Getting to Know God ¡V Jehovah Mekoddishkem ¡V The Lord who Sanctifies You ¡V Ex 31:12-18
In 1981, the Movie Chariots of Fire, won the Academy Award for Best Picture. This Hollywood film told the true story of a devout Christian, Eric Liddell. He was a world class athlete and I want to show you a clip from the film. Eric has just decided he must forteit his chance to run in the 200m sprint in the 1924 Paris Olympics because the qualifying meet will be held on Sunday. His coach, the Prince of Wales and the England Olympic committee, try to convince him to change his mind but ¡K
Eric Liddell had a conviction that keeping the Sabbath was holy. He believed that for him to run on Sunday would be violating the Biblical commandment to keep the Sabbath Holy. Some of us in the room would probably not agree with Eric¡¦s stand. Today, most Christians (myself included I must admit) see Sunday as a holiday instead of a holy day. Yes it is the day we go to church, but after that, the rest of the day is ours to catch up on that little bit of work around the house, go and play some sport, spend time with the family, etc. I am not saying any of these things are wrong in themselves, but this morning I want to pose the question of How important is the Sabbath? And what did God intend the Sabbath for? By doing so, hopefully we can all get some direction on how we should be spending our Sabbaths.
In the passage that was read by Helen ¡V Ex 31:12, we read that the Lord commanded Moses to say to the Israelites ¡§You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.¡¨
Here is another one of the names of God and if you have been around for the last couple of months, you know that I¡¦ve been slowly moving through the names of God. Well here is another Jehovah Mekoddishkem. A bit of a mouthful isn¡¦t it. It means the Lord who makes you holy or the Lord sanctifies you. . Today we will see how that is connected to the idea of the Sabbath.
Let¡¦s pray before we begin.
The Origin of the Sabbath Concept
Well where do we start? The word Sabbath is from a hebrew root that means to Cease or Stop. It has the connotation of stopping what we are doing. And what is that you may ask?
The first mention of Sabbath in Scripture is in Ex 16:23. The Israelites have just been led out of slavery and they are hungry in the desert. God wonderfully provides for them food in the form of manna and quails and here the instructions are being given to the Israel about the use of this food. Ex 16:23In
23 He said to them, "This is what the LORD commanded: `Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’ " 24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 "Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any."
Every day the people were to gather enough food for that day, but the Sabbath was a different day ¡V the ordinary, everyday chores were not to be done. It was to be a rest day, a holy day to the Lord.
It is an interesting practice to just adopt ¡V Resting on the seventh day. I¡¦m quite sure in days of slavery, there were not many rest days. There is also some evidence too that the Egyptians worked on a 10 day week, so where did it come from? It seems to follow God¡¦s example in creation, though the word Sabbath is not mentioned here..
You will remember that God created for 6 days all that we see, all that we have around us, but Gen 2:2 says that
GE 2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
God ¡§rested¡¨. This is the word ¡§Shabath¡¨ the Root that the word Sabbath comes from. It means to cease from work. For 6 days, God was busy creating. But on the 7th day, he stopped working and rested. Now think about it. What picture do you have in mind of God on this 7th day. Do you see him, just popping off to the Carribean for a bit of a sunbake on the beach? Maybe he is just out the back yard of heaven in a hammock, sipping lemonade between dozing off. Maybe you picture him on his bed reading or sleeping even. What was he doing? I don¡¦t think any of us believe that God turned off and did absolutely nothing. He is God, he doesn¡¦t need sleep and doesn¡¦t get tired, so I¡¦m sure he didn¡¦t sleep. The sun rose on that next day and the new world kept functioning and so God who controls it all, must have been consciously at work somehow. God was working to maintain this world, and undoubtably enjoying his creation, but the work of creation that had gone on for 6 days was stopped.
