THE SABBATH - 10 COMPELLING REASONS TO NOT OBSERVE IT

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us… (Romans 8:3-4)

If you’re a Christian who thinks you’re called to observe the Hebrew law, known as ‘the Sabbath’, here are 7 Points to take into account:

POINT #1

In the Old Testament/Covenant, there are 107 mentions of the ‘Sabbath.’ including the directives that governed observing it - namely - No work; no cooking; no pulling your ass from the well; no helping your neighbor. Nothing.

Which is why in Exodus, when the manna fell from heaven, the ONLY day the Children of Israel were permitted to collect more manna than they needed for a day, was on the day before the Sabbath.¹ Because they were forbidden to gather food on the Sabbath.

On Sabbath you eat; you sit; you talk; you pray - you go to church/temple and return. Period.

POINT #2

In the 4 Gospels, there are 58 uses of the word ‘Sabbath,’ and just about EVERY usage of the word ‘Sabbath’ falls into 2 categories:

1. When it is used to refer to a day of the week.

2. Or it appears ONLY in debates between Jesus and the Pharisees concerning whether or not it was ‘right to observe the sabbath’. Which is why where the word Sabbath appears in the Gospels, so frequently does the question.. ‘Is it lawful?’

POINT #3

In ALL of the Church Epistles - that is, in the doctrines given to the Church - there is only ONE mention of the Sabbath> That is in Colossians 2:16 where its observance is SPECIFICALLY REFUTED.

Had the Pauline Epistles been silent on this point, we might have debated whether or not to observe the Hebrew “Sabbath’. But since Paul came right out and said let NO ONE judge us with respect to holy days'[that which has been done away with], then in this ‘New Covenant time’, it is Biblically correct to NOT observe the Sabbath.

POINT #4

Today, seeing as Christians have removed the strict Biblical limitations of the Sabbath, and made it to mean what THEY want it to mean, the only purpose of observing it, is distilled down to its virtue signaling - or divisive quality - where one ‘Denomination’ does it one way, and another church does it ANOTHER WAY - IGNORING THE WARNING OF JESUS CHRIST TO NOT BE RELIGIOUS IN THIS FASHION:

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,

and have omitted the weightier matters of the law:

judgment, mercy, and faith.’ Matthew 23:23

POINT #5

The word ‘Sabbath’ in the Gospels, is NEVER used encouraging its observation. WHY? Because the Lord of the Sabbath had come - the same man that also did away with Temple sacrifices, and circumcision, and water baptism, and the Levitical law. No one needs to stone anyone caught in adultery anymore either.. Jesus showed us that.

POINT #6

In one interesting example of Jesus speaking of the foolishness of continuing to observe Sabbath, he ominously warned the Jews to pray that the their flight from Jerusalem would ‘NOT be on the Sabbath.’ [in the day that the Armageddon armies arrive]. WHY? Because their ignorant fidelity to the ‘Law’ of Sabbath could make them hesitate to run and save their own lives.

The Gospel debates always ended with Jesus NOT observing the Sabbath, and the indignance of the self righteous Pharisees that wanted to ‘kill him’ for that refusal. The Sabbath, as ALL the law, was very divisive, and still is, for pharisees that want to judge men by such things.

POINT #7

• Jesus is Lord. If HE did not see fit to observe the Sabbath, then why are Christians even divided on this point?

• Why are Christians divided on ‘which day’ to observe that which the Christ did not himself observe, nor command us to?

POINT #8

What DID the Lord command?

Here is the “GREAT COMMISSION that Jesus Christ left the Church to observe -

¹⁵ And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

¹⁶ He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

¹⁷ And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

¹⁸ They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

¹⁹ So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.’ Mark 16:15 - 19

Then he SAT DOWN. He FINISHED his works, and his commandments to his disciples, having uttered not a word about observing the Sabbath.

POINT #9

We are in a war. There is work to be done. We cannot be limited to days to work that are ‘legal’ and some that are ‘not’. Jesus, who never commanded us to observe a Sabbath did say, Pray for laborers, the fields are white to harvest.

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;” Matthew 9:37

Do NOT say to me: ‘It’s OK to heal on the Sabbath’.

Since - then you are not talking about the Biblical Sabbath. The Pharisees were not only doctors of the Law, but its most vehement enforcers. They disabused Jesus precisely because he ‘healed’ on the Sabbath day.

If you can go grocery shopping, prepare food, and heal men on the Sabbath, then it is some sort of ‘Day of rest’ with YOUR rules and regulations - NOT the Biblical Sabbath, but a tradition or law made by men - which the Lord also objected to:

‘And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ Mark 7:7

WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE ORIGINALLY OF THE SABBATH?

The Sabbath - as all of the God’s Old Covenant Laws - was designed to serve as a ‘shadow’, and as a ‘schoolmaster’ to point us to Christ - who fulfilled and ended all the ‘law for righteousness’.

But we are partakers of a better covenant, built on better promises, having no arbitrary days or rules such as ‘allowing our laborers to rest’ for the greatest law of all subsumed the old testament laws, which men never kept anyway - and that is the LAW OF LOVE. WHICH IF A MAN OBEYS, HE CANNOT HURT HIS NEIGHBOR ANYWAY. HE CANNOT COVET HIS NEIGHBORS LAND; NOR WILL HE BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST HIS NEIGHBOR; NOR WILL HE KILL HIS NEIGHBOR. WHAT THE OLD LAW COULDN’T DO, THE NEW LAW OF LOVE CAN - IF ONLY IT IS OBEYED.

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POINT #10

At the End of the Second World War, Oscar Schindler wept.. The man credited with saving 1,200 lives during the war, wished he’d saved more.

At the end of this war, no one will weep because they failed to keep the Sabbath.

1. Exodus 16:23