Sermon Central
-
Worship, Work And Rest Series
Contributed by Rev. Dr. Andrew B Natarajan on Oct 30, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: This passage commences with three principles: 1. Six days you must work, 2. Seventh day is the day of rest, and 3. Keep the seventh day. This fourth commandment is a call to Remember the sabbath day, keep it holy, and rest in it (Exodus 20:8-11).
After His Resurrection, the early church assembled on Sundays, held it as sacred day the Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). We meet on Sunday to commemorate the resurrection of Christ and to worship HIM, Triune God. So, the observation of Sunday is not a “Christian Sabbath”
2. Remember the sabbath
The English words holy, and sanctify are in Hebrew has the same root ‘qds’ (Exodus 31:13 - sanctify, Exodus 20:8 - holy, Exodus 20:11 - hollowed, Genesis 2:3 - God sanctified it). God mandated that the Israelites observe or keep the Sabbath.
The verb translated as “observe” basically means “to keep,” “to watch,” or “to preserve.” The biblical understanding of keeping something holy is setting it apart for special use or dedicating it for a special purpose. Thus, God asked His people to withhold the sabbath day from ordinary use so that it might be consecrated to Him. The idea is of a celebration. Thus, the Israelites were commanded to celebrate the sabbath day.
Scholars are unsure whether the Hebrew noun Shabbat for Sabbath is related to the Hebrew verb Shabat, “to rest,” or “to cease” desist from exertion. The differences between Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15 appear to be insignificant. However, there are variances with each other regarding the Sabbath. But a careful reading of Exodus 20:8 “Remember (Zakar) the sabbath day, and keep it holy.” Contrasts Deuteronomy 5:12 “Observe (Shamar) the sabbath day, and keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.”
Sabbath is a break from the routine of daily labor (Exodus 23:12). The Jewish leaders had made the Sabbath a burden rather than a blessing, and Jesus rebelled against that misapplication, stating in Mark 2:17-18, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Jesus broke the sabbath Law for only two purposes one for the healing and the second for feeding the hungry. Jesus healed people on the Sabbath (Luke 6:9). Healed the Crippled Woman (Luke 13:10-17). Healed a man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-18). Restored a Shrivelled Hand (Matthew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6). Healed a Man’s Body (John 7:21-24). Picked Heads of Grain to eat (Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28, Luke 6:1-5).
Sabbath serves as a sign of the covenant between God and His people, a symbol that God has set apart a people unto himself (Exodus 31:12–17). The Sabbath is a day of holy convocation (Leviticus 23:2–3) in which the people gather for public worship and instruction in the Torah (Nehemiah 8:8). Assemble with other believers (Leviticus 23:3). Give an offering (Numbers 28:9-10, Nehemiah 10:32-33). Refrain from buying and selling/conducting commerce (Jeremiah 17:19-27, Amos 8:5, Nehemiah 13:15-22). The prophet Isaiah suggested that we should turn away from doing our own pleasure and should “call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable” (Isaiah 58:13).
We can keep Sunday holy by attending Church meetings; reading the scriptures and the spiritual books and commentaries; visiting the sick, the aged, and our loved ones; listening to uplifting Christian music and singing hymns; telling faith-promoting stories and bearing our testimony to family members and sharing spiritual experiences with them; fasting with a purpose; and sharing time with children and others in the home.
