Sermon: "Understanding the 4th Commandment" - An Invitation to Stop!
We live in an old farmhouse. In the living room, we have those long narrow windows typical of that type of house. My favorite chair sits in one corner near a window. It's a high back, padded chair-very comfortable. I sit there to watch football games, read my Bible, read the newspaper and to just relax.
The way the sun shines in that window, from about noon to mid afternoon, it delivers a narrow stream of warm comfortable heat. It is just perfect for taking a short refreshing nap. Our cat, Tux, knows this and often we see him stretched out across the top of the high backed chair soaking up the sunshine.
On occasion, when I am home for lunch, I will get a quick bite to eat. But then, I curl up in that chair or on the floor in front of it and join Tux for 15 to 20 minutes of sublime relaxation and refreshment. What a treat that is for me in the middle of a busy day.
That scenario reminds me of the attitude of a gift that God has given to us, to refresh us, to renew our spirits, to revive our souls. But it is a gift many of us refuse to receive.
I'm speaking about the Sabbath. It was a gift, important enough to God that he instructed his people to take it, in his list of "10 most important instructions." But his people refused to take it almost from the very beginning. Not only that, some people made this gift into a ball and chain and hung it around the necks of God's people.
There is a story in John's gospel, which shows us how the fourth Commandment has been misunderstood. I want to read this story, and then we will try to gain some understanding of God's intention when he gave the 4th Commandment. Today this commandment is widely ignored by God's people and we are paying the price.
I. Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
John 9:1-16 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" Some claimed that he was.
Others said, "No, he only looks like him."
But he himself insisted, "I am the man."
"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.
He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."
"Where is this man?" they asked him.
"I don't know," he said.
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."
Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath."
But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.
Something wonderful has happened. A man who has been blind all his life is miraculously healed. How could anyone find fault with that? But some did. They were the most religious folk. They were so enslaved to their religious laws that they missed out on a chance to celebrate with this man.
Instead they were concerned that Jesus had not "kept the Sabbath." As far as they were concerned, Jesus had done some work on this holy day and that negated any good he might have been trying to do for the blind man.
We struggle with the same issue today, don't we? What are we allowed to do on Sunday and what is out of bounds? Is it okay to mow your lawn on Sunday, or keep your business open on Sunday? Is it right to go shopping on Sunday or even out to eat? Because all of these activities require someone to do some work and we have heard that Sunday is a day of rest.
Consequently we either become legalistic about the 4th commandment or we ignore it all together and pretend it isn't there. We don't have time this morning to investigate the whole issue so I plan on taking 4 Wednesday evenings in October to look at this gift, a Sabbath a week, that God has given us. I invite you to come and join us in the Bible study.
I believe Understanding and obeying the 4th Commandment will refresh your life. Keeping the Sabbath is not meant to be a burden, rather it is a gift God gives to his people as a sign of His love and concern for them.
Let's try to understand it.
II. God's Fourth Commandment
The concept of a sabbath day was actually established before God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. He introduced the concept as he provided food for his people in the desert. This story is about gathering 'manna' for the people to eat.
Exodus 16:22-30 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers (4 quarts) for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, "This is what the LORD commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.' "
So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. "Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any."
Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go out." So the people rested on the seventh day.
The Hebrew word, 'sabatt,' really means: to cease, to stop, to stop working, to celebrate. It is not necessarily a day of rest - if by that you mean: sitting back and doing what you please.
Notice something important in verse 29:
"Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath."
You may recall that in one confrontation over Sabbath activities, Jesus said,
"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."Mark 2:27
God did not get the idea of a Sabbath day and then think of what he wanted people to do that day. He looked at man’s situation and said, “They need a day when they can stop their normal work and worship me.” So he gave us such a day and called it a “Sabbath.”
A. It’s Initial Statement
God included his idea of a Sabbath in the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
What were the Israelites to remember? Turn in your bibles to the beginning,
Genesis 2:2-3 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
The word Sabbath is not used here. But these verses are part of the foundation on which God builds his concept of keeping time and in it he already plans to show mercy to his people.
