INSTITUTION OF THE SABBATH.
By John Nevins Andrews
Dear Bro. Smith: I wish to offer a few thoughts relative to the institution of the Sabbath. If they are not in accordance with the Bible, I would gladly have that fact pointed out. "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. ii, 3. Hence it appears that there were three distinct acts by which he instituted the Sabbath. The first act was that of example. "He rested the seventh day from all his work which he had made." This act took place on the seventh day: for the day was occupied in the act. The last two acts are thus stated: "God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work." The blessing and sanctification of the Sabbath took place when the seventh day was past; for they were placed upon the seventh day because God had rested upon it. These two acts relate not to the first seventh day of time, for that had ceased to exist when God blessed and sanctified the seventh day: consequently they relate to the seventh day for time to come. By the first act the seventh day became the Rest-day or Sabbath of the Lord. And the fourth commandment expressly recognizes the seventh day as the Sabbath day when the first of these acts had taken place. He "rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it." Ex. xx, 11. The second act placed the blessing of God upon his Sabbath. The third act crowns and consummates the whole. To sanctify this blessed day completes the Sabbath institution. For this act is literally, according to Webster, "to set apart to a holy, sacred or religious use." The days of the week are measured off by the revolution of the earth on its axis. It is to man, therefore, and not to some other order of beings, that the days of the week thus measured are given to use. Hence when God set apart one of these days to a holy use, the very essence of the act consisted in his telling Adam how to use the day. The Hebrew verb qidash, here rendered sanctify, is repeatedly used in the Old Testament for a public appointment or proclamation. Thus, "Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly." Joel i, 14. "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly." Joel ii, 15. "And Jehu said, Proclaim [margin. Heb. sanctify] a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it." These solemn assemblies and fasts were sanctified or set apart by direct announcement of the fact to those who were to observe them. But the most striking illustration of the signification of the word may be seen by comparing Ex. xix, 12, 23. When God was about to speak the ten commandments in the hearing of Israel, he sent Moses down from the top of mount Sinai to restrain the people from touching the mount. "And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai; for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it." Turning back to verse 12, where God gave this charge to Moses, we read, And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mount or touch the border of it. Hence to set bounds round the mountain and sanctify it, was but another mode of saying, Set bounds about the mount and command the people not to touch the border of the mount. Thus to sanctify mount Sinai, or set it apart to a holy use, was to tell the people how God would have them use it. In other words to command them to treat it as holy to himself. And thus also to sanctify the Rest-day of the Lord, or to set it apart to a holy use, was to tell Adam that he should keep the day holy to the Lord. Hence it follows that Gen. ii, 3, though not a commandment for the observance of the Sabbath, is the record that such commandment was given to Adam.