REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY AND KEEP IT HOLY

PROCLAMATION

“And The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘Verily My sabbaths ye shall keep;’ For it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am The Lord that doth sanctify you.’ ”  Exodus 31:12-13 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After The Lord God gave them the Ten Commandments and the laws, He told them that He was sending an angel to guard them, and to guide them to the place that He had prepared for them. (Exodus 23:20)  Then He confirmed the covenant that He had made with Moses. (Exodus 24:1-4)  After that He gave them specific instructions for the making of The Arc of The Covenant (Exodus 25:10-30), the making of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:1-36), the making of the altar (Exodus 27:1-8), and for the courtyard of the tabernacle. (Exodus 27:9-19)  The Lord God also gave them specific instructions regarding the making of the garments for the priests (Exodus 28:1-43), and regarding the consecration of the priests. (Exodus 29:1-46)  Then He gave them instructions for the making of an altar of incense (Exodus 30:1-10), a basin for washing (Exodus 30:17-21), and for the use of anointing oil and incense. (Exodus 30:22-38)  Then The Lord God gave them specific instructions regarding keeping the Sabbath Day holy. (Exodus 31:12-18)

 

APPLICATION

After giving the people of God instructions regarding how they should worship Him, The Lord God told the Israelites to remember the Sabbath Day and to keep it holy.  This He repeated from the Ten Commandments, (Exodus 20:8-11) He emphasized its importance to Him, and He expounded upon it. (Exodus 31:14-18)  The Sabbath Day, which is the seventh day of the week, would be our current Saturday.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus, The Christ, rose from the dead on the first day of the week, on Sunday.  The church began on the day of Pentecost.  The feast of Pentecost began on the day after the Sabbath, on Sunday.  As Christians we now celebrate Sunday as the Israelites celebrated the Sabbath.  Sunday is to be a day of rest and worship, and not a day of work.  It is to be a day of celebrating The Lord and fellowshipping with other believers.  This is a day for corporate praise and worship.  To God be the glory for He is worthy of our praise, honor, and worship.

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY AND KEEP IT HOLY

PROCLAMATION

“Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.”  Nehemiah 13:22 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After the people had been taught The Law, they gathered together, fasted, prayed, and wore sackcloth as they confessed their sins and asked to be forgiven. (Nehemiah 9:1-3)  Chapter three of The Bible Book of Nehemiah records the prayer that the Levites prayed. (Nehemiah 9:5-37)  Chapter ten records the agreement to keep The Lord’s commands (Nehemiah 10:28-39) which they signed and the names of the people that signed it. (Nehemiah 10:1-27)  Chapter eleven records the names of the new residents of Jerusalem.  They were the leaders and one out of every ten people who had drawn lots to become Jerusalem residents. (Nehemiah 11:1-19)  The rest of the people stayed in the towns and villages throughout Judah. (Nehemiah 11:20-36)  Chapter twelve begins by listing the names of the priests and Levites that returned to Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 12:1-26) The second half of the chapter details the events surrounding the dedication of the completed wall of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 12:27-47)  The Book of Nehemiah ends with chapter thirteen which explains the final reforms which Nehemiah instituted.  Only Israelites were to be allowed in the temple. (Nehemiah 13:1-9)  The Levites were to be given their fair share of the temple gifts and reassigned to their posts. (Nehemiah 13:10-13)  The selling of food and goods was stopped and not allowed on the Sabbath. (Nehemiah 13:15-22)  Finally, he rebuked the men of Judah who had married foreign women. (Nehemiah 13:23-28)

APPLICATION
There are some things which believers are not supposed to do.  However, some of the things which believers are allowed to do should not be done on The Sabbath Day.  The Bible teaches us to “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)  The Sabbath Day is to be a day of rest and worship.  The Sabbath Day is The Lord’s Day and He is to be our primary focus on that day.  In all that we do, let us remember to worship The Lord and give Him praise, honor, and glory on His day.

