Introduction: If I asked you to describe a specific man or woman,
would you do it by saying what that person is not? “She is not short,
not fat, not blond, not beautiful, not dark and not big boned.” Would
that description help? Wouldn’t you rather have a positive
description? One of the problems with describing how to keep the
Sabbath holy is that the Bible contains several statements(that we
often repeat and expand upon)about what we should NOT be doing on that
day. This week we will attempt to positively describe the Sabbath.
Let’s jump in.
- Work
- Read Exodus 20:8-11. This text tells us what we should not
do on the Sabbath – work. But it also directly and
indirectly tells us some positive things. What are they?
Let’s list them. - “Remember the Sabbath.” What does that suggest we do?
(It tells us that we should mentally set the Sabbath
time apart from other time.) - “Keep the Sabbath holy.” What does that mean? (It is
not described here except in the context of not
working (or having any of our family or household
work) because God rested from His work of creation.) - What positive message can you find about Sabbath
holiness in this idea of resting because God
rested from His work of creation? (This suggests
that we should do things that remind us of God as
the Creator.) - What positive idea comes from the fact that no
one in your household should be working — even
your animals? (This seems to be a complete shut
down of normal household activities. The tone of
the day is obviously much different than other
days.) - Read Leviticus 25:4-7. In addition to your
animals, what else gets a Sabbath rest? (Your
land!) - How does this make any sense? (In fact, the
idea of rotating crops – giving the land a
rest from a certain crop is an established
agricultural practice.) - If the ground can be shown to grow better
crops if it gets a Sabbath rest, what about
you? Do you work more efficiently if you
have a Sabbath rest each week?
- Notice that the owner of the land could not
“reap” the land, but could eat whatever
grew on it and give it to the members of
his household. Is there a Sabbath practice
lesson in this? (This infers that
commercial activities are inconsistent with
the Sabbath, but activities to benefit the
family are consistent with the Sabbath.
(Note, however, they would not be picking
what grew on the weekly Sabbath – see
Exodus 16:26.) - Read Exodus 34:21. Are there practical exceptions to keeping
the Sabbath? (We will discuss later how Jesus kept the
Sabbath and look at what the Pharisees thought were
“exceptions” to Sabbath keeping. This text suggests that
even if we have a lot of work which needs to be done, we are
not authorized to work on Sabbath. The positive aspects of
refraining from work continue even when we have lots to do!) - Do these texts in Exodus mean that all work is prohibited on
the Sabbath? - Read Matthew 12:5. What does Jesus mean when He says,
“the priests in the temple desecrate the [Sabbath] yet
are innocent?” (The worship service was work, yet it
was a permitted (required) work on the Sabbath.) - Let’s turn next to the issue of enjoyment and the
Sabbath. - Delight
- Read Isaiah 58:13-14. What do these verses say is the reward
for Sabbath-keeping? (I think this means (v.14) that you
will have health, wealth and happiness! That is positive!) - Let’s look at how we get to joy, health and wealth.
How do we keep “our feet” from breaking the Sabbath?
I thought this was a matter for the other end of the
body! (Isaiah uses the word “feet” to refer to
intentional activity. For example, Isaiah 59:7 says
(using the same Hebrew word), “their feet rush into
sin.” Obviously, “feet” do not sin, so this refers to
a person’s activities. Our activities need to be
consistent with the nature of the Sabbath.) - We are told to “call” the Sabbath a delight. If it is
not a delight, why should we lie about it? (What we
say has an effect on what we think. God calls on us to
have a positive view of the Sabbath. To say good
things and not bad things about it.) - What does it mean to give “honor” to the Sabbath?
- How can you reconcile the Sabbath being a joy and a
delight when you are not allowed to “do as you
please?” (The text does not require us to do
unpleasant things. It simply says that our unfettered
will is not the standard for keeping the Sabbath holy.