Now when I read Genesis 2 I often get a picture in my mind of God working really hard to create the world. I can almost imagine the conversation between God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
“Oh, we’ve got to get this done before the end of the week. Let’s see, what should we do next? There we’ve got the sun ready for tomorrow, at least we’ll be able to see better now. It’s good we got those plants made so the animals will have something to eat. Hey, let’s make something like us – let’s make a man. Oh wow, that is really good. But we better hurry. The sun’s almost down and we can’t work tomorrow.”
Then God gets to the seventh day and says, “Whew, we are really tired. Let’s just rest today and hang out – so he does.”
That might resemble some of our thoughts as we approach the end of a week, but it is not an accurate picture of God. God did not need to rest because he had worked hard all week. It would probably be more accurate to use the word ‘cease’ or ‘stop’ rather than rest.
Now Genesis 2 reads like this:
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he stopped doing the work of creation. He blessed it and made it holy”
In other words, he designated it as a special day, different from the other six, and a day that would forever be a day for remembering, restoration and peace.
This is what the people in Exodus are to remember. And God expands on his instructions to help his people understand what he meant.
Exodus 20:9-10 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
God says, ”Go ahead and work hard for six days. But I have given you a gift of the seventh day when you can stop that work, and take time to remember and be refreshed.”
This day is not a day for: “You must do this. You must do that. You can’t do this. You can’t do that.” It is not a day to governed by a bunch of rules. God has a different concept in mind.
God’s concept of the Sabbath includes:
B: Social Concerns – justice and mercy
Exodus 23:9-12 "Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.
"For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
"Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.
God shows that he wants his people to have sympathy for strangers and foreigners, as well as to support the poor. He wants them to recall their own slavery in Egypt and their own helpless condition. He expects that this will lead to genuine concern for, and action on behalf of the poor among them.
What will jog their memories? A special day every week when they will stop their regular activities and gather to remember and worship God.
The Sabbath is also:
C. A Sign of God’s Covenant with Israel.
God brings up the Sabbath again in
Exodus 31:12-17 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
" 'Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.' "
In this passage we learn several things about the Sabbath.
1. Observing the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant God made with Israel.
In short the agreement was: “I am your God and you are my people.
You must listen to what I say and in return I will take care of you forever.”
Now to those of us who think we can take care of ourselves, that sounds a little pushy and overbearing. But to the person who recognizes that they really are weak and helpless, this is really good news.
How were they going to remember this good news? Every seven days God gave them a gift of a Sabbath day when they could stop what they do regularly and…
2. Use it to Celebrate their special relationship with God.
God gave extensive instructions on what the celebrations should look like if they were to please Him. You see, a typical religious celebration of the day was a drunken, gluttonous, sex orgy when people used every imaginable way to try and satisfy their own pleasures.
God said, “No, that is not what I want. Celebrate by remembering how I rescued you from bondage. Offer sacrifices that will remind you of the cost of your rescue. Sing praise songs so you remember how great and good your God is."
The Sabbath was a sign to the people themselves and to the surrounding nations of God’s special relationship with his people. It was almost like a drama, acted out every seven days - but filled with the most sincere meaning.
How sincere was God about this sign and celebration?
3. Anyone who desecrated this holy day would be put to death.
There is a story in Numbers 15 of a man who didn’t pay attention to these instructions. He went out and collected firewood on the Sabbath. At God’s command he was stoned to death. That story is rather unsettling for me. But it reminds me, God was serious about his concept of the Sabbath for his people.
Let’s consider:
D. A few more instructions
1. You should not ignore the Sabbath even during plowing and harvesting season.
Exodus 34:21 Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.
We have a saying – make hay while the sun shines. In other words: there are some things that need to be done when the time is right.
God is telling the Israelites not to ignore observing the Sabbath, no matter how demanding and urgent the regular work appears to be.
