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How do we observe the Seventh - day Sabbath from the light of the Bible?

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Samuel Smith
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LESSON 12

HOW DO WE OBSERVE THE SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH FROM THE LIGHT OF THE BIBLE?

You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

In this edition, we continue with our series on The Sabbath Question. The topic for this study is: How do we observe the Seventh-day Sabbath from the light of the Bible? Through our previous studies in this series, the Lord has opened to our understanding several issues in relation to the Sabbath. Moreover, we have noted from the Bible that the Seventh-day Sabbath, which is enshrined in God's Ten Commandment Law is still binding upon all of God's children across the globe (see Revelation 14:12).

Beloved, now that the Spirit of God has graciously led us to know about the Sabbath truth, our duty is to continuously remember the day to keep it holy (see Exodus 20:8). At this point in this series, an important question that I believe many people will want to find an answer to is this: How do we keep the Sabbath day holy as God requires from us? The answer to this question will form the remaining content of our study.

From Exodus 20:8-11, we read the following about the Sabbath commandment: "20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

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:

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."

(Exodus 20:8-11)
Friends, from this passage on the Sabbath commandment, we can glean the following points in respect to proper Sabbath observance:

1) WE MUST REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY

What this means is that as we go through the week, we must have the Sabbath time consciously embedded in our minds. We must remember throughout the week that on the Seventh day, we have an appointment with no mean a Person than the Creator of the universe. This act of remembering the Sabbath will help us to order our lives aright even as we wait to commune with God on the special day that He has uniquely blessed. Our remembrance of the day throughout the week will also help us to prepare adequately to receive our awesome Guest on the day He has specially set aside for Himself.

2. WE MUST KEEP THE SABBATH DAY HOLY

We must keep the Sabbath day holy basically because the Lord has sanctified the day or set it apart for holy use (see Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:11). The Sabbath is the only day amongst the seven in the week that God bestows special honour. From Exodus 20:10, we read the following: "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God" (see also Isaiah 58:13; Mark 2:28; Revelation 1:10). Friends, the Lord is particular about the Sabbath because He set the day apart for Himself as a memorial of His creation. He thus bids us to remember the day to keep it holy. To keep the Sabbath day holy, we must be guided by the following:

A) We must prepare ourselves for the Sabbath very early within the week. We must make ready our clothing, food and all necessities that will be needed for use on this special day. This preparation is vital as we do not want anything to take away the memorable time the Lord has decided to spend with us.

To be able to prepare well for the Sabbath, we need to know when the Sabbath time begins and when it ends. The Scripture is clear friends, that the Sabbath time begins from sunset, Friday evening; and ends on sunset, Saturday evening (see Leviticus 23:32; Mark 1:29-32). I believe those of you who do not have any experience in Sabbath keeping may be confused in regard to the reckoning of the Sabbath time from sunset to sunset.

But beloved, this is the general reckoning of a day in Scripture. From Genesis 1, we read the account of the creation of our world. We encounter time phrases such as: "And the evening and the morning were the first day" (Genesis 1:5). "And the evening and the morning were the second day (Genesis 1:8). "And the evening and the morning were the third day" (Genesis 1:13). "And the evening and the morning were the fourth day" (Genesis 1:19). "And the evening and the morning were the fifth day (Genesis 1:23). "And the evening and the morning were the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31).

Friends, the phrase "And the evening and the morning" teaches us a very important truth. That is, from Scripture, a day begins from the evening and ends with the morning. The evening time of a day is actually from sunset to dawn. During this time, all is darkness. The morning time actually begins from daybreak to sundown. During this time, all is bright.

At places where it is difficult to figure out the time of day through sunset and daybreak as a result of special heavenly phenomena, the closest reckoning of time to the biblical model is to be adopted for observing the Sabbath. At such places, the evening time can be reckoned from 6pm to 6am while the morning time can be reckoned from 6am to 6pm. The Sabbath will thus be observed from Friday, 6pm to Saturday, 6pm (which is the closest equivalent of our sunset to sunset).

