers Israel from their slavery in Egypt. So the fourth commandment is a new law, something uniquely given to Israel at this time. Even though God himself set aside the seventh day as holy at creation, God didn’t command anyone to observe the seventh day as a sabbath until here.In the fourth commandment’s appeal to the seventh day of creation we find a sabbath principle, but this sabbath principle doesn’t become a sabbath law until God gives the nation of Israel the 10 commandments in Exodus.
So what is this sabbath principle? GOD CREATED THE UNIVERSE WITH A RYTHYM OF RENEWAL FOR US TO HONOR.The sabbath principle is the fact that God built into his creation a rhythm of stopping and starting. I find it fascinating that in the Ancient Near East the "Seven is a universal sacred…number, often indicated by completeness, fullness or perfection" (NIDOTTE 4:34). I think this universal acceptance of the number seven as special is a remnant or a trace of God’s creation rest on the seventh day.We see this rhythm of renewal in lots of different ways. We see it in the changing of the seasons. We see it with the regularity by which the earth rotates around the sun. The structure of the universe evidences a rhythm, a constant rhythm.
When we honor that rhythm we function in harmony with this pattern God has established, but when we refuse to honor this rhythm of renewal we find ourselves constantly in conflict with the structure of the universe.
Regularly worshipping God with other believers reminds us that our relationship with God is far more important than what we do for a living. Ceasing from our labor is a way of acknowledging that our lives belong to God, that our work—-though important—-does not define who we are. By respecting this rhythm of renewal we acknowledge that the world doesn’t depend on our productivity and our efforts.It takes faith to honor the sabbath principle, faith that our time belongs to God instead of ourselves, faith that our ability to earn our living depends on God.
This rhythm of renewal is like the regular maintenance on a car (Hybels 45-46). When we regularly change the oil, replace worn out parts, and rotate the tires our cars last a long time. Our lives have a maintenance schedule too, a schedule that requires a rhythm of renewal, and when we fail to honor that rhythm, our lives break down. It might be a physical break down with high blood pressure, an ulcer or colitis. It might be an emotional breakdown, or a relationship breakdown with our spouse and kids, or it might be a spiritual breakdown with God. Without respecting this rhythm of renewal, our lives will break down…it’s just a matter of time.
Let me suggest a few practical ways to honor this sabbath principle. Renew yourself weekly with rest, time with your family and corporate worship. This means breaking from your regular routine at some point during the week to recharge your batteries, reconnecting in your relationships, and joining God’s people for worship. If you don’t, it’s like ignoring the oil light in your car. Second, reflect about your life monthly by looking at your goals, reflecting on your growth as a Christian, and seeking guidance from God. You can do this on a Saturday in the mountains or at the beach, or simply sitting on the porch swing in your front yard. Third, re-evaluate your life yearly by spending extended time in prayer, evaluating your life direction, and setting goals for your growth as a Christian. These are just some practical suggestions for how to honor this rhythm of renewal we find in the sabbath principle.
2. The Sabbath Law
But the moment God gave the fourth commandment to Israel, this Sabbath principle became a Sabbath law:
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 says, "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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 ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day" (NIV).
Notice the essence of the commandment is the same, but the reason for observing the commandment is different here. Instead of connecting Israel’s obedience to God’s creation rest in Genesis, here we find their obedience connected to God’s deliverance from Egypt. This isn’t meant to contradict what God said in Exodus, but to build on it.
Now when God gave Israel their sabbath laws this included far more than the weekly sabbath. The weekly observance of the sabbath was the foundation, where they stopped working and spent time worshipping God together one day a week. Incidentally, in Jewish thought the day begins at sundown, so the sabbath was celebrated from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. That’s different from the way we usually think of days. But also included in their sabbath laws was the monthly sabbath, also called the new moon celebrations. Each month they would celebrate the new month by offering a grain offering to God (Num 29:6). Their sabbath law also included the seasonal sabbaths. The primary seasonal sabbaths are Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Booths (Leviticus 23). These feasts lasted seven days, and the entire week was treated as a sabbath celebration. All the people would travel to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate these season sabbaths. Israel’s sabbath law also included the sabbatical year. Every seventh year, the land was supposed to rest—-so no farming was allowed—-and people who owed debts were forgiven of their loans. That was supposed to happen every seventh year. I keep trying to persuade my mortgage company to observe the sabbatical year. Finally, Israel’s sabbath law also included the year of Jubilee which came every fiftieth year (Lev 25:8). During the year of jubilee not only would the land enjoy rest, but all slaves were released and all the land would go back to their ancestral owners.
