Some nights when I am out late , and I want to impress my wife, I will call her up and ask her if she would like an ice cream from Mc Donald’s. An ice cream sundae works a treat every time. What has that got to do with the Sabbath?

The history of the "sundae" is appropriate. Around 1875, the leaders of the town of Evanston, Illinois passed a law forbidding the sale of ice cream sodas on Sunday. Some enterprising person devised a plan for selling ice cream covered with syrup instead of mixing it with soda water. This new dish became so popular that people began asking for a "Sunday." when people objected to the dessert being named after the Lord’s day, they changed the spelling to "sundae" and that’s what it’s been called ever since. So, next time you eat one, remember that the delicious dessert you are eating resulted from some people who wanted to respect God’s day and others who were looking for a loophole.

Some believers are determined to find a loophole so that they may disregard the Sabbath, that is the fourth commandment.

• The first commandment teaches us to worship him only.
• The second commandment teaches us to worship him correctly.
• The third commandment teaches us to worship him sincerely.
• The fourth commandment teaches that he should be worshipped regularly.

Perhaps this commandment is the most misunderstood. For some it is a day of gloom an awful burdensome day.

A sea captain returned to his home in Massachusetts after an absence of two years. His wife met him at the gate, and he kissed her. Yet it was not lawful to kiss one's wife on the Sabbath. Therefore, this 'wicked’ captain was put into stocks for his lack of reverence of the holy day.

For others it is a day of fun fun and more fun. It’s our biggest day for sports and leisure activities.

Some have made it a dredge others have desecrated the day. I want to look at this commandment and try and find out its relevance for God’s people today.

The Commandment.

Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: [10] 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 manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: [11] 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.

This is the longest commandment and unlike some it doesn’t begin with, "thou shalt not," but simply, "remember."

This is the first time that the Jews were commanded to keep the Sabbath.

We need to look at some things that the Jews would realise from the commandment about the Sabbath.

"The Sabbath day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Surely this is not unreasonable. We have six days to do all the work and the Lord requires just one twenty four hour period. He asks for just one day to be set aside for himself.

"Keep it holy," it was to be set apart from all other days. It was a different day it was a day for worship.

The Jew would also see that God commended work.

"Six days shalt thou labour," we sometimes have the idea that work came as a result of sin.

Genesis 2:15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Work is neither a sin nor the result of sin. What was the result of sin?

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Sin brought the toil and hardship associated with work.

2 Thes. 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

The word of God encourages work. Unemployment can happen and the Lord understands, but what is condemned are spongers and layabouts.

The Jew would commend work and worship. The physical and the spiritual

Make your work your worship and worship while you work.

This is a good balance to strike work and worship.

Work paves the way for worship and worship fits us for work. If we concentrate on the physical the spiritual will be neglected. We need the correct balance. In every hour of human life the physical and spiritual interact upon each other and in their proper interrelation each contributes to the strengthening of the other.

In fact if we get this commandment right it will help us keep the others. We need to have the balance between work and worship. If we gave ourselves entirely to meeting the needs of the body and satisfying the desires of flesh our soul become impoverished.

"When the falling dust of the world has clogged the wheels of our affections and they can scarce move towards God. The Sabbath comes and oils the wheels of our affections and they move swiftly on." – Thomas Watson.

How we need this one-day in seven to worship the Lord. It sets us up for the rest of the week.

Professor Verna Wright who is a medical doctor at Leeds University has written a small booklet on the value of this one-day in seven rest. Let me quote from it.

From a medical point of view he notes that various body functions such as temperature and the concentration chemicals in the blood operate on a 24-hour cycle. The medical world refers to this as the ‘circadian rhythm’ the one-day of rest is very important. He describes the physical and mental dangers to those who insist on ignoring God’s best plan of a weekly day of rest.

Professor Wright encourages his students not to study on a Sunday. He is convinced that we need a day of rest different from all others. He concludes we ignore the Sabbath at our peril we keep it to our inestimable benefit.

To that I would add the following verse.

1 Samuel 2:30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Our creator knows that we need a day of rest.

That is responsibility to others. The Jews would never say, "It is up to the individual."

Exodus 20:10 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 manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

They were responsible for all within their homes.

Exodus 20:11 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.

Look at the example of God. He rested and set aside this one day in seven. They had a wonderful example to follow.

They could see that there was blessing in obeying this commandment.

"The Lord blessed it."

This commandment is rich in what it teaches.

It reminds us that we are created and therefore responsible to God.

