(Chapter 21)
Keeping the Sabbath Holy
Now that we know what the Sabbath is, how can we keep it holy? Has God set perimeters around His holy day? Let us see if we can find the answer to that in God's Word.
The
Sabbath is a sacred 24-hour period during which we and God can
communicate more personally and know each other intimately. No
long-lasting, meaningful relationship can exist if the two
individuals do not spend personal, undistracted time together. This
is exactly what Satan is trying to prevent. He is making determined
efforts to keep us so busy that we will not have this time to spend
with our Lord. He knows that if we do spend this time with God we
will not so easily fall for his temptations. God wants to
individually give us Himself, but Satan is seeking to keep us away so
that we will miss out on the greatest blessings that God longs to
give us. So far, Satan has run a very successful scheme, but he
doesn't need to be so successful in preventing you and me from
receiving God's fullest blessings.
There are things that God has said will enhance our day with Him, and other things that will hinder our relationship or take our time away from Him. Let us take a look at these things.
When Does the Sabbath Begin?
In telling the Children of Israel how to keep the Day of Atonement (a ceremonial Sabbath), God said:
"...in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath" Leviticus 23:32.
In Deuteronomy we are told what "even" means: "...at even, at the going down of the sun..." Deuteronomy 16:6.
And in Nehemiah 13:19 we are told that the seventh-day Sabbath was also kept in this way.
"And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gate should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath..."
The Sabbath was still kept this way when Christ came.
"And [Jesus and His disciples] went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught....And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased..." Mark 1:21, 32.
It must be realized that the religious leaders in Israel had distorted the meaning of "rest" and would not allow much to be done on the Sabbath. Even bringing emotional, mental or physical relief to the suffering was considered a sin. This is not how Jesus intended the Sabbath to kept. After giving an example of relieving the needs of an animal, He said:
"...Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days" Matthew 12:12.
Jesus considered healing on the Sabbath consistent with His Father's loving law. He often healed on the Sabbath, in fact. But when the Pharisees could, they did not let the people come to Him for healing during the Sabbath hours. Mark 1:32 does illustrate, however, that the Sabbath still began and ended in the New Testament as it had in the Old. It began Friday evening when the sun went down and lasted until Saturday evening at sunset—"from even to even."
Food Preparation for the Sabbath
In Exodus, God admonished His people to prepare as much of the
food as possible ahead of time so that they would have more
worry-free time to spend with Him. This is still applicable to us
today, especially since we have conveniences that allow us to keep
prepared food fresh for longer periods of time than they could.
"And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe [boil] that ye will seethe..." Exodus 16:23.
You will also remember how Israel was to collect extra manna on Friday because God would not send them any on the Sabbath. He wants us to be able to give our full attention to Him. This can be done in a more complete way when we are prepared as much as possible ahead of time with everything, not just food.
General Guiding Principles
There are certain jobs that are unavoidable and must be done every day.* Both people and animals need their physical and emotional needs cared for. But as much as can be done ahead of time should be, or left undone until after sundown. Regular workday jobs should be put away, both physically and mentally, during the Sabbath.
It is important, though, that while we guard the Sabbath hours we do not become caught up with the "do's and don'ts." Instead, use these two little questions to determine what you will and will not do.
#1. Will this activity draw me closer to Jesus?
#2. Is this activity necessary?
There are times when something will neither take your attention away from Jesus or bring it to Him. In these cases, question # 2 can have the final say.
*NOTE:
Certain jobs that are unavoidable are, for example: nursing, emergency healthcare and animal care in general. Animals must be fed and watered, some milked, and any injuries cared for. It would be wrong for these things to be neglected, because we would be causing emotional, physical or mental pain or discomfort to God's creatures, whether human or animal.
It is good to help relieve the emotional or physical burdens, and this is what Christ was often doing (see Luke 13:14-17; John 5:1-18). The day can also be spent in fellowship with fellow believers sharing a meal, going for a nature walk, sharing testimonies or the previous week's blessings, favorite verses, and new spiritual insights learned. The list goes on and on.
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2006 by J. Lee