Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. Acts 20:7
Many who want to honor the Sabbath make the mistake of formulating a list of Dos & Don’ts of what people should and should not do on the Lord’s Day. This is what the religionists leading up to the time of Christ did. Jesus soundly rejected this approach saying, “So for the sake of your tradition you have made void [made nothing] the word of God” (Matthew 15:6). And in (v.9) Jesus added that they were, “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Their faulty thinking went like this: If we are not to work, let’s make a list of things that constitute work and a list of things that don’t. By doing this, they knew which things to scrutinize (most often in other people), and which things are OK (things they can get away with.)
Notice what is completely missing: (a) What God’s Word said on the subject. And (b) any reference to keeping the day holy as an act of worship. Thus, as Jesus pointed out, they made nothing of the Word of God!
What does the Word of God say, particularly in the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8-11?
The commandment begins with the word “remember.” It is the only commandment that begins with the word “remember.”
First, this informs and reminds us that this commandment is not a new matter. As pointed out in an earlier blog, the matter of the Sabbath dated back to creation (Genesis 2:1-3), making it universal not merely for Israel. It was also commanded by God regarding gathering manna (Exodus 16:5, 22-30). Remember that when the Sabbath commandment was given, it was not new.
Second, “remember” means do not forget or dismiss later on. Sadly, many (most?) evangelicals dismiss the entire concept of the Sabbath, relegating it as being merely for Israel (forgetting that it predates Israel), thus justifying (forgetting) its significance in our day. Do not forget or dismiss the Sabbath, discarding it on the rubbish heap of irrelevant history.
Next time keeping the Sabbath Day Holy.