THE PURPOSE OF THE SABBATH.
By T.
No better statement of the purpose of the Sabbath can be found than is given in the Sabbath commandment itself. It is but natural for us to want to know the purpose, or object, that our Creator had in giving us the Sabbath. And since He who made the Sabbath is the only one competent to give its purpose, let us turn at once to His book and read the Sabbath commandment. It is as follows:— “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Ex. 20:8-11. Observe that the first part of the commandment tells us the one day of the week which is the Sabbath. Then it is specified particularly that no manner of work is to be done within our premises by any one or any thing on the Sabbath day. Following these statements the reason for the giving of the Sabbath is presented. It is all summed up in the few words: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” The word “for,” which introduces the foregoing statement, is equivalent to because. In Gen. 3:14 the same Hebrew word כִּי (ki) is rendered “because.” Gesenius defines this Hebrew particle as “marking the cause and reason of anything.” Then the reason why God gave the Sabbath and commanded us to rest upon it is “because in six days” He “made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.” And then it is added, “Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” The word “wherefore” is equivalent to “for this reason.” The words עַל־כֵּן (ăl-kēn) from which “wherefore” is here translated, are defined by Gesenius to mean “on that account, therefore.” Then since God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh, it is “on that account” that He gave the Sabbath day to man. Thus do we see that in the commandment the fact is doubly stated that the Sabbath was given “because” the Lord had created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” It would be useless to try to make anything plainer than this verse of Scripture makes the reason for giving the Sabbath. Then let us study God’s reason for Sabbath-giving, and consequently for Sabbath-keeping, so that we may be able to enter into the real spirit of His plan. The Author of the Sabbath is also the Author of creation. He not only created the earth and sea, but He also made every living, moving thing, including man. And after He had performed all this great work in six days, He rested on the seventh and blessed and sanctified it. Men build great and costly monuments of stone to commemorate their great deeds; but the Lord instituted the Sabbath for a monumental memorial of His wonderful works in creation. The foundations of the monuments that men build are laid upon the earth; but this monumental memorial of Jehovah has its foundations in the palpitating hearts of men. There are wonderful lessons for us in the created works of our heavenly Father. So important does He regard these lessons, that He has set apart, and blessed and hallowed one-seventh of our time for the purpose of allowing us untrammeled freedom in studying what He has done in creation, and what He continues to do in upholding what His mighty power has formed. The Sabbath is not merely a day of rest. It is indeed a rest-day; but it is much more than that. It is a memorial day. It points the mind back to creation morning, and then bids us look about us to see how powerfully that creation is sustained. We are reminded of the care the Lord has for His creation, by observing how undeviatingly everything follows the natural, divine law. The tree, the herb, and the grass still bring forth their seeds and grow, and we have the regularly recurring springtime, summer, and winter. And this is all in response to that creative command of Jehovah, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth.” Gen. 1:11. Satanic influences would seek to have us look upon the Sabbath as merely a part of church dogma; but let us see this wonderful memorial of creation in the light in which its divine Author has placed it. Next week the usefulness of the Sabbath will be considered.