Chapter XIX: Part IX: The Sabbath (1)

In The Corn-Field On The Sabbath Day. "The Sabbath was made for man, and
not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27.

Institution Of The Sabbath

The Garden Of Eden. "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." Gen.
2:3.

1. When and by whom was the Sabbath made?

“Thus the heavens and the earth, were finished, and all the host of them. And _on the seventh day God ended His work_ which He had made; _and He rested on the seventh day_ from all His work which He had made.” Gen. 2:1, 2.

2. After resting on the seventh day, what did God do?

“And God _blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it_: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” Verse 3.

3. By what three distinct acts, then, was the Sabbath made?

God _rested_ on it; He _blessed_ it; He _sanctified_ it.

_Sanctify_: “To make sacred or holy; to set apart to a holy or
religious use.”—_Webster._

4. Did Christ have anything to do with creation and the making of the Sabbath?

“All things were made _by Him_; and _without Him was not anything made that was made_.” John 1:3. See also Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2.

NOTE.—Christ, being the active agent in creation, must have rested
on the seventh day with the Father. It is therefore His rest day
as well as the Father’s.

5. For whom does Christ say the Sabbath was made?

“And He said unto them, _The Sabbath was made for man_, and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27.

NOTE.—It was not made for the Jews alone. The Jews derive their
name from Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, from whom they
are descended. The Sabbath was made more than two thousand years
before there was a Jew. When Paul says, “Neither was the man
created for the woman; but the woman for the man” (1 Cor. 11:9),
we understand him to mean that marriage was ordained of God for
all men. So likewise with the Sabbath. It was made for the race.

6. What does the Sabbath commandment require?

“_Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy._ Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: _in it thou shalt not do any work_, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.” Ex. 20:8-10.

7. What reason is given in the commandment for keeping the Sabbath day holy?

“_For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day_: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Verse 11.

NOTE.—The Sabbath is the memorial of creation, and the sign of
God’s creative power. Through the keeping of it God designed that
man should forever remember Him as the true and living God, the
Creator of all things.

8. Did God bless and sanctify the seventh day while He was resting upon it, or when His rest on that day was past?

“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: _because that in it He __HAD__ rested from all His work_ which God created and made.” Gen. 2:3.

NOTES.—God blessed and sanctified the seventh day then future,
answering to the day on which He had just rested. The acts of
blessing and sanctifying involve the idea of a future use of those
things which are blessed and sanctified. Past time cannot be used.
It is gone forever. The blessing and sanctification of the day,
therefore, must have related to the future—to all the future
seventh days.

In Joel 1:14 we read: “Sanctify [i.e., appoint] ye a fast, call a
solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the
land into the house of the Lord.” Wherever used in the Bible, the
word sanctify means to appoint, to proclaim, or to set apart, as
in the margin of Joshua 20:7; 2 Kings 10:20, 21; Zeph. 1:7. So
when the Sabbath was sanctified, as the last act by which it was
made for man, an appointment, or proclamation, of the Sabbath was
given. See Ex. 19:23.

“If we had no other passage than this of Gen. 2:3, there would be
no difficulty in deducing from it a precept for the universal
observance of a Sabbath, or seventh day, to be devoted to God as
holy time, by all of that race for whom the earth and its nature
were specially prepared. The first men must have known it. The
words _He hallowed it_ can have no meaning otherwise. They would
be a blank unless in reference to some who were required to keep
it holy.”—_Lange’s Commentary, Vol. I, page 197._

9. How did God prove Israel in the wilderness?

“Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, _I will rain bread from heaven for you_; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, _that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no_.” Ex. 16:4.

10. On which day was a double portion of manna gathered?

“And it came to pass, that _on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread_, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.” Verse 22.

11. What reply did Moses make to the rulers?

“And he said unto them, _This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath_ unto the Lord.” Verse 23.

NOTE.—This was a full month and more before they came to Sinai.

12. _When_ had God _said_ this?

In the beginning, when He sanctified the Sabbath. Gen. 2:3.

NOTE.—In the wilderness of Sin, before Israel came to Sinai, Moses
said to Jethro, his father-in-law, “I do make them know the
_statutes_ of God, and His _laws_” (Ex. 18:16), which shows that
these statutes and laws existed before they were proclaimed on
Sinai.

13. What did some of the people do on the seventh day?

“It came to pass, that _there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather_, and they found none.” Ex. 16:27.

14. How did God reprove their disobedience?

“And the Lord said unto Moses, _How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?_” Verse 28.

15. Why was double manna given on the sixth day?

“See, _for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days_; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” Verse 29.

16. How, then, did the Lord prove the people (verse 4) whether they would keep His law, or not?

Over the keeping of the Sabbath.