Beloved, I believe you might have already discovered that the biblical reckoning of a day is different from how our world reckons a day. Instead of sunset to sunset as the Scripture stipulates, the world reckons a day from midnight to midnight. For instance, the Cambridge dictionary defines a day as follows: "A period of 24 hours, especially from twelve o'clock one night to twelve o'clock the next night". It is important to note that irrespective of how the world reckons the day time today, the biblical reckoning of a day is still the same; from sunset to sunset (review Leviticus 23:32).

Friends, this clear information about how the Scripture reckons a day helps us to understand why the Lord commands His people to keep the Sabbath day from sunset to sunset. Now, as we seek to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, we must endeavour to guard the clear edges of the Sabbath. Thus on Friday, before sundown, we must bring our preparation to an end, ready to embrace our heavenly Visitor. We enter the Sabbath hours with beautiful hymns of adoration and praise, thanking and welcoming the One who had created us, and loved us beyond what we could ask for or imagine. We must cherish our time with God on the Sabbath to such an extent that as the day ebbs away, we find ourselves thinking about the next Sabbath appointment with Him. On Saturday as the sun sets, we gently end the day with prayer and praise to our God.

B) Friends, to keep the Sabbath holy, we must do more than just remember the day and guard its edges. We must also keep the day holy by refraining from carrying out any secular work that earns us a livelihood. For instance, the teacher, farmer, engineer, lawyer, banker or any other professional must cease from carrying out their usual secular work, and set the day aside for holy use (see Exodus 20:9-10). Similarly, students and artisans must also keep the day holy by refraining from acquiring the usual knowledge that they expect will earn them a livelihood in the future (see Exodus 20:9-10; Isaiah 58:13-14). Buying, selling and trading must also cease on this holy day (see Nehemiah 10:31; Nehemiah 13:15-22). What is more, to keep the Sabbath holy, we must also consciously guard our thoughts not to even engage in the planning of secular work on the Sabbath (see Amos 8:5).

Beloved, this cessation from labour on the Sabbath is not meant for us to observe alone. Our entire family, as well as other people who work on our behalf must also cease from their labour to honour the Sabbath of the Living God (see Exodus 20:10). As God rested on the seventh day from His work of creation (Genesis 2:1-3), so does He expect us to rest from our secular duties on the seventh day.

C) Friends, it is important to note that besides refraining from secular labour on the Sabbath, we must also take care not to engage in activities that will lead us to profane God's holy day. From Isaiah 58:13-14, we read the following clear guidelines in relation to proper Sabbath keeping: "13 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" (Isaiah 58:13-14; Capital Emphasis Added). In this text from Isaiah above, we learn that we should not carry out our own pleasure on the Sabbath day. And so for instance, if I enjoy playing Tennis, I cannot indulge in such pleasure on the Sabbath. It is sad to note that today; many who call themselves 'Sabbath keepers' have placed their pleasure above the God of the Sabbath. Many are those who will not mind to miss Sabbath worship to feast on the idol of soccer. Many are those who come from Sabbath worship services and desecrate themselves with the profanity on various TV programmes. To such people, the blessings that come upon true Sabbath keepers can never be their portion. All such must repent in "dust and ashes" if they want to maintain their position with God's end time saints who keep the commandments of God, and have the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12).

D) Beloved, the fact that the Sabbath is a day of rest does not imply we should be lazy, idle or just sleep the day away. As Christ gave us an example, we must go to the temple of God on the Sabbath day to worship the Creator (see Luke 4:16). On the Sabbath, we must assemble with other children of God to worship, adore and praise the One who made us all. From Psalm 95:6, we read the following: "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."

Friends, in the text above, we are encouraged to come and bow down, and worship the One who made us all. The Sabbath commandment is the only commandment that links our worship of God to the fact that He created us (compare Exodus 20:11 with Revelation 14:6). We must go to church on the Sabbath to worship and adore this awesome God of creation. Even though God's children worship Him throughout the week in diverse ways, the Sabbath worship service is unique in the sense that it cannot be done on any other day of the week except the day that God has specifically designated for it (see Leviticus 23:3).