Now my reason for listing all these sabbaths is simply to show that all of these are included under the fourth commandment. So if the fourth commandment applies to us today in the same way it applied to Israel, then we’re not only bound to observe the weekly sabbath, but we’re also bound to observe the monthly, seasonal, yearly, and jubilee sabbaths.
The Bible says that these sabbath laws were a unique sign of God’s special covenant with the nation of Israel. In Exodus 31:13 God says to Israel, "You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy" (NIV). Ezekiel 20:12 makes this same point, when God says, "I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy" (NIV).
So what’s the purpose of the sabbath law? God gave Israel Sabbath laws to signify their special relationship with God. Along with circumcision, the sabbath laws were like a wedding ring of God’s special relationship with Israel. This is what Bible teachers call the mosaic covenant, the special relationship God established with the nation of Israel through Moses. Because the sabbath laws were a wedding ring to Israel, we need to be very cautious about how we apply these laws to ourselves as followers of Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, a Christian is not bound to live by the mosaic covenant because Christians live by what the Bible calls the new covenant. This new covenant differs from the mosaic covenant in some significant ways. Just arbitrarily applying the mosaic covenant laws to our lives would be like finding your great aunt’s wedding license, whiting out your aunt’s name, and writing in your own name.
So God gave the sabbath laws to Israel to signify their special relationship with him, as a kind of wedding ring.
3. The Sabbath Blessing
Now does that mean the sabbath doesn’t apply to us at all? No, not at all. The New Testament describes a Sabbath blessing that comes to people through Jesus. What’s this sabbath blessing like and how is it different than the sabbath principle and the sabbath law?
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day frequently accused Jesus of breaking the fourth commandment. On one occasion, Jesus and his followers were walking through a field and they rubbed some of the grain off the plant and ate it. Now the religious leaders of Jesus’ day had strict guidelines for what you could and couldn’t do on the sabbath, and rubbing grain of a plant was a no-no. In fact, the religious authorities of Jesus’ day had come up with 39 different activities you couldn’t do on the sabbath. So the religious leaders accused Jesus of breaking the fourth commandment, and in Mark 2:28 Jesus replied by saying, "The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." The title "son of man" goes back to the Old Testament book of Daniel and it describes the Messiah as the King or the Lord of Israel. So by using this title, Jesus is asserting his right to define how the fourth commandment applies. As the Lord Jesus has authority over the sabbath. What Jesus was breaking was the traditions about the fourth commandment, but here we find that Jesus has the authority to define the fourth commandment any way he wants to.
Because of this authority, Jesus’ apostles reflected further on the significance of Jesus to the fourth commandment. Many of the early Jewish Christians continued to meet on Saturday for worship. But most of the non-Jewish Christians met on the first day of the week--Sunday--to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection. This was a huge area of tension between the Jewish Christians and the non-Jewish Christians. So the apostle Paul wrote Colossians 2:16-17, which says "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ" (NIV). The "eating and drinking" here represents the Jewish dietary laws, as most of the Jewish Christians continued to respect the Old Testament dietary regulations, while most of the non-Jewish Christians just ate whatever. The "religious festivals" refer to the major Jewish festivals, like Passover, the feast of weeks, and the feast of weeks. The new moon celebrations were the monthly sabbaths required by God in the Old Testament. Finally the sabbath day was the weekly sabbath.
What Paul’s saying here is that these laws--food purity laws and sabbath laws--were a shadow that looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. Paul’s not against people observing these laws if they want to, but he no longer views these laws as binding on people now that Jesus has come.As the Messiah, Jesus fulfills the Sabbath laws. Just as the Old Testament predictions about the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus, so also the ceremonial laws that were "shadows" of the future coming of the Messiah were also fulfilled by Jesus. Richard Melick says, "A shadow is less significant than the object which causes it. A shadow is temporary, lasting only until the substance arrives in view. A shadow is inferior in that it imperfectly resembles the object" (Melick 268).
