Saturday, March 27, 2010

Remember...

I receive a daily devotional reading by email from the company that produces our homeschool curriculum. They're often very thought provoking, but for the first time this last week I was stirred to post a comment.

The author had been relaying the story of how her teen son had recently not been interested in attending corporate worship on Sunday mornings, saying he could worship God just as easily at home as he could at church - only he'd be able to sleep a little later. She told how she encouraged him to "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy" and be sure he was in church on Sunday as God intended.

So here's what I said:

I agree with the author that corporate worship is important. It's our example all through the bible from the Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to Jesus worshiping "in the Temple on the Sabbath as was His custom." (Luke 4:14) We're also told in scripture that we will continue to worship God on the Sabbath even after He returns and takes us to heaven. (Isa. 66:22, 23)

But like several others that have commented, I want to point you to the real Sabbath Day of Rest - Saturday, not Sunday. Sunday was man's idea, changed by the "authority" of the Roman Church and clearly stated, without apology, in their writings. (Dan. 7:25) (***Edited to add - the word Sunday isn't even mentioned in the bible, but the "first day of the week" is mentioned eight times. Ask any Christian what day of the week Christ was resurrected from the grave. Matt. 28:1, Mark 16:1 & 2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1. Jesus even rested on the Sabbath when He was crucified!)

It's a tradition of man to worship on Sunday - not the God that said He is the same now and forever more. Not the God that said not one "jot or tittle" would be changed in the unchangeable, inerrant law written in stone by His own finger. Not the God that said He came not to change the law, but to fulfill it. (Matt. 5:17-19) For those that say the Sabbath was given to the Jews, I respectfully disagree. The commandments were given at Sinai, but the Sabbath was given long before that at the end of God's creation week on the seventh day - long before there were Jews. (Gen. 2:1-3)

I once heard a Pastor preach that if anyone could show him ANY verse in scripture that showed where Sabbath observance was changed from the seventh day of the week (Saturday) to the first day of the week (Sunday) he would give them $25,000. That was a safe bet for sure.

I found this that sums it all up much better than I could, including the scriptural references to back it up:

The beneficent Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God's unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God's kingdom. The Sabbath is God's perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God's creative and redemptive acts. (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isa. 56:5, 6; 58:13, 14; Matt. 12:1-12; Ex. 31:13-17; Eze. 20:12; Deut. 5:12-15; Heb. 4:1-11; Lev. 23:32; Mark 1:32.)
(End of my blog comment)

There's a lot more I would like to say here about what a blessing the Sabbath rest is to me, how I look forward to it every week, how the fellowship and communion with my Creator renews my soul for a new week, how it's my most favorite day of the week, but instead I'll just leave you with two questions and the promise to save the rest for later:

1) Why were we instructed to "Remember the Sabbath day" and not remember to honor our parents, not to kill, steal , swear, covet, or bear false witness etc... Do you think God told us to remember because He knew we'd forget?

2) Some say "that was the old covenant - we're no longer under that, but now we're under the new covenant", but they agree that all of the commandments given in Exodus 20:2-17 still apply (don't have other gods, worship idols, use the Lord's name in vain, dishonor your parents, murder, cheat on your spouse, steal, lie or covet) except, it seems, for commandment #4. Is the day God set aside as blessed and holy optional?

Just some stuff to think about.

Happy Sabbath, friends!



Note: If you're looking for a Church family that seeks for truth in the Word and adheres closer to scripture more than any I've ever heard of, check out www.Adventist.org.

Deuteronomy 5:29, "O that there were such a heart in them that they would hear Me and keep all My commandments always that it might be well for them and their children forever."



5 comments:

  1. Interesting and thought provoking. I'm curious as to whether you think it's as important *when* we observe the Sabbath as it is *what* we do on that day. Even Sunday worshiping Christians are not resting, as you practice. Lots' to think about. More to write about.

    Thanks! Lisa~

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  2. Lisa, first off - what I think isn't what matters. Having said that, yes, I think the day is as important as what we do to observe the Sabbath. God picked a specific day and it has a name - He didn't say give me whatever 24 hours you can work into your busy schedule. I believe that only three days are named in Scripture aside from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. in the creation week and the high holy days - They are the "Preparation day" (our Friday - the sixth day, the day before the Sabbath), the Sabbath (our Saturday or the seventh day of the week) and the "First day" of the week (our Sunday).

    I think that when God names a specific day it's for a reason - and I have known some Sunday worshiping Christians that guard their activities on Sunday very carefully to remember the day they have chosen as Sabbath.

    I was raised with Sabbath being such an important day. When I was a young adult, I took a job working in the nursery of a Baptist church on Sunday mornings. It made me very uncomfortable to head out to the store right after leaving "work". I didn't want anyone to see me in my "Sunday best" thinking I just came from church and I was comfortable running into the grocery to pick up a few things on what they interpreted to be "the Lord's day".

    I once discovered something very interesting when messing around with some numbers. If we were to "tithe" our time, and give God 10% - how much time would that be in every week? 24hrs x 7 days = 168 hours a week. 10% of 168 hours is 16.8 hours. 24 hours (for God's Sabbath - sunset Friday to sunset Saturday) minus 16.8 hours (God's 10%)leaves you 7.2 hours for sleeping :0) In reality, God is asking us to give Him 16.8 hours for worship, fellowship, "doing good", and knowing Him better. I don't think He's asking too much.

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  3. Very interesting thoughts. I'm so glad you shared it.

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Thanks for stopping by. It warms my heart that you would take the time to comment. Well... If you said something nice it warms my heart...

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