NOTE.—Thus we see that the Sabbath commandment was a part of God’s
law before this law was spoken from Sinai; for this incident
occurred in the wilderness of Sin, before the children of Israel
came to Sinai, where the law was given. Both the Sabbath and the
law existed from creation.

God’s Memorial

Christ The Word. "He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered." Ps.
111:4.

1. What is to endure throughout all generations?

“Thy name, O Lord, endureth forever; and _Thy memorial, O Lord; throughout all generations_.” Ps. 135:13.

_Memorial_: “Anything intended to preserve the memory of a person
or event; something which serves to keep some person or thing in
remembrance, as a monument or a practise.”—_Webster._

2. What illustration of this is given in the Bible?

“And _these stones shall be for a memorial_ unto the children of Israel forever.” Joshua 4:7.

3. What were these stones to commemorate?

“And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? then _ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land_.” Verses 21, 22.

NOTE.—These stones were to be a standing memorial, or reminder, of
Israel’s coming dry-shod over the Jordan.

4. What was another memorial instituted to commemorate another signal providence in behalf of the Israelites?

“And _this day shall be unto you for a memorial_; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.” Ex. 12:14.

NOTE.—This, the Passover, was a _periodical_ memorial, to be
observed on the fourteenth day of the first month of each year,
the day on which the Israelites were delivered from Egyptian
bondage, and its celebration was to be, with the seven days’ feast
of unleavened bread following and connected with it, in
commemoration of that event. See Ex. 13:3-9.

5. Does God design that His great work of creating the heavens and the earth shall be remembered?

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honorable and glorious: and His righteousness endureth forever. _He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered._” Ps. 111:2-4.

6. What has He commanded men to observe in memory of this great work?

“_Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy_; ... for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Ex. 20:8-11.

7. Of what was this memorial to be a sign?

“And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be _a sign_ between Me and you, _that ye may know that I am the Lord your God_.” Eze. 20:20.

8. How long was the Sabbath to be a sign of the true God?

“_It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever_: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.” Ex. 31:17.

NOTE.—It is manifest that if the object of the Sabbath was to keep
God as the Creator in mind, and it had been faithfully kept from
the first, there would not now be a heathen or an idolater on the
face of the earth.

9. What besides creation were Israel to remember when they kept the Sabbath?

“_And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm_: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” Deut. 5:15.

NOTE.—There is a deep significance to this scripture not apparent
to those unacquainted with the facts. In Egypt, through oppression
and idolatrous surroundings, the keeping of the Sabbath had become
not only almost obsolete, but well-nigh impossible. See reading on
“Reasons for Sabbath-Keeping,” under questions 9 and 10, page 423.
Their deliverance from bondage was in order that they might keep
God’s law (Ps. 105:43-45), and particularly the Sabbath, the great
seal, sign, and memorial-institution of the law. The recollection
of their bondage and oppressed condition in Egypt was to be an
additional incentive for keeping the Sabbath in the land of
freedom. The Sabbath, therefore, besides being a memorial of
creation, was to be to them a memorial of their deliverance from
bondage, and of the great power of God as manifested in this
deliverance. And as Egypt stands as a symbol of the condition of
every one in the world under the slavery of sin, so the Sabbath is
to be kept by every saved soul as a memorial of the deliverance
from this slavery by the mighty power of God through Christ.

10. Of what else does God say He gave the Sabbath to His people to be a sign, or reminder?

“Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be _a sign_ between Me and them, _that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them_.” Eze. 20:12.

NOTE.—Sanctification is a work of redemption,—of making holy
sinful or unholy beings. Like the work of creation itself, this
requires creative power. See Ps. 51:10; John 3:3, 6; Eph. 2:10.
And as the Sabbath is the appropriate sign or memorial of the
creative power of God wherever displayed, whether in creation,
deliverance from human bondage, or deliverance from the slavery of
sin, it is to be kept as a sign of the work of sanctification.
This will be one great reason for the saints’ keeping it
throughout eternity. It will remind them not only of their own
creation and the creation of the universe, but also of their
redemption.

11. Through whom do we have sanctification?

“But of Him are ye in _Christ Jesus_, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and _sanctification_, and redemption.” 1 Cor. 1:30.

NOTE.—Then, as the Sabbath is a sign or memorial of
sanctification, and as Christ is the one through whom the work of
sanctification is accomplished, the Sabbath is a sign or memorial
of what Christ is to the believer. Through the Sabbath, therefore,
God designed that the believer and Christ should be very closely
linked together.

12. What statement of the redeemed shows that they will remember God’s creative power?

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: _for Thou hast created all things_, and for Thy pleasure they are and were _created_.” Rev. 4:11.

13. How often will they congregate to worship the Lord?

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that _from one new moon to another_, and _from one Sabbath to another_, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.” Isa. 66:22, 23.

