The Seventh Day Sabbath

2010-07-24 23:12

The seventh day Sabbath is the Sabbath day of God. The Sabbath day of God is eternal; in six days He made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.

The seventh day of God is different from the seventh day of man. With the days of man, it is evening when the sun sets, and it is morning when the sun rises. However, the days of God are different from the days on which the sun sets and rises.

The Bible says about the days of God:

"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day,' and the darkness he called 'night.' And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day. (Genesis 1:3-5).

"...And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day." (Genesis 1:8).

"And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day." (Genesis 1:13).

"And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day." (Genesis 1:19).

And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. (Genesis 1:23).

"...And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day." (Genesis 1:31).

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." (Genesis 2:2-3).

Applying the seventh day Sabbath of God to a day of the world, God made the people of Israel know the Sabbath day of God by His faithful servant Moses. The Bible said, "But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away." (2 Corinthians 3:14).

It is written about the seventh day of the world, "but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." (Exodus 20:10-11). And again, "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested." (Exodus 31:15-17). The seventh day Sabbath of the world was a sign only between God and the Israelites forever.

Therefore, Moses strictly said to the whole Israelite community about the seventh day Sabbath, "Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, 'These are the things the LORD has commanded you to do: For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death. Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day." (Exodus 35:1-3).

If there had been rest in the days of the world, Joshua should have given the Israelites rest in Canaan. But the Sabbath day of the world is only a shadow of true rest. So the Bible said, "So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did." (Hebrews 3:7-9). And again, "For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." (Hebrews 4:8-11).

Therefore, the Sabbath day of man is totally different from the Sabbath day of God. And so the Bible said, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8). And also, "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Colossians 2:16-17).

Therefore, we have to wake up from the darkness of the Sabbath day of the world and make every effort to enter the eternal rest of God. "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God." (Hebrews 4:9). Amen. Thank you, Lord.