Another Sabbath Thread

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Repre5entYHWH

Puritan Board Freshman
so, i'm not convinced of the sabbath is binding as far as a day goes but that we have our rest in Jesus Christ but it is a tricky issue and if i assume that the 4th commandment isn't "valid" and it really is as the confession says than i am sinning against God ... should i err on the side of caution?

if so ...
i work at a place where i rotate working sundays... should i ask to have all sundays off?

is it okay to work night shift on sundays?

i drive two towns over to go to church, and while we're down there we pick up a few things... is that allowed? :confused:
 
There are no lack of threads here that address these questions, a use of the search function should suffice to find many varied opinions on the topic. I would suggest that rather than asking what is/is not lawful, instead search the scriptures to find conviction in your heart one way or another. When we focus on our 'works of obedience', we've missed the whole point and ignored what drives said works.

Theognome
 
so, i'm not convinced of the sabbath is binding as far as a day goes but that we have our rest in Jesus Christ but it is a tricky issue and if i assume that the 4th commandment isn't "valid" and it really is as the confession says than i am sinning against God ... should i err on the side of caution?

You would want to be persuaded from Scripture that the fourth commandment applies to you. (It does)

The Westminster Confession summarizes the doctrine of Scripture (below) with many Scripture proofs supporting each statement or proposition. Prayerfully consider them and ask God to help you understand, believe and follow.


if so ...
i work at a place where i rotate working sundays... should i ask to have all sundays off?

After you are convinced from God's Word, yes.

is it okay to work night shift on sundays?

Again, once you are convinced from God's Word, it's the whole day. There are some who understand it to be sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday. The majority understand it as a 24 hour day.

i drive two towns over to go to church, and while we're down there we pick up a few things... is that allowed? :confused:

Basically, the sabbath requires:
1) advance preparation
2) abstain from work
3) abstain from recreation (entertainment)

This is so that the day is kept "holy" that is, "set apart" from the ordinary affairs of the rest of the week so that one can prioritize the worship of God all the day.

The sabbath is a day to rest in thought, word and deed from those ordinary activities of the rest of the week so that you can focus on worshipping God.

God generously allows exceptions for works of "mercy" and "necessity" so that it is not unduly burdensome.

There is blessing when you obey God. Also, as you are new to this, ask God to help you enjoy the sabbath- which is really learning to enjoy time focused on Him.

That's fair- ask God to help you enjoy Him more than working, recreating or errands.


VII. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He has particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:[34] which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week: and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,[35] which, in Scripture, is called the Lord's Day,[36] and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.[37]

VIII. This Sabbath is to be kept holy unto the Lord when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their wordly employments and recreations,[38] but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.[39]

[34] EXO 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. ISA 56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. 4 For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant. 6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
[35] GEN 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 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. 1CO 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. ACT 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
[36] REV 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.
[37] EXO 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. MAT 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 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.
[38] EXO 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. EXO 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 29 See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. ISA 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. NEH 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. 19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. 21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
[39] ISA 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words.
 
It is a bad day to start this kind of thread, being the day before the 'Sabbath' (Lord's Day). Make sure it is revived again on Monday so people will see.
 
Ricky,
there is a list of do's and don't's. You can find them on other Sabbatarian threads. Just do a search on the Sabbath. But first you have to decide if you are going to be a Sabbatarian. Otherwise, looking for that list will be useless.
 
There are no lack of threads here that address these questions, a use of the search function should suffice to find many varied opinions on the topic. I would suggest that rather than asking what is/is not lawful, instead search the scriptures to find conviction in your heart one way or another. When we focus on our 'works of obedience', we've missed the whole point and ignored what drives said works.

Theognome

I think this is great advice. I wanted to add that when I first started observing the Sabbath, I was not that convinced -- I was maybe 55% sure about it. The more I practiced observing the Sabbath, the more I saw support for it in the Bible, and the more I understood and loved it. So perhaps if you're not sure, going ahead and practicing it as you study more would be helpful.
 
i seriously haven't had this much trouble dealing with an issue since i dealt with God's sovereignty in my transition from Arminian to Calvinist.

the most convincing verses is Exodus 31:16-17
Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and s on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

it seems to be eternal but from what i understand the word "gnolam" can either be perpetual or a long amount of time.

the next verse is Revelation 1:10 "the Lord's Day" could this be called the Lord's day simply because it was the day Jesus was resurrected or is this communicating the observance of the sabbath?

sorry if this is a repeat ... i didn't see these particular questions on any other thread.
 
One of the most persuasive verses on the Sabbath is where Jesus says that "the Sabbath was made for Man". If we are human then the Sabbath was made for us. Are we human beings?

This ties in with the record in Genesis that the one day in seven holy day was not first given to the Jews but to Adam and that it was written on stone at Sinai.

Also Jesus says He is "Lord of the Sabbath". How can He be Lord of the Sabbath if the Sabbath is abolished? Did He say He was Lord of any of the other Jewish Holy Days?