NOTE.—The Sabbath, which is the memorial of God’s creative power,
will never cease to exist. When this sinful state of things shall
give way to the sinless new earth, the fact upon which the Sabbath
institution is based will still remain; and those who shall be
permitted to live in the new earth will still commemorate the
creative power of God, while singing the song of Moses and the
Lamb. Rev. 15:3. See Rev. 22:1, 2.

Reasons For Sabbath-Keeping

Mt. Sinai--Where The Law Was Given. "That ye may know that I am the Lord
your God." Eze. 20:20.

1. What is the one great feature by which the true God is distinguished from all false gods?

“The Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting king.... _The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth_, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. _He hath made the earth by his power_, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion.” Jer. 10:10-12.

2. When Paul wished to preach the true God to the idolatrous Athenians, how did he describe Him?

“Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you. _God that made the world and all things therein._” Acts 17:23, 24.

3. What did the apostles say to the idolaters at Lystra?

“We ... preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto _the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein_.” Acts 14:15. See also Rev. 10:6; 14:6, 7.

4. What reason is given in the fourth commandment for keeping the Sabbath day holy?

“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.” Ex. 20:11.

NOTES.—The Sabbath is the great memorial of creation and of God’s
creative power, a constant reminder of the true and living God.
God’s design in making the Sabbath, and in commanding that it be
kept holy, was that man might never forget Him, the Creator of all
things.

“The original Sabbath being a perpetual memorial of God, the
Creator calling man to imitate God in the observance of the same,
man could not keep the original Sabbath and forget God.”—_Prof. E.
W. Thomas, M. A., in Herald of Gospel Liberty, June 19, 1890._

When we remember that two thirds of the world’s inhabitants today
are idolaters, and that since the fall, idolatry, with its train
of associated and resultant evils, has ever been a prevailing sin,
and then think that the observance of the Sabbath, as God ordained
it, would have prevented all this, we can better appreciate the
value of the Sabbath institution, and the importance of
Sabbath-keeping.

5. What does God say the Sabbath will be to those who hallow it, or keep it holy?

“And hallow My Sabbaths; and _they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God_.” Eze. 20:20.

6. How important is it that we know God?

“And _this is life eternal_, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3.

7. Is there any danger of God’s chosen people forgetting Him?

“_Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God_, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes.” Deut. 8:11.

8. What other reason is given for keeping the Sabbath?

“Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: _for it is a sign between Me and you_ throughout your generations; _that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth __SANCTIFY__ you_.” Ex. 31:13.

NOTE.—To sanctify is to make holy, or to set apart for a holy use.
The sanctification, or making holy, of sinful beings can be
wrought only by the creative power of God through Christ by the
Holy Spirit. In 1 Cor. 1:30 we are told that Christ is made unto
us “sanctification;” and in Eph. 2:10 it is said that “we are His
workmanship, _created_ in Christ Jesus unto good works.” The
Sabbath, therefore, is a sign of sanctification, and thus of what
Christ is to the believer, because it is a reminder of the
creative power of God as manifested in the work of regeneration.
It is the sign of the power of God, therefore, in both creation
and redemption. To the believer, it is the evidence, or sign, that
he knows the true God, who, through Christ, created all things,
and who, through Christ, redeems the sinner and makes him whole.

9. What special reason did the Israelites have for keeping the Sabbath?

“_And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm_: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” Deut. 5:15.

NOTE.—In their bondage the Israelites had to some extent lost the
knowledge of God, and departed from His precepts. The Sabbath came
to be greatly disregarded by them; and in consequence of the
oppression of the Pharaohs, especially the Pharaoh of the exodus,
as witnessed by the rigorous exactions made upon them by this
latter king through their taskmasters, its observance was made
apparently impossible. See Ex. 5:1-19. The special point, both of
reform and of conflict, just preceding their deliverance from
bondage, was over the matter of Sabbath observance. Moses and
Aaron had shown them that obedience to God was the first condition
of deliverance. Their efforts to restore the observance of the
Sabbath among the Israelites had come to the notice of Pharaoh;
hence his accusation against them, “Wherefore do ye, Moses and
Aaron, _let_ [hinder] the people from their works? get you unto
your burdens.... Behold, the people of the land are many, and ye
make them _rest_ [Heb., _Shabbath_] from their burdens.” Ex. 5:4,
5. Deliverance from this oppression was indeed, therefore, an
additional and special reason for their keeping the Sabbath. But
Egypt and Egyptian bondage simply represent sin and the bondage of
sin. See Rev. 11:8; Hosea 11:1; Matt. 2:15; Zech. 10:10. Every
one, therefore, who has been delivered from sin has the same
reason for keeping the Sabbath as had the Israelites who were
released from Egyptian bondage.

