Moses - Part 38 (Sabbath Part 2)

Intro

II. Now I want to show you why the Sabbath isn’t for you and I

1. The Sabbath is entirely a Jewish Institution

Exodus 31:12–17 KJV 1900

12 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, 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. 14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 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.

Exodus 31:13 KJV 1900

13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, 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.

Exodus 31:16 KJV 1900

16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

It was a sign of the covenant between the children of Israel and God forever

Not between God and the children of God

2. Not between God and the church or the Christian

3. But between God and the physical offspring of Jacob (Israel)

The commandment was NOT given to Adam, though it foreshadowed the days of creation

The commandment was NOT given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph or Noah

The Sabbath law was reserved to be given to Israel under the law

Nehemiah 9:13–14 KJV 1900

13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: 14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:

Throughout the old testament we have over 112 references to the Sabbath observance...

There is not ONE clear instruction for the church age believer to observe it...

Jeremiah 31:31–34 KJV 1900

31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant With the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers In the day that I took them by the hand To bring them out of the land of Egypt; Which my covenant they brake, Although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, And write it in their hearts; And will be their God, And they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: For they shall all know me, From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: For I will forgive their iniquity, And I will remember their sin no more.

You don’t see a single person from Adam to Moses keeping the sabbath day or being put to death for not keeping it…

Paul in Hebrews asks why we would want to go back to the old law… Because we have something better…

Colossians 2:16 KJV 1900

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 Jews closely follow a book called the Talmud...

The Talmud contains teachings, discussions and interpretations of former Rabbis....

The Book of Sanhedrin contained in the Talmud says, “It is better to give more heed to the letters of the scribes than to the letters of the scriptures.”

Matthew 12:1–15 KJV 1900

1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. 9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 11 And he said unto them, 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? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. 15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

The Jews saw the Mosaic law, including the Sabbath law, as an end itself. Jesus taught it was a means to an end, a “schoolmaster” to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.

III. What we can learn from it

The law was given plainly…

The law was spoken clearly…

The law was “simple”…

Yet it all came down to:

Remembrance: for what God had done

That remembrance would drive obedience…

Are we willing to remember so we can be driven to obey?

It’s simple…

Just comes down to a choice of obedience…

I see several things that would benefit us:

a.) Submission to God’s plan

They had to give up a lot to follow God’s design for them..

There were a lot of places they couldn’t go (how good would it be for us to follow that)

There were a lot of things they couldn’t do (again how good for us)

It was essentially a distraction fast...

Just focus on God...

For us: no electronics maybe?

James 4:7 KJV 1900

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Luke 22:42 KJV 1900

42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

b.) Strict Obedience

Not just general obedience or within parameters...

But finding God’s perfect will and doing it just as He asks...

How about Mary’s advice with Jesus at the wedding at Cana?

John 2:5 KJV 1900

5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Luke 6:46 KJV 1900

46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

c.) Repeated Remembrance and Rest

Rest is good...

Mark 6:29–32 KJV 1900

29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. 30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

John 4:6 KJV 1900

6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

1 Kings 19:5–8 KJV 1900

5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.