Exodus 20:11 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.

It reminds us that God cares about us.

Exodus 20:10 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 manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

The Jew looked upon this commandment seriously and with great reverence.

Let’s recap what we have said. This day belonged to God, it was a day of rest but not a day to lye about. It was a day to worship the Lord. It also reminded them of the need to work and how it is commended. It teaches that we are responsible for those under our care to make sure the Sabbath is observed. It shows us the example of God and reminds us how the Lord blessed that day. It reminds us that God loves us, cares for us and he created us. We are responsible to him.

Consider some other scriptures.

Exodus 23:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

That word ‘refreshed’ means rejuvenated. Rest is certainly one of the reasons for the Sabbath, the word Sabbath means rest.

We can see again that creation is emphasised in relation to this commandment.

Exodus 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

In Deuteronomy it is also associated with something else.

Deut. 5:15 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.

It reminded them of their redemption.

No work was to be done on that day.

Leviticus 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

No burdens were to be carried on the Sabbath.

Numbers 13:19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;

Numbers 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.

Punishment was meted out for those who refused to keep the Sabbath.

Neh. 13:18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.

Jeremiah 17:27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

The Commencement.

As we are not under the law then we are surely off the hook. We can ignore this principle of one day in seven set aside for the worship of God among other things. But then when we read the word of God we discover that it all began before the law, even before sin.

Genesis 2:2-3 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. [3] 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.

This is a creational ordinance if you like. Therefore this one day in seven doesn’t just apply to Jews. We find this principle before the giving of the law. Although no command is given in Genesis, we have the example and expressed wish of God that one day in seven should be different. That’s why the Lord said, "Remember the Sabbath day."

Did Israel ever observe the Sabbath before the giving of the law?

Exodus 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

They were not to gather any manna on the seventh day.

Even before the law, before the commandments we read about the Sabbath being a day of rest. The Sabbath was a gift from God at creation before it became a commandment.

What a special day it should be.

A day to leave aside all the burdens and work and get to worship.

Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you,

A day to meet the brethren without earthly employment.

Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

What a special day God has given us to rest upon. Our bodies are seven-day clocks and they need to be wound up and if they are not wound up they will run down to the grave.

The Christian.

Is it irrelevant to the New Testament believer?

How often we are reminded that all the other nine commandments are reiterated in the New Testament except this one. Therefore God’s people can ignore it in this age.

As already said this commandment predates the law. Does the fact it is not mentioned mean it is irrelevant?

Could it be that it was so much accepted that it didn’t have to be mentioned?

The Lord Jesus Christ observed the Sabbath.

Luke 4:16 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.

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Christ could not have been our Saviour if he hadn’t kept the Sabbath. He would have broken God’s law. Many times he was accused of breaking the Sabbath but we need to understand what had happened.

There are 39 Hebrew words in this commandment. The Jews took these and multiplied them [39 x 39 =1521] They had fifteen hundred and twenty one things you couldn’t do on the Sabbath. What the Lord did was remind then what the Sabbath should be.

Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

The Sabbath was to be a blessing but Israel had made it a burden even a blight.

Nowhere do you find the principle of one-day rest in seven being rescinded in scripture.

Does scripture not overturn this commandment?

Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Paul is speaking here of days men invent. Would Paul overturn one of God’s commandments ?

Col. 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

The word Sabbath is actually Sabbaths, Paul is referring to Jewish feast days. Remember there were many Sabbaths. For instance an agricultural one which occurred every seventh year. Some of their Sabbaths were not even on a Saturday. Some were on the first or fifteenth day of the month, no matter what day that happened to be.

Luke 6:5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

The Lord of the Sabbath didn’t denounce anywhere the principle of one day in seven. What he did do was free it from man made traditions.

No genuine Bible believing Christian can ignore the principle of the Sabbath.

Look what some have had to say about the Lord’s day.

Ignatious said , "Let everyone that loveth Christ keep holy the first day of the week the Lord’s day."

Voltaire said, "I can never hope to destroy Christianity until I first destroy the Christian Sabbath."

Gladstone said "Tell me what the young men of England are doing on Sunday, and I will tell you what the future of England will be."

Consider this statement. Our great-grandfathers called it the Holy Sabbath; our grandfathers, the Sabbath; our fathers, Sunday; but today we call it the weekend.

The Change.

Why Sunday and not Saturday?

The seventh day Adventists consider that the keeping of Saturday Sabbath is binding on all mankind for all time and is essential for salvation. Some of them say it is the mark of beast to remember Lord’s day or perhaps some say one day it will be the mark of beast.