10. What does the psalmist say was the reason why God brought His people out of Egypt, and placed them in Canaan?

“And He brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen with gladness: and gave them the lands of the heathen: ... _that they might observe His statutes, and keep His laws_.” Ps. 105:43-45.

NOTE.—Their deliverance from Egyptian bondage was a reason for the
keeping not only of the fourth commandment, but of every precept
of God’s law. This is indicated by the preface or preamble to the
law as given on Sinai: “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought
thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou
shalt have no other gods before Me,” etc. Ex. 20:2, 3. See also
Lev. 19:35-37; Deut. 10:19; 15:12-15; 24:17, 18. Likewise, every
one who, through Christ, has been delivered from the bondage of
sin, God calls to obedience, not only in the matter of
Sabbath-keeping, but to every precept of His holy law. “Blessed is
the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on
it; that _keepeth the Sabbath_ from polluting it, and keepeth his
hand from doing _any_ evil.” Isa. 56:2.

11. What is the meaning of the word sabbath?

Rest.

NOTE.—Previous to the fall, God designed that man’s time should be
occupied with pleasant, invigorating, but not wearisome labor.
Gen. 2:15. Laborious, wearisome toil came in consequence of sin.
Gen. 3:17-19. While under the fall the Sabbath, therefore, may
bring physical rest to both man and the beasts of burden (Ex.
23:12) in a way not originally intended, physical rest was not its
original and primary design or purpose. Cessation from the
ordinary labors and occupations of the week was ordained, not
because these are wrong or sinful in themselves, but that man
might have an appointed time and a frequently recurring period for
the contemplation of the Creator and His works. Under the gospel,
the Sabbath is a sign of spiritual rest and freedom from sin. So
we read, “For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath
ceased from his own works, as God did from His.” Heb. 4:10.

12. Who gives this rest from sin?

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and _I will give you rest_. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matt. 11:28, 29.

NOTE.—The Sabbath, then, is the sign of the soul-rest which Christ
gives to the weary and ladened with sin.

13. Was the Sabbath intended as a day for public worship?

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, _an holy convocation_.” Lev. 23:3.

NOTE.—A convocation is an assembly of people.

14. Does the New Testament teach the same duty?

“Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: _not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together_, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Heb. 10:24, 25.

15. What does Malachi say of those that fear the Lord?

“Then they that feared the Lord _spake often one to another_: and the Lord harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” Mal. 3:16, 17.

16. Will the Sabbath be observed as a day of worship in the new earth?

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and _from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord_.” Isa. 66:22, 23.

NOTE.—“Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our heart is restless
till it find its rest in Thee.”—_St. Augustine._

Manner Of Observing The Sabbath

Sabbath Morning. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Ex. 20:8.

1. What is first commanded in the Sabbath commandment?

“_Remember_ the Sabbath _day_.” Ex. 20:8.

2. Which day is the Sabbath?

“_The seventh day_ is the Sabbath.” Verse 10.

3. For what purpose are we to remember the Sabbath day?

“Remember the Sabbath day, _to keep it holy_.” Verse 8.

NOTE.—All through the week the keeping holy of the Sabbath day is
to be remembered, or borne in mind. No business contracts or
arrangements are to be made, no manner of living indulged in,
which will prevent or interfere with the proper or holy observance
of the day when it comes. The keeping of this commandment,
therefore, is in the interests of, and with a view to, holy living
_all the time_. The _commandment itself_ enjoins a duty, and is to
be kept, all through the week; the _Sabbath_ is to be kept when it
comes. The Sabbath commandment, therefore, like every other
precept of the decalogue, but contrary to the conception of many,
is to be kept _all the time_, and not simply one day in the week.
In this matter we should distinguish between the _Sabbath_ and the
Sabbath _commandment_.

4. Who made the Sabbath day holy?

“Wherefore the _Lord_ blessed the Sabbath day, and _hallowed it_.” Verse 11.

NOTE.—God _made_ the Sabbath day holy; we are to _keep_ it holy.

5. What is it that makes a thing holy?

God’s _presence_ in it. See Ex. 3:5; 29:43-46; Joshua 5:13-15.

6. Then in order to keep the Sabbath day holy, what must be recognized?

God’s _presence_ in the day; His _blessing_ upon it; and His _sanctification_ of it.

7. When, according to the Bible, does the Sabbath begin?

“And the _evening_ and the morning were the first day.” “And the _evening_ and the morning were the second day,” etc. See Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31.

NOTE.—The evening begins “at the going down of the sun.” See Deut.
16:6; Mark 1:32; Deut. 23:11; 1 Kings 22:35,36; 2 Chron. 18:34.

