Lesson 7 for February 18, 2012

“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis, 2: 1-3) 1.God ended the Creation on Sabbath. 2.God rested on Sabbath. 3.God blessed the Sabbath. 4.God sanctified the Sabbath. When is Sabbath first mentioned in the Bible? What four acts did God perform in the first Sabbath of Creation? Why is the expression “seventh day” repeated three times in those verses?

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus, 20: 8-11) We remember Creation and follow our Creator’s example on Sabbath day. God rested on Sabbath. God sanctified the Sabbath.God blessed the Sabbath. We must rest on Sabbath. We must sanctify the Sabbath, separating it from the rest of the time to devote its hours to serve God. We are blessed when we rest on Sabbath. According to Exodus 20: 8-11, shy must we keep the Sabbath day?

INTRODUCTION “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (verse 8) This contains, as an introductory opening statement, the essential principle of the Sabbath commandment as a whole. COMMAND “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (verse 9) This conveys the positive command to engage in work on six days. “In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor...” ( verse 10b) Gives the corresponding prohibitive command of refraining from any work on the Sabbath day, including the inclusive application to the entire family. Even the domestic animals, as well as any guests in the home, are included. MOTIVATION “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (verse 10a) This acknowledges the time factor in the six- days/seventh-day sequence by emphasizing that “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.” “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea... and rested...” (verse 11a) This contains the formal motivation clause with the introductory “for” or “because.” It presents the detailed motivation in terms of the Lord’s six days of work and His resting on the seventh day, rooting it directly in the first Sabbath of Creation week. CONCLUSION “Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (verse 11b) This is an independent clause, starting with a “Therefore” and also forming the conclusion. The last words of the commandment, “and made it holy,” correspond to the exhortation of the opening principle. What can we learn if you deeply analyze the fourth commandment?

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day” (Deuteronomy, 5: 12-15) God draws our attention to the freedom from the slavery of sin by emphasizing the freedom from the slavery of Egypt. After sin, Sabbath reminds us about both the work of Creation and the work of REDEMPTION. Both versions of this commandment show that Sabbath (the seventh day) is a symbol of the work of Jesus our Creator and Redeemer. God draws our attention to the freedom from the slavery of sin by emphasizing the freedom from the slavery of Egypt. After sin, Sabbath reminds us about both the work of Creation and the work of REDEMPTION. Both versions of this commandment show that Sabbath (the seventh day) is a symbol of the work of Jesus our Creator and Redeemer. According to Deuteronomy 5: 12-15, why must we keep the Sabbath day?

The important thing for Jesus was people, mercy, kindness and love for others. Jesus didn’t declare Sabbath null, but He threw light on how to observe it: “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Mathew, 12: 12) The Pharisees had surrounded the Sabbath with hundreds of little laws. They were worried about Sabbath being correctly observed. In fact, they excommunicated a blind man because he was healed on Sabbath (John, 9: 34) What do these Jesus’ words mean: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark, 2: 27)?

As we learnt before, the fourth commandment asks us to observe the Sabbath day by remembering that God is our Creator and our Redeemer. Jesus is both things.He is “Lord of the Sabbath” because of Creation and Redemption. Jesus intended for the Sabbath to call to mind God’s creative power. Thus, the Sabbath is the day when He frees the captives (Luke 4:31–37), makes the lame walk (Luke 13:10–17, John 5:1–9), and restores sight to the blind (John 9) As we learnt before, the fourth commandment asks us to observe the Sabbath day by remembering that God is our Creator and our Redeemer. Jesus is both things.He is “Lord of the Sabbath” because of Creation and Redemption. Jesus intended for the Sabbath to call to mind God’s creative power. Thus, the Sabbath is the day when He frees the captives (Luke 4:31–37), makes the lame walk (Luke 13:10–17, John 5:1–9), and restores sight to the blind (John 9) Why did Jesus state He is “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew, 12: 8)?

Jesus died on Friday before the sunset (Friday’s sunset is the moment when Sabbath begins) Because Sabbath was near, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took down the body of Jesus and quickly carried His body to Joseph’s grave, doing only the minimum preparations for His tomb (John, 19: 40) They and the disciples “rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke, 23: 56) The surprising part is that Jesus, who had the power to resurrect whenever he wanted, rested on Sabbath at the grave, too. How did Jesus link the Sabbath with His death?

Study the next comparison and ask yourself if Jesus abolish or confirmed the commandment about Sabbath.

“As we observe the Sabbath, let us remember that it is the sign which heaven has given to man that he is accepted in the Beloved; that if he is obedient, he may enter the city of God, and partake of the fruit of the tree of life. As we refrain from labor on the seventh day, we testify to the world that we are on God’s side, and are striving to live in perfect conformity to his commandments. Thus we recognize as our sovereign the God who made the world in six days and rested on the seventh” E.G.W. (Review and Herald, October 28, 1902)