Did Abraham Keep the Sabbath?
By S. B. Whitney
ALTHOUGH the argument for the Sabbath does not turn upon this question, yet as he was a man approved of God for his obedience, satisfactory evidence that he did keep the Sabbath would go far, in some minds, toward establishing its ancient obligation, and removing the objection that it was only a Jewish institution. And such evidence we think can be produced. 1. The ten commandments are God’s commanded covenant. Deut. 4:13. “And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.” 2. This covenant Abraham had. In 1 Chron. 16 is contained a psalm that David composed to be sung before the ark of ten commandments, after he had brought it from the house of Obededom, and set it in the tent that he had pitched for its reception. In verses 15–17 is the following: “Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; and hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant.” This testimony identifies the law of ten commandments, and shows that it did not originate at Mt. Sinai, but was there only confirmed to the Hebrew people, the same having been known to Abraham and Isaac. This covenant is said to have been made with Abraham in the sense of its being the condition of the promise made to him. 3. Abraham kept this covenant. Gen. 26:5. “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” All the expressions used above, such as voice, charge, &c., are applied to the ten commandments, making this testimony very explicit as to Abraham’s practice; but that, in keeping God’s “commandments” and “laws,” he kept the Sabbath, more direct evidence is found in Ex. 16. In verse 4, God says, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” The record shows that the trial related to the Sabbath, and when some of the people went out to gather manna on the Sabbath, God says, “How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?” This testimony shows that the Sabbath existed before the law was spoken upon Mt. Sinai; and it follows that, if they broke God’s “commandments” and “laws” by violating the Sabbath, therefore in keeping his “commandments” and “laws,” Abraham must have kept the Sabbath.