The Book of Hebrews - a book that deals with what has passed away from the Old Covenant - says that ''there remains the keeping of a sabbath day'' for the people of God. We still need it because - although the powers of the New Creation have entered our world since Christ's resurrection and Pentecost - we have not yet entered the perfect eternal kingdom of rest when there will be a rearrangement of work, rest, play and worship.

Until that time God has arranged our time in such a way that we have six days for work, rest, play and worship, and one day devoted to rest and worship. Things haven't changed so much between the Old Covenant period and the New, such that Man no longer needs a day devoted to rest and worship.

Notice that the Apostle John calls the first day of the week "the Lord's Day", not 2 or 3 hours in church. Also the fact it is called "the Lord's Day" ties in with the LORD calling the Sabbath "my day" in Isaiah 58.
 
Keep in mind that some things seem to be part of the very nature of creation from the beginning, long before Moses ever wrote up a law.

1. Adam being created first, then Eve ( male leadership)

2. sabbath- right from the first 7 days

3. A blood sacrifice to please God (Abel's sacrifice acceptable, not Cain's)

4. Tithing- Abraham paid tithes to melchizedek

5. ( can of worms here).....they had clean and unclean animals on the ark, and I think there might be health principles involved

I think under the New Covenant these are all given to us in a much greater way- every day is a rest in Jesus, we not only are to tithe but give sacrificially, the blood sacrifice was perfect forever, food no longer makes us pure or impure but a greater purity is given to us, and we are all the bride submitted to the perfect Adamic head. So everything natural has a greater fulfillment.

So do we focus only on the fulfillment and forget the natural? You will have to wrestle it through, but keep in mind God gave us outward physical sacraments like communion and baptism even though they represent a greater spiritual reality. We humans seem to need natural reminders and pictures to help us refocus on the spiritual realities. Just my :2cents: A 1/7 sabbath rest blesses and helps me.
 
so, i'm not convinced of the sabbath is binding as far as a day goes but that we have our rest in Jesus Christ but it is a tricky issue and if i assume that the 4th commandment isn't "valid" and it really is as the confession says than i am sinning against God ... should i err on the side of caution?

if so ...
i work at a place where i rotate working sundays... should i ask to have all sundays off?

is it okay to work night shift on sundays?

i drive two towns over to go to church, and while we're down there we pick up a few things... is that allowed? :confused:


Sabbath Rest

Hebrews Chapter 4 speaks of the rest that remains, some did not enter in because of unbelief (though they observed the weekly sabbath), but we are told to labor to enter into that rest which remains.
 
Hebrews Chapter 4 speaks of the rest that remains, some did not enter in because of unbelief (though they observed the weekly sabbath), but we are told to labor to enter into that rest which remains.

i'm doing a bible study on hebrews 3&4 today ... it's hard for me to see the sabbath as a day in there because it compares it to Joshua entering the promised land and how they failed to enter it... but they did have sabbath days ...
 
Hebrews Chapter 4 speaks of the rest that remains, some did not enter in because of unbelief (though they observed the weekly sabbath), but we are told to labor to enter into that rest which remains.

i'm doing a bible study on hebrews 3&4 today ... it's hard for me to see the sabbath as a day in there because it compares it to Joshua entering the promised land and how they failed to enter it... but they did have sabbath days ...


You are correct. All references to rest are not about the single day. A careful reading will reveal there are three rests referenced there. The day, the land (briefly), and God's eternal rest (you'll notice that even in Genesis the day of rest was not limited by a "morning and evening" like the other six days). The link above leads to a very short sermon on the topic of rest. It is a three minute radio program of a pastor Edward Crawford in Puyallup WA. There are two versions, the one written and then also the one broadcast that you can listen to.

It was hard for me to understand the verse when I kept reading it with the presupposition that every reference to rest was the sabbath day. You are well along since you already see the logic of the verse is explaining it isn't!
 
this morning i thought i was a sabatarian and now i'm back to confused :book2: back to the drawing board...

Ricky, Keep at Heb 4 until you understand what the argument is! And Rom 14:5,6 works good too once you are convinced one way or the other.
 
from what i've read Romans probably isn't talking about the sabbath.. but more likely Jewish festival days.

You'll also find plenty of commentators that opine the same opinion regarding Col 2:16. If I accept their presupposition then I come to the same conclusion. :2cents:

In my studies I have found I can spin myself into a tizzy trying to prove anything from commentators opinions. Frankly, I find them to often be a detour.
 
Heb 4:9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,

σαββατισμός sabbatismos, a sabbath-rest-keeping

ἀπολείπω apoleipō, to remain/be left
2Tim.4:13, 2Tim.4:20, Jude1:6, Heb.4:6, Heb.4:9, Heb.10:26

Note, please, that by referring ALL this sabbath-rest keeping to the eschaton, the word "remains" must be turned into something future, not present. So, does one still "remain" for us, now, or not?