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY AND KEEP IT HOLY

Proclamation:

“Then The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites,’ ‘You must observe My Sabbaths.  This will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am The Lord, who makes you holy.’”  Exodus 31:12-13 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After The Lord God gave them the Ten Commandments and the laws, He told them that He was sending an angel to guard them, and to guide them to the place that He had prepared for them. (Exodus 23:20)  Then He confirmed the covenant that He had made with Moses. (Exodus 24:1-4)  After that He gave them specific instructions for the making of The Arc of The Covenant (Exodus 25:10-30), the making of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:1-36), the making of the altar (Exodus 27:1-8), and for the courtyard of the tabernacle. (Exodus 27:9-19)  The Lord God also gave them specific instructions regarding the making of the garments for the priests (Exodus 28:1-43), and regarding the consecration of the priests. (Exodus 29:1-46)  Then He gave them instructions for the making of an alter of incense (Exodus 30:1-10), a basin for washing (Exodus 30:17-21), and for the use of anointing oil and incense. (Exodus 30:22-38)  Then The Lord God gave them specific instructions regarding keeping the Sabbath Day holy. (Exodus 31:12-18)

Application:

After giving the people of God instructions regarding how they should worship Him, The Lord God told the Israelites to remember the Sabbath Day and to keep it holy.  This He repeated from the Ten Commandments, (Exodus 20:8-11) He emphasized its importance to Him, and He expounded upon it. (Exodus 31:14-18)  The Sabbath Day, which is the seventh day of the week, would be our current Saturday.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus, The Christ, rose from the dead on the first day of the week, on Sunday.  The church began on the day of Pentecost.  The feast of Pentecost began on the day after the Sabbath, on Sunday.  As Christians we now celebrate Sunday as the Israelites celebrated the Sabbath.  Sunday is to be a day of rest and worship, and not a day of work.  It is to be a day of celebrating The Lord and fellowshipping with other believers.  This is a day for corporate praise and worship.  To God be the glory for He is worthy of our praise, honor, and worship.

DOING GOOD CAN CAUSE YOU TO BE DISLIKED

Proclamation:

“Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?’  But they remained silent.  He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’  He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.  Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.”  Mark 3:4-6 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by John Mark, a nephew of Barnabas but not an apostle.  This is the gospel as he received it from Simon Peter.  He began the third chapter by recounting the events surrounding the healing of a man with a shriveled hand while He was in the synagogue on the Sabbath. (Mark 3:1-5)  For doing this, the Pharisees wanted to kill Him. (Mark 3:6)  Mark then discussed the large crowd that followed Jesus (Mark 3:7-12) and His appointment of His twelve disciples. (Mark 3:13-19)  Then he discussed the relationship that Jesus had with His family (Mark 3:20-21 and 31-35) and how Jesus defended Himself to those who accused Him of being possessed by the devil. (Mark 3:22-30)

Application:

The Sabbath day, or Sunday, is to be a day of rest and worship. (Exodus 20:8-11)  However, Jesus, The Christ, reveals that it is okay to do that which is good on that day.  It is always okay to save a life or to help save a lost soul.  Sometimes in order to do that which is good and right one must break one of man’s rules.  At times even our family members may not understand why we do the things that we do.  However, if what we are doing is for The Lord and we are doing God’s will to give Him glory, then we are part of His family.  A right relationship with The Lord God is more important than our blood relationship with our family.

BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO DOES WHAT IS RIGHT

Proclamation:

"This is what The Lord says: 'Maintain justice and do what is right, for My salvation is close at hand and My righteousness will soon be revealed.  Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.’" Isaiah 56:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Prophet Isaiah under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After inviting the people to become suffering servants and heirs to abundant life, Isaiah tells them to do what is right.  He tells them that The Lord says blessed is the man maintains justice, does what is right, keeps the Sabbath, and keeps from doing evil.

Application:
We are to do what is right and honor The Lord on His day and every day of the week.  Blessed are the Jews and Gentiles (Isaiah 55:6 & 56:3) who are willing to love, serve, and obey The Lord, keep the Sabbath, and turn away from evil.  According to the English Study Bible (ESV), keeping the Sabbath is a covenant sign that represents a lifestyle of devotion to The Lord.  True observance of the Sabbath entails not only refraining from work but also refraining from doing any evil.  Every Sunday we should rededicate ourselves to The Lord and renew our commitment to love Him more and serve Him better.  Blessed is the man who does this.  Knowing that which is right is not enough, we must also do right.  Part of our daily prayer should be that God will help us to recognize and do the right thing.