I want to start by asking a question to provoke thought. How do you feel about the Sabbath, the Lord of the Sabbath, His Kingdom, and His laws? Rather than the Sabbath being merely a forecast of Christ ruling people in the future, it is a special link that you have to those things right now. How you observe the Sabbath speaks volumes about how you feel about the source of the Sabbath, about the Kingdom of Heaven and His laws. Consequently, God is offended by those who feel restricted by it and say, “When will the New Moon be past, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may trade wheat?” (Amos 8:5). With the coming of each Sabbath, we should consider our association with it! God certainly does.
In Mark 2:27, Christ said that we weren’t made for the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath was made for us. But why did God make the Sabbath for us? He made it so that we come together to worship and honor Him; so that He can guide and direct our lives and teach us His ways. Exodus 31:16-17 reads, “Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” Notice that Israel was to “observe,” meaning to celebrate, keep, or adhere to in practice. It is to be “a perpetual covenant,” an agreement or contract between God and man. Furthermore, it is to be a sign, a critically important sign. We see from Exodus 31 that the Sabbath is an identifying sign.
The correct observance of the Sabbath identifies people, not agreements. And so, the Sabbath day is a very important day, and our observance is a sign between us and our Creator—identifying us as God’s very own people. As we worship, honor, and serve Him on this day, and as we grow in our understanding of the Sabbath; that observance and understanding has a deep and profound impact on our lives. So an important question to ask: Is it possible to avoid doing something the bible clearly defines as being sinful on the Sabbath day and yet still fail to fulfill the Sabbath commandment? The short answer is yes! I would like us all to carefully consider that question and answer as we look a little more closely at the Sabbath commandment and see what we might be overlooking.
Exodus 20:8-11 says: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."
The obvious focus of this passage is upon remembering the Sabbath day and maintaining its holiness. Man does not have the power to make anything holy, only God can make something holy. Here we find that God has clearly hallowed—made holy—the Sabbath, and it is our duty to see that this God-given holiness is not defiled. This passage clearly shows us that doing our "work" on God’s Sabbath day would defile or "profane" its holiness.
Let us consider this concept of "holy" versus "profane" briefly. Everything in the bible that is not specifically labeled as "holy" is automatically "profane" in this sense. When we use the word profane today, we are referring to something that is irreverent, blasphemous, or lacking appropriate respect. The biblical usage does not necessarily include that same negative emphasis. One Hebrew word translated profane, chol, had an underlying meaning of "exposed." The root word from the Greek, bebelos, originally referred to the threshold of a doorway, and refers to something that may be casually and without consideration, stepped upon. By extension, the concept refers to something that is accessible. Something that is profane is accessible to man and man then determines how he wishes to use it.
Something that is holy can be used legitimately only in the way God designates. In this sense, six days each week are "profane," and we individually determine how the time will be used; while one day is "holy" and God determines how it is to be used. Scripture further reveals that when the religious leaders failed to differentiate between the holy and profane and failed to teach the people that difference, the people fell into sin by carelessly misusing what God said was holy (Ezekiel 22:26; 44:23). This is certainly not an error that any of us would consciously want to make. However, we should also note that the passage in Exodus does not begin by defining what can and cannot be done on the Sabbath day. It begins by telling us what we should do the rest of the week so that we are prepared to maintain the holiness of the Sabbath when it arrives.
The first instruction we are given is to "remember the Sabbath day." The word remember can have different meanings. In this passage it does not refer to "remembering" as opposed to "forgetting", which is a distinction we must consider. This term remember refers to having a daily awareness that the Sabbath is coming so that work can be planned out and accomplished in such a way that we have completed our necessary work before the Sabbath arrives. This involves all of our weekly (six day) activity. If we are to properly "remember the Sabbath day," we consider and plan our activities throughout the week in such a way that we are properly prepared before the Sabbath arrives.
The Jewish Soncino commentary makes an interesting observation about the instruction to remember the Sabbath day: "The verb is infinitive and so is not limited in time. Always keep the Sabbath in mind during the week, so that if, for example, you come across a special article of food, set it aside for the honoring of the Sabbath... A person should so order his affairs during the week that his mind is completely free of them on the Sabbath" (The Soncino Chumash, page 460).
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with our preparation for the weekly Sabbath on a Friday, but if that is the only time we prepare—the only time we remember, then we are misunderstanding the scriptural instruction. If we neglect preparing for the Sabbath until Friday, we may be exhausted by the time the Sabbath arrives. For some, the Sabbath has become not a "rest" day, but a "crash" day—a time when they are so worn out that they are unable to do much more than eat and sleep. Is that keeping the Sabbath holy? Is that what God intended His holy Sabbath day to be?
While refraining from work is essential to Sabbath observance, we also understand that there is much more to properly keeping the Sabbath holy. For example, we are told to "call the Sabbath a delight" (Isaiah 58:13). The Sabbath is not intended to be a day that we endure or simply sleep through, but a day we anticipate as the most delightful time of the week. How can this day truly be a delight if a person has not properly remembered and prepared in advance? Will it be a delight simply because it arrives? Most of us can answer that question from our own experience. Those times when we have put forth diligent effort to prepare for the Sabbath, it was truly delightful. On the other hand, those times when we have failed to prepare properly, we may have gone through the motions of keeping the Sabbath, but we could not honestly call it a delight.
It is encouraging to note that God does two special things each Sabbath day. Did you notice them in the passage we quoted from Exodus 20? The account of the first Sabbath day in Genesis 2:1-3 shows these same actions. Notice the last phrase in Exodus 20:11: "Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." God says that He both blesses the Sabbath day and sets it aside as holy. Just as no other day of the week is holy, no other day of the week has this special blessing from God. That special blessing is not physical—we cannot sense it with our five senses. It is a spiritual blessing.
