WHICH? by D. A. Robinson

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 17, 1878

WHICH?

By D. A. Robinson

WHICH is a relative pronoun, third person, singular or plural number, neuter gender, and, in the text below, is in the nominative case. “Which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” Col. 2:17.

We go back to the preceding verse to find the antecedent of this pronoun “which,” and learn that the apostle closes up that verse with a reference to the sabbaths; which fact, says the objector, proves the abolition of the weekly Sabbath. Before we draw so hasty a conclusion, let us look at a few facts.

1. What does Paul mean here by a shadow? All must agree that he has reference to those things that shadowed forth the world’s Redeemer. This leads us to inquire, When were such shadows introduced? The ready answer is, Not till there was a necessity for a Redeemer; or, in other words, not until man had fallen, and needed redeeming.

2. The weekly Sabbath was instituted before the fall (see Gen. 2:2, 3); consequently it cannot be a shadow, but is a memorial of creation, pointing back to that event. Ex. 20:8–11.

3. By turning to Lev. 23, we learn that the Jews had seven annual sabbaths. These were not embodied in the moral code of ten commandments, but in the law of types, shadows, and ordinances. These sabbaths were called “her sabbaths;” but of the weekly Sabbath the Lord says, “My holy day;” “The Sabbath of the Lord thy God;” &c. Isa. 58:14; Ex. 20:8–11.

Now, we wish to ascertain the real meaning of Paul’s words. Does he give us to understand that the Lord’s Sabbath was nailed to the cross, or that it was “her sabbaths” that were thus treated? Before examining his words let us consider a prophecy found in Hosea 2:11: “I will cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.” This places the matter beyond dispute. It was her feast days, new moons, sabbaths, &c., that were to cease; and these are the very days Paul has under consideration. Thus he says: “Blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. . . . Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.” Then, to prevent any misunderstanding, he adds, “Which are a shadow of things to come.” Was the weekly Sabbath a shadow? Most certainly not. It was instituted before the fall of man, which fact places it back of all shadows; so we find it pointing back to creation, and not forward to the cross. Were the annual sabbaths shadows? They were, and pointed forward to Christ.

Then we have two kinds of sabbaths in the Bible, the Sabbath of the Lord, which is the seventh day, and the shadowy sabbaths pointing to Christ. One of these two kinds was abolished; we urge the reader to decide which. See Col. 2:17.

D. A. ROBINSON.