Dr. Paul Manuel—Sabbath Emphasis Day—2005
Ministers look for ways to encourage their congregants to be more involved in the things of God and His church. Sometimes that effort is more successful than other times.
Although Genesis records God's observing the Sabbath at creation, that first biblical book says no more about the seventh day.1 There is no indication that Adam and Eve, or Noah, or Abraham even knew about the Sabbath, let alone kept it themselves. It is not until the next book and Israel's exodus from Egypt that the Sabbath appears again, this time, with a prominence in God's plan for His people that it did not have before.2 What is the significance of the Sabbath, and how does it change life for those God has recently delivered?
Of the various passages we might consider, there is a single verse that offers some insight for us into the precept and purpose of the Sabbath. Please turn to...
I. The Precept of the Sabbath3
...and indicated what He reiterates here, that...
What difference does it make if we divide the days into units of seven or ten or any other increment? If the days themselves just have different numbers but are still essentially the same, it changes nothing—like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The significance of this new arrangement is that one of the days has a different application. Not only does it divide the week...
While most of the former slaves probably rejoiced over the new schedule, some took the freedom from labor as a license to do as they pleased, to get caught up on what they did not finish the day before or to prepare for the days ahead. God did not, however, intend the Sabbath for the convenience of His people.
Folks choose the church they attend for a variety of reasons: because they like the people or the pastor, because a relative or friend brought them. Why are you here? You may have several reasons. At some point, though, if you stay long enough, it should include agreement with what the church professes.
If what this church believes is not one of your reasons for being here, then that we meet and worship on Saturday instead of Sunday is just a matter of preference. If what this church believes is one of your reasons for being here, then that we meet and worship on Saturday instead of Sunday is actually a matter of precept. You keep the Sabbath because God commanded it. Is that what you tell those who wonder why you go to church on Saturday? Is that what others assume by watching what you do on Saturday? Does your behavior match your belief, or has it slipped a bit? Do you use the Sabbath to finish what you left undone on Friday or to start what you hope to continue on Sunday? Does the Sabbath divide your work or just your week?
This day does more than mark a change in the weekly schedule, and from the precept of the Sabbath, God goes on to explain...
II. The Purpose of the Sabbath
...the most obvious of which is that...
Have you seen the television ads for Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida?
Whereas rest is a common reason to keep the Sabbath, God mentions another reason that is not common. In addition to rest...
Sometimes a computer will get so clogged that it slows down and may even lock up. No matter what key you hit, there is no response. It just sits there, silently. When that happens, it is Time to Reboot. Assuming you have carefully saved your work, you will lose very little, and you will then have a machine that runs smoothly again. When events of the week have bogged you down, making you less and less productive, the Sabbath gives you an opportunity to reboot and run smoothly again.
Sometimes a car refuses to start, and the more you try, the weaker the battery becomes until it gives out altogether. At that point, you have no choice but to let it rest. Simply letting the battery rest, however, will not restore its charge. It needs an infusion of power from another source. The same is true for you. When the demands of the week drain your energy, you need to rest. In fact, after a particularly trying week, you may have no choice except to rest, but you need something else as well, and the Sabbath gives you an infusion of power from another source.
In this single verse, God reminds His people of what He expects from them and of what He provides for them in the Sabbath. His provision is available to you as well, but you must also heed His expectation. Are you experiencing these benefits of keeping the Sabbath?
A minister was preoccupied with how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. He very much wanted things to go smoothly and was a bit dismayed to learn that the regular organist was sick and that the deacons had to hunt for a substitute at the last minute. The minister barely had time before the service to let the substitute know what hymns the congregation would be singing, hurriedly adding, "You'll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances." During the service, the minister paused and said, "Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected, and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up." At that moment, the substitute organist played "The Star Spangled Banner." ...And that is how the substitute organist became the regular organist!Some people just need the right incentive. That may be what God is doing as He exhorts His people to heed His commands, especially His command to keep the Sabbath.
Although Genesis records God's observing the Sabbath at creation, that first biblical book says no more about the seventh day.1 There is no indication that Adam and Eve, or Noah, or Abraham even knew about the Sabbath, let alone kept it themselves. It is not until the next book and Israel's exodus from Egypt that the Sabbath appears again, this time, with a prominence in God's plan for His people that it did not have before.2 What is the significance of the Sabbath, and how does it change life for those God has recently delivered?
Of the various passages we might consider, there is a single verse that offers some insight for us into the precept and purpose of the Sabbath. Please turn to...
Exod 23:12 "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.Earlier in Exodus, God established...
I. The Precept of the Sabbath3
...and indicated what He reiterates here, that...
A. It divides the week.That observation may not seem significant to us, but to the Israelites, it represents a radical shift in the way they marked time. From the book of Genesis to the period of the exodus, people did not uniformly divide time in seven-day segments. In Egypt, whence Israel recently came, people had a ten-day week, and that is likely the calendar Israel followed. After the exodus, God establishes a different method of reckoning time, a method that He used at creation and that He makes the standard for Israel. Henceforth, His people will divide time in seven-day segments.