Somehow this was a special day, different to any other. It was a day for God to set apart as different. And this is exactly what sanctify or holy means. If something is set apart for a special purpose, it is holy. Don¡¦t get hung up on that word holy ¡V it just means special, different, set apart for a special purpose. As Christians we are holy ¡V not because we are perfect, no ¡V but because we are set apart for God ¡V we are special, different.
The Tabernacle had a holy of holies. It was a place that was set apart for God. It was special ¡V where he dwelt ¡V that is why it was holy. And in a similar way, God set aside a special day, different to all others ¡V it was Holy. And because God made it holy, it is holy. We don¡¦t observe the Sabbath, to make it holy, but because it is already holy. In Exod 31, the passage we read earlier we can read
`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. 14 " `Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you.
Note that it is not ¡§observe the Sabbath so that it will be holy¡¨. No it is ¡§Observe the Sabbath because it is holy¡¨. Note also whose Sabbaths they are. They are God¡¦s. Don¡¦t fool yourself, the Sabbath is a holy day because it is God¡¦s Day and he has set it apart.
And so, following God¡¦s example that first week of creation, it seems that the Israelites had adopted a similar practice of making the 7th day special. We see it referred to specifically in Exod 16, the passage we just looked at. And in Exod 20, when Moses receives the 10 commandments, we see it popping up as Commandment #4.
EX 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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. 11 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.
A key to understanding this Sabbath command is the word Work. God says we can¡¦t do any work. So what is the definition of work. There are a couple of words for ¡§Work¡¨ in Hebrew. This work that appears here is ƒÝƒÎƒÕƒÜƒÑ„¨ƒÛƒÑƒØ which is the word used of your occupation. Your work or business from which you gain a living. Everytime you find work outlawed in connection with the Sabbath commands, it is this word. This is the same word used of God¡¦s work at creation. His occupation in the first 6 days was creating the world and on the 7th day, he rested from it. This is not to say he didn¡¦t do anything on the Sabbath, but he did different work. Jesus, when confronted by the Pharisees about working on the Sabbath justified his activity by this same argument in John 5:17. He said, ¡§My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.¡¨ You see, there are other words for work in hebrew which talk about other forms of work, crafts or service. So be very clear, the work being referred to in the command is the work you do for a living.
Does it surprise you that ensuring that you have a day you cease all work should be rated by God as one of the top 10? I mean come on. Murder I can understand, stealing also, but resting? Why was it so important? What is it¡¦s purpose ¡V surely it is not just to ensure we get enough sleep and so aren¡¦t grumpy and tired ¡V though looking around this morning, maybe such a command is not a bad idea? The punishment for not keeping the Sabbath was death ¡V it was a serious crime.
The Purpose of the Sabbath
So why does God place so much value on having a Sabbath. There are 2 main reasons we find in Scripture
The Sabbath ¡V The Gift
Firstly the Sabbath was meant to be a gift for all people everywhere. It was to be a time of celebration and joy. It was given for humanitarian reasons. In slavery, the people had no let up from work. God gave them the Sabbath so they could rest from work. I don¡¦t know about you, but I just look forward to weekends so much. No one should have to work 7 days a week, we are not made for that and it is not healthy. The sabbath is an opportunity to rest & be refreshed. The command in Exod 20 was not just for the Israelite, but also for their animals, their servants and their visitors. It was meant to benefit the whole community. It was a gracious gift but extended beyond a single day every week.
The Sabbath concept extended to a Sabbath Year. Every 7 years, there was to be a sabbath year, when the ground was to be left fallow and the animals of work to be rested (Lev 25:4). Not only was rest good for man, but it was also good for the ground. During this year, all debts were to be cancelled, giving people a fresh start (Deut 15:1-11). What a gift.
Every 7 cycles of 7 years, there was the year of Jubilee. A Sabbath of Sabbaths. It was a time of celebration and rest and all land which you had been forced to sell due to financial difficulties was returned to its traditional owners. Again ¡V what a gift.