8. Does the Bible recognize this as the proper time for beginning and ending the Sabbath?

“_From even unto even_, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.” Lev. 23:32.

NOTE.—One great advantage of keeping the Sabbath according to the
Bible method of reckoning the day, that is, from sunset to sunset,
over keeping it according to the Roman reckoning, or from midnight
to midnight, is that by the former one is awake to welcome and to
bid adieu to the day when it comes and goes, while by the latter
he is asleep when the day begins and ends. God’s ways are always
best. The setting of the sun is a great natural sign for marking
the division of time into days.

9. What kind of labor is to be done through the week?

“Six days shalt thou labor, and do all _thy work_.” Ex. 20:9.

10. Is any of this kind of work to be done on the Sabbath?

“In it thou shalt not do _any work_.” Verse 10.

NOTE.—If the Sabbath is to be kept “holy,” mere physical rest one
day in seven cannot be the great object of the Sabbath
institution.

11. How does the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, indicate what is true Sabbath-keeping?

“If thou _turn away thy foot from the Sabbath_, from doing _thy pleasure_ on My holy day; and _call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable_; and shalt _honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words_: then shalt thou _delight thyself in the Lord_; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Isa. 58:13, 14.

NOTE.—“Whether the Sabbath becomes a delight or a burden depends
upon the spirit with which a man meets it. Indeed, the spirit of
the man settles the question as to the benefits to come from any
duty he may perform. One man cannot understand why his neighbor
should prefer the park or the ball ground to the church, simply
because his spirit is different. He has cultivated the higher
nature until he loves spiritual things above all others, and to
him the Sabbath is indeed a delight. It comes to his weary soul as
a reminder of God, and brings him nearer to heaven in heart and
mind than does any other day.”—_Sabbath Recorder, Dec. 12, 1910._

12. What is the character of God, and how only can He be truly worshiped?

“_God is a Spirit_: and they that worship Him must worship Him _in spirit and in truth_.” John 4:24.

NOTE.—This is one reason why the attempt to produce
Sabbath-keeping by human Sabbath laws is altogether out of place.
Such laws can never produce true Sabbath-keeping, for that is
_spiritual_, and must be of the _mind_ and from the _heart_, and
not _perfunctory_, _mechanical_, nor of _force_.

13. What is one thing for which God has given the Sabbath to be a sign?

That He _sanctifies_ His people, or makes them _holy_. See Ex. 31:13; Eze. 20:12; and page 420.

14. What does the “psalm for the Sabbath day” suggest as proper acts and themes for thought and meditation on the Sabbath?

“It is a good thing to _give thanks unto the Lord_, and to _sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High_: to show forth _Thy loving-kindness_ in the morning, and _Thy faithfulness_ every night, _upon an instrument of ten strings_, and upon the _psaltery_; upon the _harp_ with a solemn sound. For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad _through Thy work_: I will triumph in _the works of Thy hands_. O Lord, _how great are Thy works_! and _Thy thoughts are very deep_.” Ps. 92:1-5.

15. What do the works of God declare?

“The heavens declare _the glory of God_; and the firmament showeth _His handiwork_. Day unto day uttereth _speech_, and night unto night _showeth knowledge_. There is no speech nor language, where _their voice_ is not heard.” Ps. 19:1-3. See margin.

NOTE.—God designed that the Sabbath should direct the minds of men
to His created works, and through these to Him, the Creator.
Nature itself speaks to our senses, telling us that there is a
God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. The Sabbath,
ever pointing to God through nature, was designed to keep the
Creator constantly in mind. The proper keeping of it, therefore,
must naturally tend to prevent idolatry, atheism, agnosticism,
infidelity, irreligion, and irreverence; and, being promotive of
the knowledge and fear of God, must of necessity be a deterrent to
sin. In this may its value and importance be seen.

16. Was the Sabbath designed to be a day for public worship?

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, _an holy convocation_.” Lev. 23:3.

NOTE.—The word convocation means “a calling together,” and is
always used in the Bible with reference to meetings of a religious
character.

Gathering The Manna. "On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread."
"But on the seventh day ... there shall be none." Ex. 16:22, 26.

17. What example did Christ set in Sabbath observance?

“And as His custom was, _He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read_.” Luke 4:16.

18. What else did Jesus do on the Sabbath?

“And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus _made the clay, and opened his eyes_.” John 9:14.

NOTE.—A large share of Christ’s ministry consisted of miracles and
acts of mercy performed for the relief of suffering humanity; and
not a few of these were done on the Sabbath. On this day, as on
other days, He “went about doing good.” See next reading.

19. With what words did He justify acts of mercy on the Sabbath day?

“Wherefore it is _lawful_ to do well on the Sabbath days.” Matt. 12:12.