What difference does it make if we divide the days into units of seven or ten or any other increment? If the days themselves just have different numbers but are still essentially the same, it changes nothing—like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The significance of this new arrangement is that one of the days has a different application. Not only does it divide the week...
B. It divides the work.4Other methods of dividing time did not assign significance to any particular day. People probably took time off from work, but there was no day upon which everyone rested.5 As slaves in Egypt, the Israelites may have had time off only rarely, if at all, and certainly not the same day for everyone. For those who had known nothing but bondage, the concept—the prospect—of a day free from toil would certainly be an innovative and welcome change.
While most of the former slaves probably rejoiced over the new schedule, some took the freedom from labor as a license to do as they pleased, to get caught up on what they did not finish the day before or to prepare for the days ahead. God did not, however, intend the Sabbath for the convenience of His people.
Folks choose the church they attend for a variety of reasons: because they like the people or the pastor, because a relative or friend brought them. Why are you here? You may have several reasons. At some point, though, if you stay long enough, it should include agreement with what the church professes.
If what this church believes is not one of your reasons for being here, then that we meet and worship on Saturday instead of Sunday is just a matter of preference. If what this church believes is one of your reasons for being here, then that we meet and worship on Saturday instead of Sunday is actually a matter of precept. You keep the Sabbath because God commanded it. Is that what you tell those who wonder why you go to church on Saturday? Is that what others assume by watching what you do on Saturday? Does your behavior match your belief, or has it slipped a bit? Do you use the Sabbath to finish what you left undone on Friday or to start what you hope to continue on Sunday? Does the Sabbath divide your work or just your week?
This day does more than mark a change in the weekly schedule, and from the precept of the Sabbath, God goes on to explain...
II. The Purpose of the Sabbath
...the most obvious of which is that...
A. It is for rest.God gives various reasons in Exodus for why He instituted the Sabbath.6
- In chapter 16, it is a test of Israel's obedience (to Him).
- • In chapter 31 , it is a sign of Israel's consecration (to Him).
- •In chapter 23, it is a pause in Israel's labor.
Have you seen the television ads for Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida?
The commercials point out that Americans don't take vacations.... [A]n undertaker looks straight at the camera and thanks Americans for working themselves into early graves.... [A] pharmaceutical industry spokes[man] commends overworked Americans for driving his industry to record profits thanks to "stress-induced illness and depression." ...[A] slick, smirking corporate executive points out that a dedicated "twenty-six percent of Americans don't take any vacation time at all," selflessly transforming "their time" into "our money."If we need advertisers to point out our need for vacation time, how much more do we need God to point out our need for Sabbath time. There is some truth for us in those commercials: Have a life; take back your Sabbath.
...The ads were created by independent ad agency davidandgoliath (dng).... [T]he dng team crafted a message based on insight that America is vacation-deprived. They found that nearly half of those surveyed in a Gallup poll said they don't feel they take enough vacation time, while only 55 percent take all of their allotted vacation days in a given year. One in five people surveyed said they feel guilty taking vacation time, and compensate by checking in while on vacation.
"It's a highly motivating premise to remind consumers that skipping their vacation usually benefits all the wrong people," says dng Creative Director Liz Gumbinner.... It's a funny campaign, but a...serious message." ...All the spots close with the campaign theme line, "Have a life, take back your vacation."
Whereas rest is a common reason to keep the Sabbath, God mentions another reason that is not common. In addition to rest...
B. It is for renewal.8He says the individual will "be refreshed," rejuvenated. Those are common terms in English, and they are good translations of the Hebrew. The Hebrew word, however, is unusual, at least the form it takes here, because a common noun—the word for "soul"—has become a verb, literally "to re-soul" as if the benefit this day brings affects the very core of one's being.
Sometimes a computer will get so clogged that it slows down and may even lock up. No matter what key you hit, there is no response. It just sits there, silently. When that happens, it is Time to Reboot. Assuming you have carefully saved your work, you will lose very little, and you will then have a machine that runs smoothly again. When events of the week have bogged you down, making you less and less productive, the Sabbath gives you an opportunity to reboot and run smoothly again.
Sometimes a car refuses to start, and the more you try, the weaker the battery becomes until it gives out altogether. At that point, you have no choice but to let it rest. Simply letting the battery rest, however, will not restore its charge. It needs an infusion of power from another source. The same is true for you. When the demands of the week drain your energy, you need to rest. In fact, after a particularly trying week, you may have no choice except to rest, but you need something else as well, and the Sabbath gives you an infusion of power from another source.
In this single verse, God reminds His people of what He expects from them and of what He provides for them in the Sabbath. His provision is available to you as well, but you must also heed His expectation. Are you experiencing these benefits of keeping the Sabbath?
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
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Jim Skaggs