E) To keep the Sabbath holy, we must also follow all the examples that Christ gave us in relation to Sabbath observance. Even though Christ always went to church on the Sabbath (review Luke 4:16), He also found time to relieve the needy, attend to the sick, and show compassion to the weak. We must follow in these footsteps of our Master as we observe the Sabbath. We must practice the teaching of Christ that says "the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). In the spirit of true Sabbath keeping, acts of mercy and kindness should not be neglected because one is hurrying for Sabbath worship service. When it becomes necessary that even secular duties should be carried out to save a life, we must do so in perfect harmony with the example of Jesus.

F) Moreover, an important point that we must not lose sight of in relation to proper Sabbath observance is the recognition that the Sabbath day is a day of sweet delight (Isaiah 58:13), which must be observed as such. Beloved, the Sabbath is to be kept not as a day of gloom but rather as a day of happiness. It is a day to be kept with gladness of heart because heaven has reached down to embrace us. As we cast all care of this world aside on the Sabbath, we are able to reach out with all our hearts to the One who alone can satisfy our deepest longings. Besides the focal activity of the worship we give our Creator, the Sabbath is also a time when God's people enjoy the privilege of healthful rest as we fellowship with one another.

3. Friends, the Scripture makes it clear that the Lord has reserved special blessings for people who hallow the Sabbath. From Isaiah 56:2, we read the following: "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil."

From Isaiah 58:13-14, we read another of God's explicit blessings on those who hallow the sabbath: "13 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".

4. Beloved, the devil knows that the Sabbath day is full of heavenly blessings. As a result, he is doing all in his power today to make it difficult for God's people to hallow the holy day. Satan is now working overtime to ensure that the seventh day is utilised for secular labour across the world. The arch deceiver is out to ensure that more school classes and their associated examinations are placed on God's holy day. And as we get closer to the final hours of this earth's history, the devil is going to ensure that anyone who chooses to observe the Sabbath will have to go through a "supreme sacrifice" to be able to do that.

Even now, many are those who have already forsaken lucrative jobs and promising business deals in order to take their stand among the people of God. Many are those who have missed vital school classes and examinations in order to stand true to the Sabbath commandment. Many are those who have borne the hatred of family and friends for choosing to honour God than attend a funeral ceremony on the Sabbath. Beloved, a time is coming, which is just ahead of us, when true Sabbath keepers will feel like strangers and pilgrims on this earth; for they will not just fit into the affairs of the world.

Friends, now is the time for us to pray for strength to be able to stand for the right in each Sabbath test today if we will stand in the brutal Sabbath crises which is just ahead of us. For it is THE SABBATH QUESTION that will soon polarise the world into the two main classes of people; that is, those who will be obedient to God and those who will not (see Revelation 13:11-18; Revelation 14:9-12). It is important to bear in mind that a single compromise on hallowing the Sabbath will surely lead to another compromise until one has no faith to identify with the people of God who keep all of His Ten Commandments (see Revelation 14:12). It is my sincere prayer that through this study, the Lord will strengthen each one of us to be able to keep the Sabbath day holy irrespective of the numerous challenges that we may encounter. May the blessings that accompany the Sabbath overshadow us even as we keep the day holy from one Seventh day to another.

Exhortation: From the lips of Christ, we learn how a profession of love to God is linked with the keeping of His commandments:

i) "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love" (John 15:10).

ii) "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

My beloved friend, if you profess to love the Lord, then He is calling you to keep all of His commandments which also include the Seventh-day Sabbath. If it is your wish to begin keeping the Seventh-day Sabbath in a love response to Jesus, please send the word SABBATH to our WhatsApp numbers: +233243105287 / +233553152250, and we will keep you in our prayers and also provide you with directions as to what you need to do. May the Lord bless you for making this important decision to honour the Sabbath of the Living God.

In our next study, which happens to be the last in our series on The Sabbath Question, we will consider the topic: The Seventh-day Sabbath: the Seal of the Living God. The Bible study references for this study are Revelation 7:1-3, Esther 8:8, Isaiah 8:16, Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:20, Romans 4:11, Hebrews 10:16, Ephesians 4:30 and Revelation 14:12. Please do well to go through these passages before the next study is released.

Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

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