NOTE.—Not a little of Christ’s earthly ministry was devoted to
up-lifting the Sabbath, and showing the beneficent character of
the Sabbath institution. It was not meant to be a day of sorrow,
austerity, or gloom. Disinterested works of love and mercy toward
man or beast are always in place on the Sabbath. _Lawful_ means
“according to law.”

20. What day is especially indicated as the day to prepare for the Sabbath?

“And that day [the sixth day] was _the preparation_, and the Sabbath drew on.” Luke 23:54. See also Ex. 16:22, 23.

NOTE.—In order to keep the Sabbath day holy, it must be remembered
all through the week; and on the sixth day, or the day just before
the Sabbath, special preparation should be made _to be ready_ to
welcome and observe the day when it comes.

21. How did the Israelites in the wilderness on the sixth day prepare for the Sabbath?

“And it came to pass, that _on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread_, two omers for one man.” Ex. 16:22.

NOTES.—The Sabbath should not be a day of either ordinary labor,
idleness, or amusement, but one of rest, reflection, holy joy,
worship, and helpfulness. It should be the happiest, the
brightest, and the best of all the week. Such it should be made
for young and old. Very early the children can be taught the
stories of creation and redemption, and taken out amid the
handiworks of God and taught to see Him and to commune with Him
through nature. Preparation for the Sabbath, therefore, is an
essential to its proper observance. God’s blessing is upon the
first moments of the Sabbath as well as upon the last; and, as far
as possible, everything should be got in readiness so that the
entire day may be devoted to God and humanity in the manner
indicated.

In making the Sabbath, God rested upon, blessed, and sanctified
the day. Ex. 20:11. Whoever, then, keeps the Sabbath aright, may
expect that there will be brought into his life God’s _rest_,
_blessing_, and _sanctification_.

Christ And The Sabbath

Healing On The Sabbath Day. "Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the
Sabbath days." Matt. 12:12.

1. Of what did Christ say the Son of man is Lord?

“The Son of man is Lord even _of the Sabbath day_.” Matt. 12:8. See also Mark 2:28.

2. Who made the Sabbath?

“All things were made _by Him_ [_Christ, the Word_]; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3.

3. Did Christ, while on earth, keep the Sabbath?

“As His custom was, _He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read_.” Luke 4:16.

4. Although Lord, Maker, and an observer of the Sabbath, how was He watched and spied upon by the scribes and Pharisees on this day?

“And the scribes and Pharisees watched Him, _whether He would heal on the Sabbath day_; that they might find an accusation against Him.” Luke 6:7.

5. With what question did Christ meet their false ideas and reasonings regarding Sabbath-keeping?

“Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; _Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?_” Verse 9.

6. How did they manifest their displeasure at His healing the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath?

“And they were _filled with madness_; and _communed one with another what they might do to Jesus_.” Verse 11. “And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway _took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him_.” Mark 3:6.

NOTE.—They were angry because, notwithstanding the fact that by
the miracle performed Christ had given evidence that He was from
God, He had shown no respect for _their views of Sabbath-keeping_,
but, on the contrary, had shown these to be _wrong_. Wounded
pride, obstinacy, and malice, therefore, combined to fill them
with _madness_; and they went out immediately and held council
with the Herodians,—their political enemies with whom they
disagreed in the matter of paying tribute to a foreign power,—for
the purpose of accomplishing His death.

7. Because Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath day, and told him to take up his bed and walk, what did the Jews do?

“Therefore did the Jews _persecute Jesus_, and _sought to slay Him_, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day.” John 5:16.

NOTE.—It is a fact worthy of note that over the question of proper
Sabbath observance the Jews not only _persecuted_ Jesus, but
_first took counsel to kill Him_. Not the least of the malice
which finally culminated in His crucifixion, was engendered over
this very question of Sabbath observance. Christ did not keep the
Sabbath according to their ideas of Sabbath-keeping, and so they
sought to kill Him. And they are not alone. Many today are
cherishing this same spirit. Because some do not agree with their
ideas regarding the Sabbath, or Sabbath observance, they seek to
persecute and oppress them,—seek laws, and alliances with
political powers, to compel respect for their views.

8. How did Jesus answer them?

“But Jesus answered them, _My Father worketh hitherto, and I work_.” Verse 17.

NOTE.—The ordinary operations of nature, as manifested in God’s
almighty, upholding, beneficent, and healing power, go on on the
Sabbath the same as on other days; and to cooperate with God and
nature in the work of healing, relieving, and restoring on the
Sabbath, cannot, therefore, be out of harmony with God’s will, nor
a violation of His Sabbath law.

9. What effect did this answer have upon the Jews?

“Therefore the Jews _sought the more to kill Him_, because He not only had broken the Sabbath [i.e., in their estimation], but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” Verse 18.