2. Don’t light a fire
Exodus 35:3 Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.
This would be a fire for cooking food. It was so important for the Israelites to remember the Sabbath and keep it as a special day that they should not even cook food on that day. You see that was an ordinary task for someone. God wanted to give this special gift of a Sabbath even to the cook.
3. Have a sacred Assembly
Leviticus 23:3 There are six days when you may work, but the seventh is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord.
God gave his people a Sabbath so they could gather together and celebrate. Notice it was to be a sacred assembly not a solemn assembly.
4. Remember you were slaves in Egypt and I rescued you.
Deuteronomy 5:15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
God said, “once a week you need to remember how desperate and helpless you were and that it was I, God Almighty, who rescued you."
Are you beginning to understand what a Sabbath was all about, what God hoped to accomplish with this 4th Commandment for the Israelites?
II. What does All this Mean
A. A Sabbath reminds people of God’s work in creation and the fact that people, animals and servants need a period of regular rest.
Unlike God, who does not grow weary, people do. God is giving us permission, in fact inviting us to cease from our regular rat race and take a day to be refreshed in body, soul and spirit. We get addicted to activity and think if we do more we will accomplish more. We think we will be more satisfied with life if we take advantage of every opportunity instead of carefully choosing our activities and doing less.
God has set aside a day a week - made it special - that's why it's holy - for us. It is different from the other days of the week.
A holy day is profane or desecrated when it is treated like any other day - When it is treated as if it lacks any special significance.
B. The Sabbath was given so that people could gather and worship God and be refreshed.
Every celebration of the Sabbath reminded the believer that God had made a covenant with him. And that the fulfillment of the obligations of the covenant was his responsibility.
Do you see why we encourage one another to stop our regular activities and gather once a week?
The sign of the new covenant for a Christian should be the celebration and remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Hopefully that is what is going on when we gather here Sunday after Sunday.
C. God promises to reward those who keep this commandment.
Isaiah 58:13-14 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
The emphasis in Isaiah is very important. Isaiah makes it clear that God is not looking for people who will religiously follow a set of rules as if that is "keeping the Sabbath."
Keeping the Sabbath is ceasing from doing as you please or doing your own thing on the Sabbath. Unfortunately, the attitude of many after a week of hard work is:
"Oh good, now I can do what I want. It's too bad I'm going to be interrupted for an hour on Sunday, while I do my Christian duty and go to church."
God isn't interested in that type of Sabbath keeping because Sabbath keeping is not simply an external affair - that is something you do so others can see it.
D.Sabbath keeping is a spiritual attitude as well.
We have already talked about the celebrating and remembering of the covenant. Some strict Jews kept the seventh day as an official day of rest and did all the prescribed sacrificial offerings. But they actually profaned or desecrated the day because of their inward sinfulness, greed, idolatry and rebellion against God.
We do the same thing, if we act like we are interested in renewing our relationship with God each week, when in fact, we can't wait to have our time to ourselves to do our own thing.
Harold Dressler summarizes the whole concept this way.
"Observing the Sabbath unto YAWEH (that is God), to keep it holy, meant to enter into this day with a thankful spirit, praising God's loving loyalty and faithfulness, proclaiming the omnipotence and righteousness of God, at the same time keeping justice and doing righteousness, as his covenant people.
God gave us the Sabbath to be a spiritual holy day, a day that would refresh both body and soul.
How do you observe a Sabbath? What are you going to do and think about today? Over the next few months, how do you anticipate keeping a Sabbath?
I hope this lesson has helped us to think about how we should deal with the 4th Commandment. I also hope it is has raised questions in your mind that you want to investigate.
I invite you to dialogue with me through e-mail or on the phone, or better yet, come out to our Bible study the next four Wednesdays and we'll learn together about this Commandment.
Folks, many of us are running ragged, we are shriveling up inside, and God is giving us an invitation to stop - A Sabbath.