Another aspect of the Sabbath commandment that can be affected negatively when we fail to remember the Sabbath and prepare appropriately is the commanded "holy convocation" God provides for His people. Leviticus 23:3 says, "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings."
A convocation is an assembly called together by authority. It is not like a group get-together, a club meeting, or some social event. People are summoned to a convocation much in the way a summons is issued to a court of law. A summons is not an invitation, it is an order from an authority. The fact that this is a "holy" convocation shows that the authority doing the summoning is none other than God. God would certainly want us to eagerly assemble before Him and with His other children. However, whether we’re eager or not, He summons us to appear. Other scriptures show us we should not attend in person when we are ill with some potentially communicable disease or illness. We must also acknowledge that occasionally, there may be an "ox in the ditch" situation that prevents our attendance. Age or other physical circumstances may also impact our ability to gather together; however, we must consider this as it is easy to become complacent and thereby profane the holy convocation.
In years past, many made considerable sacrifices to be able to attend Sabbath services regularly. At times we may have even been overzealous in our efforts. There may have been times when we could have been more balanced in our approach. But have we now gone to the other extreme where seemingly trivial matters or even personal convenience may cause us to ignore God’s summons?
It seems that some routinely miss services because "I worked so hard this week, I was just too tired to come." Other times events or personal desires may make it inconvenient to assemble together for Sabbath services. We’re not talking about sudden, unexpected, uncontrollable events or important family occasions, or limitations beyond our control. However, there are many other matters we could anticipate and plan for to ensure we are indeed able to assemble together for this holy convocation. If we fail to do so, are we really remembering the Sabbath day to keep it holy in the way God intended?
There is no substitute for weekly Sabbath services and the ability to assemble together with those God has called and placed into His son’s body. What a pleasure it is to keep the Sabbath together; Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” The idea expressed here is that people grow from interaction with one another. Listening to the cybercast, or a video is important when truly needed, however not the same as being together. Although for some connecting remotely is absolutely necessary, and I am not in any way trying to diminish that reality. However, we must remember God has blessed and hallowed the Sabbath day in a spiritual way, not like any other day and commanded a “holy convocation”. The strength we derive from fellowshipping together in person with God’s people cannot be duplicated by any other activity. God blesses us with that opportunity on each Sabbath. If we fail to remember and plan in such a way that we can take advantage of that opportunity when it comes, then I believe we are not remembering the Sabbath day in the way God intends.
Consider the encouragement to gather in worship and fellowship recorded in Hebrews 10:24-25: "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Love and good works need to be stirred up – they do not just occur! One reason God’s people are to come together is to strengthen each other and to “provoke one another to good works.” We do indeed have a tremendous impact on each other, especially on His holy and blessed Sabbath. This is why we need to exhort one another to gather together.
Perhaps we could consider one more point from a minister’s (or other speaker’s) perspective. The attention and expressions from the audience can even at times guide the direction of the message. When we give sermons (and even sermonettes), we usually have some idea about how effective the message has been. Sometimes we feel a message has been helpful and worthwhile, and sometimes, we feel the message wasn’t as good as it could have been. Even so, it’s surprising how often someone will come up after one of those messages and still thank us for something we said. It drives home the point that God’s blessing is upon His Sabbath day and His holy convocation, and He can produce good results even when we perhaps fall short. If we are in the right frame of mind God can bless the outcome of even what we may feel is not the greatest of messages. I also here want to give my heartfelt thanks to all who sacrifice for their brethren by preparing and delivering messages. It’s not easy and I do not want to be negligent by not expressing my gratitude for this labour of love (Hebrews 6:1). That same gratitude is extended for all who serve their brethren, regardless of the capacity, even just being there at the service is so valuable to others; thank you all so much!
We must all remember the Sabbath commandment is not a one-day-a-week commandment. If we fail to "remember the Sabbath day" and plan accordingly throughout the week, we may indeed be failing to fulfill the commandment. Unusual circumstances beyond our control will at times arise, but we can profoundly affect the impact of the Sabbath upon ourselves and our families by properly remembering and preparing each week to make God’s Holy Day a delight. God wants children who embrace Him and His way of life, as represented by each Sabbath. Isaiah 58:13-14 says, “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking you own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The Sabbath is a wonderful gift that God has given us as His holy people.
Paul referred in part to the Sabbath as “a shadow of things to come” (Colossians 2:17) is vital to always keep in remembrance. The Sabbath’s shadow is cast directly by the Lord of the Sabbath and involves His law, His Church, His second coming, and ultimately His Kingdom. Consequently, our response to the Sabbath (and observance of) shows our respect, or disrespect, for all that it represents (Exodus 31:13-17). How you and I feel about the Sabbath reflects how we feel about the Lord of the Sabbath, His laws, His Church, and His Kingdom. If you honor the Sabbath, you honor its Source. If you delight in the Sabbath, you delight in its Source (Isaiah 58:14). If you remember to keep the Sabbath holy, you remember its holy Source (Exodus 20:10). Conversely, if you casually ignore the Sabbath, you casually ignore its Source. If you disrespect the Sabbath, you disrespect its Source. God responds in kind to our reverence of Him and His Kingdom: “For those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Samuel 2:30).
Let us remember the Sabbath to ensure we don’t treat it casually in any way and thereby profane that which is holy. I know we are all very busy, however I would like to personally recommend that all take the time to listen to the two sermons on “Holy Ground” by Mr. Rick Shabi (newly appointed UCGia president) Holy Ground and Holy Ground, Part 2 as they provide excellent additional context and detail on this important subject. The Sabbath is a powerful sign between God and His people (Ezekiel 20:12). Never will their relationship be severed, as the Sabbath will always remain a holy time for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9).