We can do things that are consistent with God’s will
for the Sabbath and are fun!) - Attending Church
- Is attending church on Sabbath an important, positive
activity? (Remember the last two weeks we have learned the
Sabbath is a memorial to God as our Creator and our
Redeemer. What more appropriate activity could we engage in
than worshiping Him on His “memorial day?” If there is any
doubt, the following texts show that both Jesus and His
disciples attended “church” on the Sabbath. Acts 13:14, Mark
6:2, Luke 4:16&31, Luke 6:6) - Jesus’ Positive Examples
- Read Mark 2:23-24. Remember in Exodus 16:26 the people were
not allowed to pick up Manna on the Sabbath. With this
example in mind, what do you say about what the disciples
are doing? Do the Pharisees have a point? - Read Mark 2:25-27. What is Jesus saying? If you are hungry,
you can break the Sabbath? - If the disciples were properly keeping the Sabbath,
wouldn’t they have prepared for it by making sure they
had enough food on Friday — just like God’s people in
the wilderness were instructed to gather double the
manna on Friday? (Something dramatic is being said
here. If we simply looked at the facts – casual
gathering of grain as the disciples were walking along
– you could conclude that the Pharisees were being
ridiculous. But Jesus’ response is not “You are being
ridiculous.” His response goes far beyond the
technical. He seems to say that part of the purpose of
the Sabbath is to meet our needs. This means not only
rest, but also food.) - Jesus refers to a story found in 1 Samuel 21. In this
story, King David lied to the priest about his
situation (v.2), told the priest he needed bread
(v.3), and then took some of the old bread that had
been in the sanctuary, but was now replaced. (v.6).
This bread was to be eaten only by the High Priest and
his family and it was to be eaten only in a special
way. See Leviticus 24:5-9. A lot of rules got “bent”
in this story. What lesson about the Sabbath do you
draw from Jesus’ reference to this story of David and
the holy bread? (Meeting man’s needs is one of the
most important reasons for the Sabbath.) - This story (in Mark 2) is immediately followed by another
story about the Sabbath. Read Mark 3:1-4. What is your
answer to Jesus’ question? (If you don’t get this right, it
seems that Jesus(v.5) will not be pleased! The answer is
that it is always lawful to do good on the Sabbath.) - Read Mark 3:5. Did Jesus need to heal this man on the
Sabbath – in the synagogue even? (No!) - What positive thing does Jesus teach about the Sabbath
through this example? (Ask yourself, “What is really
going on in this story?” Jesus is not working. He is
simply invoking the power of God (available to us,
too) to combat the effect of sin on another person.
That should be prime, positive, Sabbath activity.) - The teacher’s helps to our lesson refer to a plumber
who went around fixing the plumbing of the poor for
free on the Sabbath. This activity is applauded. Does
that come within Jesus’ example in Mark 3? (I’ve got
some doubts. I could go to a “poor peoples” legal
clinic on Sabbath and give free advice. But I don’t
think I would feel like I was promoting the kingdom so
much as just plain working.) - Read Luke 13:10-14. Was the healing of this woman some sort
of emergency? (No! Her life was not threatened. She had been
like this for 18 years. One more day would not have made any
difference.) - Was the synagogue ruler right? (If I had been sitting
there, I would have voted with him if I hadn’t just
read the Mark 3 shriveled hand story.) - Read Luke 13:15-17. What do you think about Jesus’
response? Do you agree that giving your animal water
is like healing someone who has been crippled for 18
years? (At first blush, these situations seem not the
least comparable. Your animal needs to be watered
every day. However, consider this: your animal is
getting released for good purpose (drinking) on the
Sabbath. This woman was being “released” for good
purpose on the Sabbath. Her situation was more
compelling in that she had been “tied” for 18 years.) - What is Jesus teaching us about the Sabbath in
this story? (I think He is teaching two things.
First, the lesson from Mark 3 that invoking God’s
power for good is the essence of the Sabbath.
Second, Jesus elevates the comfort and well-being
of people over the “technical” arguments about
the Sabbath.) - Friend, God calls on us to keep the Sabbath holy. Will you
determine to set it apart from the rest of the week? - Next Week: The First Angel’s Message.