The Sabbath ¡V The Memorial
The second reason for the Sabbath was as a memorial. It was meant to remind the people of 3 things and by remembering, they were to turn in worship of God ¡V Jehovah Mekoddishkem ¡V the Lord who sanctifies them..
1) Firstly it was meant to remind them of creation. Creation is mentioned in Ex 20 & Ex 31. The origins of the Sabbath were with God. It was his day originally and the example he established was to be followed by all his creation.
2) Secondly, it was meant to remind the Israelites of the gift of God¡¦s redemption (Deut 5:12-15). God had brought them out of slavery where they had no rest. He brought them to the place where they could have Rest in Canaan. This was an incredible gift of God, one that deserved to be remembered.
3) Thirdly, the Sabbath was instituted to be a reminder of the covenant God established with Israel. If we go back again to Ex 31, that passage read earlier, we read.
¡§Say to the Israelites, `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. 14 ¡§ `Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you.
The Sabbath was to be a sign. A sign to all people that the Israelites were holy. Remember what that means? The Israelites were set apart for God. They were were set apart and so God made them holy. Remember the Name of God we are looking at today? Jehovah Mekoddishkem. The Sabbath did not make the people holy, but was a sign that they were already holy. God chose the nation of Israel to be set apart and they were holy not because of anything they did, but because of the choice God made. The keeping of the Sabbath did nothing to aid or improve their holiness, but confirmed as a sign that they were already holy ¡V just like circumcision did.
When Israel observed the Sabbath, they were confirming their commitment to the covenant and acknowledging that they were set apart for God. They were acknowledging God as Jehovah Mekoddiskem, the Lord who sanctifies them.
Okay, let¡¦s recap, the Sabbath was a day of ceasing work. It was instituted by God back at creation, well before Israel was even in existence, so it universal in its application. Israel were commanded as part of their law to keep the Sabbath because it was in their best interests physically and spiritually. It gave them a chance to remember God¡¦s gracious acts as well as being a physical symbol of the covenant God had established with them.
Okay are you still with me ¡K So how is this all relevant to you and me in the 21st Century. We are Christians and we live under grace not under law. The Old Testament rules and regulations don¡¦t apply anymore - do they? So how is the Sabbath applicable to me?
Application of the Sabbath
At the outset, I want to draw a distinction between the Sabbath and the Lords Day (Sunday). The Sabbath was the 7th day of the Week - Saturday. It is still remembered as the holy day by Jews and others like the Seventh Day Adventists. The rest of Christianity take the First Day of the Week (Sunday) as their holy day. This change occurred after Christ¡¦s resurrection which occurred on Sunday. For the early church, Sunday became more significant than Saturday and so they gathered to worship God on Sunday. Old Testament people met on Saturday to commemorate the finish of Creation, New Testament believers met on Sunday to commemorate the finish of redemption. As you will see, it is not so much the day that matters, but the practice ¡V so don¡¦t get hung up on the day of the week.
I also want to say that the New Testament does not anywhere cancel out the applicability of the Sabbath for us. Don¡¦t be confused. We are not justified by keeping the law, but we still are called to obey the law. Paul writes in Rom 6:15 ¡§What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid¡¨ The 10 commandments still hold for us. We are justified by Christ¡¦s death, but to be like Christ, we must seek to obey the law.
Jesus observed the Sabbath. He physically rested, he worshiped in the Synagogue. But he was not an idle blob either. We read in Matt 12 about a couple of clashes he had with the Pharisees. You see in trying to understand and apply the law to every day life, the Jewish rabbis had tried to define for their congregations what was permissible and what was not in every day life. They had a long list for housewives, for farmers, for bankers, for doctors, for travel, etc, etc. They became focussed on legalism and made the Sabbath a burden instead of being a gift and a memorial. They lost sight of the real purpose and so when Jesus came along. He was not concerned with plucking a bit of grain out of a field to satisfy his hunger or with healing a person. He claimed back the Sabbath saying that ¡§the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath¡¨ (Mk 2:27).