Why the Lord’s day and not the Saturday?

Let’s consider some of the reasons for the change.

• Resurrection.

Mark 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

God finished creation and when it was complete and he rested.

Christ finished the work of salvation and we rest on the Lord’s day.

Creation was God given us ourselves; salvation was god given us himself.

• Christ met the disciples on the first day.

John 20:19-20 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. [20] And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

• The Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost on the first day, it was the birthday of the church.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

• It was the practise of the early church to meet on the first day.

Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

1 Cor. 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

Rev. 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

• The testimony of the early church fathers.

Ad 155 Justyn martyr described a detailed Sunday service.

Ad 165 Melito said that the Lord’s day was a day of joyful celebration.

So the Sabbath is no more and we observe the Lord’s day.

This was before Constantine said in AD 321 the following, "On the venerable day of the sun let the magistrates and people residing in the city rest and let all workshops be closed."

The Consideration.

What was the purpose of the Sabbath?

• Rest this was a physical necessity.

• Worship.

Numbers 28:9-10 And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: [10] This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

Things were doubled up for the Sabbath as it was a day given to worship.

Hebrews 10:25 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.

Man needs this time of refreshment and worship. Once when mules were used in great numbers in the coalmines, a visitor passing through the coal mining area of Pennsylvania noticed that there were great numbers of these animals in pastures along the way. He asked the reason for this. "To keep them from going blind," he was told. "If they are not brought up from underground at least one day in the week they will eventually lose their eyesight. So they are brought up each Sunday to keep them from going blind.

• We need to remember our creator and our redeemer.

Our thoughts need to centred on him. Our tongues employed for him. Our eyes gazing at him. Our soul warmed by him.

Oh surely the principles hold fast for the Lord’s day. Rest, remember, worship and one more hope.

Hebrews 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

We can look forward to our eternal home, a rest for the people of God.

Are we under the law?

No, praise God, we don’t observe the fourth commandment like the Jews did.

But do the principles hold for the Lord’s day?

Do we need rest for our bodies? Remember the rest came before sin and toil, how much more we need the rest.

Do we need to worship the Lord? Do we not need our souls to be fed with manna from heaven to recharge our batteries?

Do we need to remember the Lord our creator and redeemer?

Do we not need to look forward to that coming day, so that we don’t become engrossed in earthly matters?

Let me mention another verse.

Isaiah 58:13-14 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, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: [14] 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.

Think about these words, own ways, own pleasure and own words. Obviously there was a danger that the Sabbath would be neglected and that men would forget about God. By concentrating on their own pleasures, their own things even their own notions.

Does this sound familiar?

Can I play sport?

Can I go to the shops?

We don’t have a list of dos and don’t. There is no doubt we see works of necessity, works of mercy and works of piety are allowed.

The Pastor is not Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ is.

Is what you do rest?

Is what you do worship?

Is what you do focusing your minds on the Lord?

Is what you do helping you to look forward to that coming day?

Is it for your own pleasure, your own benefit and have you left God out?

Some people ignore the Lord’s day, others have made it the Lord’s half day.

The Lord’s day

Whatever else I ponder

And wherever I may plod,

I must remember in my heart

This day belongs to God.

This day is meant to honour

Him who understands my cares,

And who is not too occupied

To listen to my prayers.

And so I try to live my life

According to his way,

Because I know that Sunday

Is his very special day.

These four and twenty hours

Are the least that I can give,

To say my thanks because

He has enabled me to live.

And that is why when Sunday comes,

I set the day apart

And offer God the gratitude

That fills my humble heart.

George Hatch raised a large family of seven boys and five girls in the sandhills of North-western Nebraska. One Sunday morning a neighbour rushed over to help the Hatches get the new-mown hay into the barn; clouds were rolling up in the west, and it was quite apparent that a rainstorm was imminent.

"Let’s get your hay up before the storm hits!" exclaimed the neighbour.

"Thank you for your kind offer," said Mr. Hatch, "but this is Sunday, and I am going to take my family to church."

"But you'll loose your hay," pleaded the neighbour.

The Hatches went to church and the rainstorm did spoil the hay.

"See, I told you that you would loose your hay," said the neighbour.

"Yes, " replied Mr. Hatch, "I lost my hay, but I saved my family." It is doubtful that the neighbour fully understood.

George Hatch did save his family. Today, down into the third and fourth generations, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are workers in the kingdom.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Email Pastor Ian Wilson


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