10. Because the disciples plucked a few ears of corn on the Sabbath day to satisfy hunger, what accusation did the Pharisee make against them to Christ?

“And the Pharisees said unto Him, _Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful?_” Mark 2:24.

11. What was Christ’s reply?

“And He said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungered, he, and they that were with him? how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the showbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And He said unto them, _The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath_.” Verses 25-27.

12. Because of Christ’s healing a woman of an infirmity on the Sabbath, what did the ruler of a certain synagogue say?

“And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the people, _There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day_.” Luke 13:14.

13. How did Christ answer him?

“The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? and ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Verses 15, 16.

14. What effect did Christ’s answers have upon the people?

“And when He had said these things, _all His adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him_.” Verse 17.

15. By what method of reasoning did Christ justify acts of mercy on the Sabbath day?

“Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day? And they could not answer Him again to these things.” Luke 14:5, 6. “What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.” Matt. 12:11, 12.

Healing Impotent Man On The Sabbath. "Therefore did the Jews persecute
Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the
Sabbath day." John 5:16.

16. Into what perplexity did Christ’s working of miracles on the Sabbath throw the Pharisees?

“Therefore said some of the Pharisees, _This man is not of God, because He keepeth not the Sabbath day_. Others said, _How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?_ And _there was a division among them_.” John 9:16.

NOTE.—The working of these wonderful, beneficent, and gracious
miracles on the Sabbath was an evidence that Christ was from God,
and that His views of Sabbath-keeping were right. By these
miracles God was setting the seal of His approval to Christ’s
views and teachings respecting the Sabbath, and to His manner of
observing it, and thus condemning the narrow and false views of
the Pharisees. Hence the division.

17. According to Isaiah, what was Christ to do with the law?

“He will _magnify_ the law, and _make it honorable_.” Isa. 42:21.

NOTES.—In nothing, perhaps, was this more strikingly fulfilled
than in the matter of Sabbath observance. By their traditions,
numerous regulations, and senseless restrictions the Jews had made
the Sabbath a burden, and anything but a delight. Christ removed
all these, and by His life and teachings put the Sabbath back in
its proper place and setting, as a day of worship and beneficence,
a day for doing acts of charity and mercy, as well as engaging in
contemplation of God and in acts of devotion. Thus He magnified it
and made it honorable. One of the most prominent features of
Christ’s whole ministry was this great work of _Sabbath reform_.
Christ did not _abolish_ the Sabbath, nor _change_ the Sabbath;
but He did rescue it from the rubbish of tradition, the false
ideas, and the superstitions with which it had been buried, and by
which it had been degraded and turned aside from the channel of
blessing and practical service to man designed by its Maker. The
Pharisees had placed the institution _above_ man, and _against_
man. Christ reversed the order, and said, “The Sabbath was made
_for man_, and not man _for the Sabbath_.” He showed that it was
to minister to the happiness, the comfort, and the well-being of
both man and beast.

Because of the false ideas which the Jews held concerning the
Sabbath and its observance, and the conflict which Christ had with
them in consequence, many of the professed followers of Christ a
little later were led into the error of rejecting the Sabbath
itself as Jewish, and, without any divine command or Scripture
warrant, to substitute another day in its place.

18. Knowing that the unbelieving Jews would still cling to their false ideas respecting the Sabbath, and that flight from Jerusalem and Judea on that day would be attended with difficulty, for what, in view of the coming destruction and desolation of the city and people, did Christ tell His disciples to pray?

“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, _neither on the Sabbath day_.” Matt. 24:20.

NOTE.—Christ’s experience with the Jews, the chosen and professed
people of God at that time, respecting the Sabbath is but a type
of what, according to prophecy, is to occur in the last days.
Already it is beginning to find its parallel in the movement to
enforce Sunday observance by law. See readings on pages 271, 484,
488.

The Sabbath In The New Testament

Paul On The Way To Assos. "And they ... rested the Sabbath day according
to the commandment." Luke 23:56.

1. According to the New Testament, what day immediately precedes the first day of the week?

“In the end of _the Sabbath_, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week.” Matt. 28:1.

NOTE.—According to the New Testament, therefore, the Sabbath had
passed when the first day of the week began.

2. After the crucifixion, what day was kept by the women who followed Jesus?

“And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and _rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment_.” Luke 23:56.

3. What day is the Sabbath, “according to the commandment”?

“But _the seventh day is the Sabbath_ of the Lord thy God.” Ex. 20:10.

4. What was Christ’s custom respecting the Sabbath?

“And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, _He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read_.” Luke 4:16.

5. In what instruction to His disciples did Christ recognize the existence of the Sabbath long after His ascension?

“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, _neither on the Sabbath day_.” Matt. 24:20.