The arrival of the Messiah marked the end of God’s requirement to observe the Sabbath laws, just as it marked the end of the food laws, circumcision, and so forth. Even as the Christian day of worship gradually moved from Saturday to Sunday, most of the Christians didn’t view Sunday worship as required by the fourth commandment (Carson 16). Although Sunday was a natural day to gather and worship, there was remarkable flexibility in the New Testament churches about worshipping on Saturday, Sunday, or any day for that matter. It wasn’t until 321 AD when the Roman Emperor Constantine proclaimed Sunday a day of rest that people started making a connection between the fourth commandment and Sunday worship (Douma 111). J. Douma agrees: "As we survey church history, we see that for centuries there was no indication that Sunday was observed ‘on the basis of’ the fourth commandment" (112). So the sabbath law finds complete and total fulfillment in Jesus as the Messiah.
However, the author of the book of Hebrews presents us with another way of looking at the sabbath. Hebrews 4:3 says, "Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, ’They shall never enter my rest’. And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world" (NIV). Later in the chapter Hebrews 4:9-10 says, "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his" (NIV).
Here we learn that God’s rest that started on the seventh day has continued on even until now, and that God invites people to enter into his experience of rest. Although the Old Testament sabbath laws pointed to this rest, these laws were inadequate to provide a way to enter into God’s rest. God’s kind of rest is only experienced through faith in Jesus--only those who believe enter--and we have faith in Jesus when we cease from our works of trying to earn our way with God.This presents Jesus himself as the eternal sabbath rest, and we enter into that rest by ceasing from our efforts to earn God’s favor and by trusting in Jesus alone to bring us into a relationship with God (Moriarty 99, 101).
Here we find that as the Savior, JESUS OFFERS US TRUE REST. Not just rest from our work or a break from our job, but a restful relationship with God where we no longer have to perform. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "Come to me you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11).
So what’s the sabbath blessing? Through Jesus Christ, God offers us an eternity of restful security.
Imagine you have an uncle who made billions of dollars. Since he made his fortune he’s retired to his own private island. He invites you to join him on his island, all expenses paid. Imagine showing up with your laptop computer, with your cell phone and pager, with piles of work to do. Your uncle meets you as his private jet lands on the airstrip and he looks at all your stuff, and says, "Why don’t you just leave that on the plane. Let’s just hang out together, just the two of us." That’s the kind of relationship Jesus offers us, and when we come to know God through faith in Jesus Christ we fulfill the essence of the fourth commandment.So there’s a sabbath principle that it must makes sense of us to honor, a sabbath law that was unique to Israel in the Old Testament, and a sabbath blessing that’s received by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.
The bottom line of the fourth commandment is this: Life is mean to be lived in relationship with God through regular worship and refreshment. Since the law is fulfilled in Christ, we have liberty to apply this principle to our lives in lots of different ways. But it all starts by entering into the sabbath blessing through faith in Jesus.
Sources
Bass, Dorothy. "Rediscovering the Sabbath" Christianity Today (9/1/97).
Christensen, Duane. 1991. Deuteronomy 1-11. Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 6A. Word Books.
Carson, D. A. (editor). 1982. From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Investigation. Zondervan.
Douma, J. 1996. The Ten Commandments: Manual For the Christian Life. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.
Durham. John. 1987. Exodus. Word Biblical Commentary vol. 3. Word Books.
Hughes, R. Kent. 1993. Disciplines of Grace: God’s Ten Words for a Vital Spiritual Life. Wheaton: Crossway Books.
Hybels, Bill. 1985. Laws that Liberate. Wheaton: Victor Books.
Louw, J. P. and E. Nida (editors). 1989. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies. CD-Rom edition.
Mehl, Ron. 1998. The Ten(der) Commandments. Portland: Multnomah.
Melick, Richard R. 1991 Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. New American Commentary 32. Broadman & Holman.
NIDOTTE = VanGemeren, Willem A. (editor). 1997. The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Schlessinger, Larua with Rabbi Stewart Vogel. 1998. The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God’s Laws In Everyday Life. New York: Harper Perennial.
Tigay, Jeffrey. 1996. Deuteronomy, The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.
