Church Series-The Church's Relationship to the Sabbath
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday January 24, 2017
The Church Series: The Church’s Relationship to the Sabbath
Lesson # 35
The term “Sabbath” and the observance of the Sabbath are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible until the book of Exodus.
However, it is obviously being alluded to in Genesis 2:2-3, which teaches that God rested or ceased from His creative and restorative activity on the seventh day.
The observance of the Sabbath is found in the Ten Commandments.
The book of Exodus records the Lord ordering the Israelites to observe the Sabbath (Exodus 16:21-26; 20:8-11).
Now, Exodus 20:8-11 makes clear that the observance of the Sabbath is connected to the fact that God Himself rested on the seventh day after six days of work (Genesis 2:2-3).
The Sabbath is thus an invitation to rejoice in God’s creation and to acknowledge that He is sovereign.
Deuteronomy 5:15 gives another reason for observing the Sabbath and connects the Sabbath with Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.
Therefore, every Sabbath the Israelites were to bring into remembrance that the Lord delivered them from Egyptian bondage by means of His omnipotence.
Exodus 20:10, Deuteronomy 5:14-15 and Exodus 23:12 teach that the Sabbath was for the benefit of both man and animal in Israel.
Lastly, Exodus 31:13, 17, Ezekiel 20:12 and 20 teach that it was a sign of the covenant between the Lord and Israel.
Thus, those in Israel who failed to keep the Sabbath were put to death (Exodus 31:14; Numbers 15:32-36; Jeremiah 17:19-27).
The keeping of the Sabbath would affirm one’s loyalty to the Lord and would guarantee His presence and deliverance.
The observance of the Sabbath was designed to be a benefit for people in that it would contribute to making them spiritually stronger and draw them closer to God.
The Sabbath day would bring about a change in one’s weekly routine, which would be a day of refreshment and was a day to focus upon His will.
Exodus 20:11 teaches the Israelites that the basis for the Sabbath day observance is God creating the time, matter, space continuum as well as mankind and restoring the heavens and the earth which was judged by God due to Satan’s rebellion against God.
The fact that God is said to have “ceased” from His activity does not mean that He was tired but simply that He was satisfied with His work, which He had brought to completion by the seventh day.
It means that there was nothing He could add to what He already accomplished during the six days, thus, it was perfect in every detail.
In Exodus 31:13, the Lord commands Moses to tell the Israelites that they must keep His Sabbaths, which refers not only to observing the seventh day as a period of rest to worship the Lord but also involves observing the laws concerning the sabbath rest for the land which is mentioned in Exodus 23:10-13.
It is also used in connection with the gathering of manna which is mentioned in Exodus 16:21-26.
The Lord tells Moses in Exodus 31:13 that these Sabbaths were a sign between Him and the Israelites.
He repeats this to Moses in Exodus 31:17 and is also reiterated in Ezekiel 20:12 and 20.
The repetition emphasizes the importance the Lord attached to the Israelites observing His Sabbaths.
The keeping of the Sabbath would affirm one’s loyalty to the Lord and would guarantee His presence and deliverance and would manifest to the heathen nations the covenant relationship the Israelites possessed with the Lord.
The Israelites must conscientiously observe the Sabbath as a testimony of the Lord’s finished work in the restoration of the earth and was an essential part of their sanctification as a people.
The observance of the Sabbath as a corporate unit by the Israelites would serve as a powerful testimony to the heathen nations surrounding them that they were a people set apart to serve the Lord exclusively and would demonstrate that Yahweh was present with the Israelites.
The Lord tells Moses in Exodus 31:13 and 16 that the observance of the Sabbath was applicable for all subsequent generations and was perpetual.
The purpose of this perpetual observance of the Sabbath was that the Israelites would know that the Lord is the one who sanctifies them.
This means that observance of the Sabbath by the Israelites would manifest the fact that the Israelites were chosen from all the nations of the earth to be a people who represent Him to the rest of the nations.
In Exodus 31:14, the Israelites were to keep the Sabbath because “it is holy for you” which denotes that the Israelites must keep Saturday as a day set aside exclusively for God, i.e. worshipping Him.
This day should be set aside exclusively by the Israelites as a day to bring into remembrance who God is and what He has done for them resulting in worshipping Him, i.e. giving thanks to Him.
Since the Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between the Lord and Israel, those in Israel who failed to keep the Sabbath were put to death (Exodus 31:14; Numbers 15:32-36; Jeremiah 17:19-27).
Numbers 15:32-36 records the Israelites stoning a man found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.
In Romans 7:1-6, Paul taught the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome that Jewish Christians are not under the authority of the Mosaic Law because they are identified with Christ in His death on the cross and thus Gentile Christians are not under the authority of the Mosaic Law as well.
Consequently, they are not required to observe the Sabbath or circumcision or the dietary regulations whose observance was prescribed under the Mosaic Law.
The apostle Paul also taught in Romans 9:4-5 that the Law was given to the nation of Israel and thus was not given to the church.
The church age believer is not commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ or by His apostles to observe the Sabbath.
In fact, Paul teaches in Romans 7:1-6 that the church age believer has died to the Law.
Thus, they are not required to observe the Sabbath which was prescribed by God for the nation of Israel to observe under the Mosaic Law.
Thus, the church age believer is not to permit people who have been Judaized to criticize them because they do not observe the Sabbath like they do.
Colossians 2:16 Therefore, continue making it your habit of not letting anyone condemn any of you as guilty because of food or because of drink or because of a particular feast or new moon or a Sabbath. (My translation)
Paul orders the Colossians continue to make it their habit of not letting anyone of the Judaizers condemn any of them as guilty because of food or drink or because of a particular feast or a new moon or Sabbath.
The Sabbath reference is of course speaking of the seventh day of the Jewish week which served as a ceremonial day of rest in Israel which today in our culture would be Saturday.
This day began at sundown on Friday and ended at sunset on Saturday.
Everything that Paul mentioned here in Colossians 2:16 is related to the Mosaic Law.
Therefore, in Colossians 2:16 Paul is commanding the Colossians to continue to make it their habit of not letting any of the Judaizers condemn them as guilty before God because they did not observe the various prohibitions and commands prescribed in the Mosaic Law.
We can conclude from our study that the Christian is not required to observe the Sabbath.
As we noted, Romans 7:1-6 teaches that the Christian has died to the Mosaic Law and Romans 9:1-5 teaches that the Law was given to Israel.
Therefore, if the Mosaic Law was given exclusively to the nation of Israel, then, it was never given to the church.
If the Christian has died to the Law because of their identification with Christ in His death, then they are not required to observe the Law and the Sabbath as prescribed in the Law.
This is why in Colossians 2:16, Paul warned the Christians in Colossae to not let anyone make them feel guilty because they didn’t observe the dietary regulations of the Law or the seven great feasts of Israel or a new moon or the Sabbath.
You cannot find one passage in the New Testament epistles or gospels where the church age believer is commanded to observe the Sabbath.
The life of the nation of Israel was to be governed by the Mosaic Law whereas the gospel of Jesus Christ as presented by Jesus and the apostles in the Greek New Testament is to govern the life of the church.
Thus, Sabbath observance is not required for the church age believer since the observance of the Sabbath was prescribed in the Mosaic Law for the citizens of the nation of Israel to observe.
The life of the church is not to be governed by the Mosaic Law but rather by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