NOTE.—The destruction of Jerusalem under Titus occurred in the
spring and summer of 70 A.D. The flight of the Christians took
place three and one-half years earlier, or late in October, 66
A.D., following the arrival and sudden withdrawal of Cestius and
his army. See pages 313, 314.

6. On what day did the Jews meet for worship?

“Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every _Sabbath day_.” Acts 15:21.

7. On what day did Paul and Barnabas preach at Antioch?

“They came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on _the Sabbath day_.” Acts 13:14.

8. When did the Gentiles request that Paul should repeat the sermon he had preached at Antioch on the Sabbath?

“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them _the next Sabbath_.” Verse 42.

9. On what day did Paul and his companions preach to the devout women at Philippi?

“And _on the Sabbath_ we went out of the city by a riverside, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.” Acts 16:13.

10. What was Paul’s manner respecting the Sabbath?

“They came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, _as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures_.” Acts 17:1, 2.

NOTE.—It was Paul’s manner, as it was Christ’s custom (Luke 4:16),
to attend religious services on the Sabbath.

11. How did the apostle spend the working days of the week when at Corinth?

“After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; ... and because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and _wrought_: for by their occupation they were _tent-makers_.” Acts 18:1-3. See Eze. 46:1.

12. What did he do on the Sabbath days?

“And _he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath_, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” Acts 18:4.

13. How long did he continue this work there?

“And he continued there _a year and six months_, teaching the word of God among them.” Verse 11.

NOTE.—Here, then, were seventy-eight Sabbaths on which Paul
preached in one city. The record further says that he worked at
his trade, and we may justly infer that Paul worked at tent-making
just as many Sundays as he preached Sabbaths. If to these
seventy-eight Sabbaths we add the three he spent at Thessalonica,
the one at Philippi, and the two at Antioch, we have a record of
eighty-four Sabbaths on which the apostle held religious services,
while, so far as the record shows, he held only one meeting on the
first day of the week, and that a night meeting, immediately
following the Sabbath. See Acts 20. Evidently Sunday was not the
Sabbath in Paul’s day.

14. On what day was John in the Spirit?

“I was in the Spirit _on the Lord’s day_.” Rev. 1:10.

15. Who is Lord of the Sabbath?

“_The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath._” Mark 2:28.

16. What, through the prophet Isaiah, does the Lord call the Sabbath?

“If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on _My holy day_.” Isa. 58:13.

17. Why does the Lord call the Sabbath His day?

“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and _rested the seventh day_: wherefore the Lord _blessed_ the Sabbath day, and _hallowed_ it.” Ex. 20:11.

18. Through whom did God create the world?

“God ... hath in these last days spoken unto us by _His Son, ... by whom also He made the worlds_.” Heb. 1:1, 2.

NOTES.—From beginning to end, the Bible recognizes but one weekly
Sabbath,—the day upon which God rested in the beginning; which was
made known to Israel at Sinai (Neh. 9:13, 14); was observed by
Christ and His apostles; and is to be kept by the redeemed in the
world to come. Isa. 66:22, 23.

The terms Sabbath, Sabbaths, and Sabbath days occur sixty times in
the New Testament, and in every case but one refer to the seventh
day. In Col. 2:16, 17, reference is made to the annual sabbaths
connected with the three annual feasts observed by Israel before
the first advent of Christ.

The first day of the week is mentioned but eight times in the New
Testament, six of which are found in the four Gospels, and refer
to the day on which Christ arose from the dead. See Matt. 28:1;
Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19. The other two (Acts 20:7;
1 Cor. 16:2) refer to the only religious meeting held on the first
day of the week after the ascension, in apostolic times, recorded
in the New Testament, and to a systematic accounting and laying by
in store at home on that day for the poor saints in Judea and
Jerusalem.

It is evident, therefore, that the Sabbath of the New Testament is
the same as the Sabbath of the Old Testament, and that there is
nothing in the New Testament setting aside the seventh-day
Sabbath, and putting the first day of the week in its place.

The Law of God

As Given By Jehovah As Changed By Man I I Thou shalt have no other gods I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt before me. not have strange gods before Me. II Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments. III II Thou shalt not take the name of Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the the Lord thy God in vain. Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. IV III Remember the Sabbath day, to keep Remember that thou keep holy the it holy. Six days shalt thou Sabbath day. labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. V IV Honor thy father and thy mother: Honor thy father and thy mother. that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. VI V Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not kill. VII VI Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not commit adultery. VIII VII Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not steal. IX VIII Thou shalt not bear false witness Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. against thy neighbor. X IX Thou shalt not covet thy Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not neighbor’s wife. covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man servant, nor his maid servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. X Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods. Ex. 20:3-17. Butler’s Catechism, page 28.

The Change Of The Sabbath