Once there was a church in Holland once which felt strictly bound to obey God’s commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. On a certain Sunday the area was threatened by high wind and ferocious waves. If the dikes were not strengthened, the people would not survive. The police notified the pastor of the danger. He was faced with the decision of whether to call off the services and urge his people to work on the dikes. Unable to make the decision, he called a meeting of his church council. They concluded that God, being omnipotent, can always perform a miracle with the wind and waves. Their duty was to keep the commandment not to work on the Sabbath. The pastor tried one last argument: Did not Jesus himself break the commandment and declare that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath? Then an old man stood up and said, "I have always been troubled, Pastor, by something I have never ventured to say publicly. Now I must say it. I have always had the feeling that our Lord Jesus was just a bit of a liberal."
Jesus wasn¡¦t a Liberal. He understood what God expected on the Sabbath. Don¡¦t fall into the trap of living by a list of rules.
In closing, I want to offer a few principles which may guide you as you work through how you should keep the Sabbath ¡K
1) Remember that I said that the hebrew word for work refers to your employment or weekly business. This is what God wants us to stop. He wants us to put aside our own interests, our own wealth gaining endeavors for just one day and focus on him and his work. I guess that is why Eric Liddle refused to race on Sunday ¡V It was his job, his career. Now I know that some jobs require you to work on Sundays. Look ¡V maybe it is a case of you seriously thinking about whether that job is the right one for you. Look around ¡V there may be other jobs which don¡¦t require you to work on a Sunday. For those of you where that is not an option, remember that the day of the week is not nearly as important as the principle of observing a Sabbath. It doesn¡¦t matter if you sabbath is on Monday or Wednesday or Saturday ¡V the important thing is that you have a Sabbath
2) Jesus¡¦ understanding of the Sabbath was that people should not be lazy blobs. No, the Sabbath is not about doing nothing at all, but it is about doing God¡¦s work, not our own. The Lords Day should be a day that we spend worshipping God. It is good to meet with other Christians and worship God. That is what the Day is for. So make sure you don¡¦t neglect meeting with other believers ¡V even when you are on holidays (I¡¦m certainly guilty of that one ¡V I put more thought into where I can get away from it all rather than where I can go for worship).
3) Jesus knew that helping people and doing good was not just lawful, but was to be encouraged. Spend your Sunday¡¦s in service of others. Minister in the church, have someone over to lunch, go and visit someone who is not well or could not get to the service because of a physical incapacity. The list is only limited to your imagination. Do Good, serve others ¡V that work is good.
4) A word of caution - remember that part of the reason for a Sabbath is for physical rest too. Don¡¦t be so busy that you don¡¦t physically rest. That is an equally serious abuse of the day. So take some time to relax and unwind. Just don¡¦t go to the other extreme and just relax. Remember it is God¡¦s Day, not yours and so he expects you to worship and serve him for a good part of it. We need to worship God, not worship our play.
5) Don¡¦t be legalistic over what you or others do or don¡¦t do on the Sabbath. Even though there was such a severe punishment for working on the Sabbath, it was not meant to be a scary day or a burden for your back. Paul says to the Colossians, don¡¦t let others judge you about what you do on a Sabbath. Remember the focus is to be on God, not on the things you do or don¡¦t do.
6) Make your Sabbath special. It is a holy day because God has set it apart. Do the same and make it special. Spend the time meditating on what God has done for you ¡V redeeming you and saving you - then we will have the chance to get to know Jehovah Mekoddishkem ¡V The Lord who sanctifies us.
7) God promises to bless those who keep the Sabbath. I want to read Is 58 as we close?
13 ¡§If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD¡¦s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.¡¨ The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Are you planning to have a Sabbath Today or sometime through this week? Some of us need to think about what we do on our Sabbaths and whether we are devoting enough time to God¡¦s work. Remember ¡V God has commanded it, and you need it ¡V so how about it? Will you observe the Sabbath today?
