Sabbath Observance: Part 3 |
SABBATH – EVEN BEFORE SINAI
In the life of man, he may have to face periods of persecution because of his belief in God’s Ten Commandments; even during the difficult period of slavery in Egypt, the people remembered the commandments of God including the Sabbath observance. The Ten Commandments given by God, written by God’s own fingers should always be remembered. It will help us to remember the love of God towards us, and when we are tempted to sin it will remind us to stop sinning. At times the hearts of the people were hardened like rock; to remind them of God’s law, the commandments were inscribed on tables of stone. The birth date of a man cannot be changed to another day, for any reason. Likewise the commandments of God including the holy Sabbath day cannot be changed for any reason. It is written, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all is fulfilled.” Matthew 5:17,18 “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2 “My covenants will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.” Psalm 89:34,35 This holy Sabbath day was entrusted to Adam, the for father of mankind. Is there a Sabbath day only for Jews?“The Sabbath was made for man…” Mark 2:27,28 not only for the Jews, but for all people. So, “for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:12, 13. 2300 year’s even before the name of Judah came to be known, the Sabbath of the Lord within the Ten Commandments of God were given to Adam and Eve. So the Sabbath is not intended for Jews alone but for the whole of mankind up until the end of the world. In the days of Noah…“Seven days were the family of Noah in the ark before the rain began to descend upon the earth” 1 SP, p. 72. “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife with him, and his sons’ wives with him, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth on the earth, There went in two and unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.” Genesis. 7: 7-9. “And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.” Genesis 7:10. According to the word of God, of all the animals and birds entered into the ark within six days. Also Noah and his family entered into the ark. Before the flood began, they worshiped the Sabbath day in Noah’s ark. This proves that, according to the custom of Noah’s family, they followed the Sabbath observance. The ark, during the flood was place of shelter and safety for Noah’s family and other living things. “Anxiously did Noah and his family watch the decrease of the waters. He desired to go forth upon the earth again. He sent out a raven which flew back and forth to and from the ark. He did not receive the information he desired, and he sent forth a dove, which, finding no rest returned to the ark again. After seven days the dove was sent forth again, and when the olive leaf was seen in its mouth, there was great rejoicing by this family of eight, which had so long been shut up in the ark.” 1 S.P. p.76; Genesis 8:10,12 So, here a lesson is taught to all who should live upon the earth, that for every manifestation of God’s mercy and love toward them, the first act of all should be to render to him grateful thanks and humble worship.” S.P. Vol. 1, p. 76, 77 Manna and Sabbath“And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. “And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.” “And he said unto them, this is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that today; for today is a Sabbath unto the Lord: today ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.” Exodus. 16:14-26. “The Lord is no less particular now in regard to His Sabbath than when He gave the foregoing special directions to the children of Israel. He required them to bake that which they would bake, and seethe [that is, boil] that which they would seethe, on the sixth day, preparatory to the rest of the Sabbath. “God manifested His great care and love for His people in sending them bread from heaven. ” Man did eat angel’s food”; that is, food provided for them by the angels. The threefold miracle of the manna – a double quantity on the sixth day, and none on the seventh, and its keeping fresh through the Sabbath, while on other days it would become unfit for use – was designed to impress them with the sacredness of the Sabbath.” SP. Vol. 1, pp. 224-226. The example of the experience of the manna in the wilderness is proof that the Holy Sabbath is the Lord’s holy day. “See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, there fore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day.” Exodus. 16:29, 30. The Day of the Lord“The fourth is the connecting link between the great God and man. The Sabbath, especially, was given for the benefit of man and for the honor of God…. The Sabbath was to be a sign between God and His people forever. In this manner was it to be sign – all who should observe the Sabbath, signified by such observance that they were worshipers of the living God, the creator of the heavens and the earth. The Sabbath was to be a sign between God and His people as long as He should have a people upon the earth to serve Him.” SP. Vol, 1, p. 237. “Our heavenly father desires through the observance of the Sabbath to preserve among men a knowledge of Himself. He desires that the Sabbath shall direct our minds to Him as the true and living God, and that through knowing Him we may have life and peace.” “When the Lord delivered His people Israel from Egypt and committed to them His law, He taught them that by the observance of the Sabbath they were to be distinguished from idolaters. It was this that made the distinction between those who acknowledge the sovereignty of God and those who refuse to accept Him as their Creator and King. “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever,” the Lord said. “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.” Exodus 31:17, 16 “As the Sabbath was the sign that distinguished Israel when they came out of Egypt to enter the earthly Canaan, so it is the sign that now distinguishes God’s people as they come out from the world to enter the heavenly rest. The Sabbath is a sign of the relationship existing between God and His people, a sign that they honor His law. It distinguishes between His loyal subjects and transgressors… “The Sabbath given to the world as the sign of God as the Creator is also the sign of Him as the Sanctifier. The power that created all things is the power that re-creates the soul in His own likeness. To those who keep holy the Sabbath day it is the sign of sanctification. True sanctification is harmony with God oneness with Him in character. It is received through obedience to those principles that are the transcript of His character. And to Sabbath is the sign of obedience… “To us as to Israel the Sabbath is given “for a perpetual covenant.” To those who reverence His holy day the Sabbath is a sign that God recognizes them as His chosen people.” 6T, pp. 349, 350 “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. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among His people…. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.” Exodus. 31:13, 14, 16. AMEN. S. Raj Israel |
Sabbath Observance: Part 3michael2010-10-28T01:06:14-04:00
It is a wonderful and established fact that the Sabbath was given to man in Eden. Sabbath observance continued to the time of the IsraeliteÕs slavery in Egypt, and after their deliverance while they were living in the tents of the desert for forty years. This was a period of 2500 years from Adam to the fourth generation of Abraham (Genesis 15:16) Even before the Ten Commandments were proclaimed on Sinai, the Sabbath Commandment was in existence since Eden, and continuing with the next twenty-five generations. Both the Sabbath observance and the rest of the Ten Commandments were respected by ancient generations as a reminder of their redemption. They offered animal sacrifices as a sign of their affection towards God. The generations of ancient times were very faithful and obedient towards the commandments of God, more so than the generations of this present age.