Our Bible Reading

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 25, 1910

Our Bible Reading

The Sabbath—The Day—The Duty

The Sabbath Law

1. What Sabbath law has God given us? See Sabbath law on this page.

NOTE.—Mark the position of the Sabbath law in the middle of the Decalogue, that recognized compendium of all morality. If it were placed at the beginning or end of the law, man might say that it formed no part of that wonderful document; that it was added by men, was ceremonial in its nature; that it did not stand on the same basis as the other nine precepts, etc. But Divine Wisdom, anticipating all these attempts to belittle the Sabbath, placed it in the very heart of that law; therefore before the impious hands of sacrilege can reach it, three moral walls guarding our duty to God on the one side, and six moral laws guarding our duty to humanity on the other side, must be broken down. So strong is the citadel of the Sabbath commandment of Jehovah. It, like all the others, is eternally moral.

Questions on the Law

2. What shows that the Sabbath is not at this time a new institution? "REMEMBER the Sabbath day."

3. What are we to remember? "The SABBATH DAY."

4. For what purpose are we to remember it? "To KEEP IT HOLY."

NOTE.—It is therefore evident that the day, the DAY of the REST (for "Sabbath" means "rest"), is not made holy by man's keeping. Man's keeping does not make it holy; man is to keep holy that which God has made holy.

5. What day of the septenary cycle, or week, is the Sabbath? "The SEVENTH day."

6. Whose Sabbath is the seventh day? "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord [Jehovah] thy God."

7. What made it the Sabbath, or rest, of Jehovah? "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, . . . and rested the SEVENTH DAY."

8. When did God thus rest? "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished. . . . And on the SEVENTH DAY God ended ["finished," A.R.V.] His work which He had made; and He RESTED on the SEVENTH DAY from all His work which He had made." Gen. 2:1, 2.

NOTE.—It is said that God finished His work on the seventh day, because the making of the Sabbath was the rounding-out of that week's work for man. God's rest on that day was a part of His week's making. His rest upon that day of the cycle made that day of the cycle His rest day to all eternity; for the fact of the rest could not be set aside. The rest was a step which Divine Wisdom felt necessary in the institution of a holy rest day.

9. What did He do after resting? "WHEREFORE the Lord BLESSED the Sabbath DAY, and HALLOWED it." "And God BLESSED the SEVENTH DAY, and SANCTIFIED it: BECAUSE that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." Gen. 2:3.

NOTE.—God "hath blessed; and I can not reverse it," said a prophet of old. Num. 23:20. He blesses, that the thing blessed may be a blessing. Gen. 12:2. So will God's Sabbath prove to him who receives it. "Sanctify" means to set apart to a holy or sacred use, to separate from the common. The sons of Aaron were flesh and blood like their brethren; but God sanctified them, set them apart, separated them from the other tribes unto the priesthood. Ex. 28:41. Mount Sinai was composed of rock and earth like other mountains; but God separated it unto Himself, and made it holy. Ex. 19:23, 12, 13. This sanctifying the Lord did by command; so also He sanctified the Sabbath. Note also that it is THE DAY, ever the DAY, not one day in seven, not a seventh part of time, but the seventh DAY.

The sufferings of Christ were all endured to save man from the penalty of a law so holy that it could not be set aside, and to win him to loving obedience to its every precept.

10. For whom was the Sabbath made and set apart? "The Sabbath was made for man." Mark 2:27. Note that it was made 2,500 years before there was a Jew, and given to generic man, the head of the race, and hence was for all the race, even as the earth was for all the race.

Memorial and Sign

11. Of what, then, is the Sabbath a memorial? "He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered." Ps. 111:4.

12. How long shall His memorial remain? "Thy name, O LORD, endureth forever; and Thy MEMORIAL, O LORD, THROUGHOUT ALL GENERATIONS." Ps. 135:13. NOTE.—If men had ever been mindful of God's Sabbath, earth would never have known an idolater. The Maker of heaven and earth would have been kept in constant remembrance.

13. Of what, then, did the Sabbath become a sign? "And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may KNOW that I am the LORD [Jehovah] your God." Eze. 20:20.

14. Of what else is it a sign? "Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD THAT SANCTIFY THEM." Eze. 20:12. NOTE.—The only power which can make holy and save the sinner is creative power; therefore the Sabbath becomes a sign of redemption as well as a memorial of creation. God created mankind; He redeems His Israel, His people, out of Egyptian bondage. Therefore to the redeemed the Sabbath comes as a twofold token of creation and of redemption. Compare Ex. 20:11 with Deut. 5:15. The power of redemption is creative power. Eph. 2:10; 2 Cor. 5:17. Even so God made known to His people the fulness of the Sabbath on Mount Sinai. Neh. 9:13, 14.

Jesus and the Sabbath

15. How did Jesus regard the law of which the Sabbath is a part? "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 be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:17-19. "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than ONE TITTLE of the LAW to FAIL." Luke 16:17. NOTE.—A "jot" is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. A "tittle" is a distinguishing point of a letter. To fulfil a moral law is to do it. Gal. 6:2. Christ kept the law and died that we might be redeemed to keep it.

16. What works did He say were allowable on the Sabbath? "It is LAWFUL [according to the Sabbath law] to do well on the Sabbath days." See Matt. 12:1-12.

17. How did He spend the Sabbath day? "As His CUSTOM was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day." Luke 4:16.

18. How did His teaching and example affect the women who accompanied Him, even after His death? "They returned and prepared spices and ointments; and RESTED the SABBATH DAY according to the commandment." Luke 23:56.

19. Who is set before the Christian as an example? "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." 1 John 2:6.

20. How did Christ walk? "Who did no sin." 1 Peter 2:22. "I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love." John 15:10.

21. How will the Christian's love be manifest? "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3.