The Anti-Sabbatarian rejects the present "remaining" of that Sabbath for our use, now.
For him, it "remains-to-be-seen-someday" (not a sense in which the word is used).

Every Lord's Day, when God calls us to meet with him, he gives us a foretaste of the Eschaton, where Jesus already is. He comes to us, meets with us, raises us up and seats us with him in heavenly places. This is the reality, the already/not yet of the Rest that Jesus (and the glorified saints) already and fully experiences.

By all means, be a reader of the Scriptures. And remember that among the Gifts of Christ were "teachers." We still have them, the living and the dead.


Here's more food for thought. Are all 10 commandments moral? If so, then the fourth, right there in the midst is fundamentally moral as well. Might as well find out the best, the biblical way to "remember" it. :2cents:
 
Heb 4:9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,

σαββατισμός sabbatismos, a sabbath-rest-keeping

ἀπολείπω apoleipō, to remain/be left
2Tim.4:13, 2Tim.4:20, Jude1:6, Heb.4:6, Heb.4:9, Heb.10:26

Note, please, that by referring ALL this sabbath-rest keeping to the eschaton, the word "remains" must be turned into something future, not present. So, does one still "remain" for us, now, or not?

The Anti-Sabbatarian rejects the present "remaining" of that Sabbath for us, now.
For him, it "remains-to-be-seen-someday" (not a sense in which the word is used).

Every Lord's Day, when God calls us to meet with him, he gives us a foretaste of the Eschaton, where Jesus already is. He comes to us, meets with us, raises us up and seats us with him in heavenly places. This is the reality, the already/not yet of the Rest that Jesus (and the glorified saints) already and fully experiences.

By all means, be a reader of the Scriptures. And remember that among the Gifts of Christ were "teachers." We still have them, the living and the dead.


Here's more food for thought. Are all 10 commandments moral? If so, then the fourth, right there in the midst is fundamentally moral as well. Might as well find out the best, the biblical way to "remember" it. :2cents:


In verse 7 the command is "Today" as spoken by David, but if Joshua had given them rest (in the land, or weekly) then David had no reason to say "today, after so long a time, if you will hear His voice." Therefore there is a rest that Joshua did not take them to or have them enter each week, but a rest of God that they entered not into, the rest David spoke of "today" because they fell short of it in unbelief.

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest (that David spoke of saying "today") lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
 
But you are mistaken to say that the rest which Joshua did not provide was in reference to the Sabbath. The rest which he DID provide was the land, which can only typify heaven, the eternal rest. And every Sabbath Day, the Israelites were reminded that they were not in heaven yet, that Joshua had not given them a permanent rest. The Sabbath was the Lord's gift, and it always pointed to his rest, per Gen.2:2.

Which is why David, speaking long after the people are settled, and most certainly with reference to the Sabbath Day worship in mind, says :
Psa 95:1-7
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,​
So, David is well aware, as Hebrews also shows us, that the resting in the land is only typological. As, indeed the Sabbaths are also. The Sabbath is David's "today," the special day, which is what he calls the people to, and begs them not to profane the day by its abandonment.

The problem in our day is with all the over-realized eschatology that people try to have now. As if we were in heaven now. Well, we aren't, which is the writer-to-the-Hebrews' point. But Jesus IS, and that's the great thing. Because we are united to Christ, we also can get a foretaste, a better foretaste than the OT Sabbath, of the Eternal Rest when we come to meet with God in the Lord Jesus.

It remains, folks. This means it is a present possession of the believer, in Christ, if we will but not neglect it! Heb.4:11 is ENCOURAGING us to "labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." That is, he is telling us to put forth effort to get to Christian worship where we will be refreshed with the rest that Jesus has already attained.

Heb.4:11 isn't simply talking about striving in the Christian life, or in any way working so as to be sure to get to heaven. It is very much NOT speaking thus. The strongest note in the book is "don't lose FAITH;" it isn't "you work hard on your Christian life."

It is speaking in parallel to Heb.10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Or also Heb.12:22, "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels."

The book of Hebrews is practically a sermon (it probably WAS a sermon at some point), and is FULL of these liturgical elements, references to the meeting of gathered saints. Here's another: Christ, the leitourgos "of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man," (Heb.8:2). That would make him "leader of our liturgy."


Let's not take away from the EXCELLENCE of one day, Today, which in the context is the day of Sabbath worship, by making everything "worship." Everything isn't worship, it never has been since the beginning of the world, when there was a "time" for meeting with God in the cool of the day. When we make everything worship in the special sense, then there's no time for the special presence of God. There's literally "nothing special" about it. Is that what we want?
 
But you are mistaken to say that the rest which Joshua did not provide was the Sabbath. The rest which he DID provide was the land, which can only typify heaven, the eternal rest. And every Sabbath Day, the Israelites were reminded that they were not in heaven yet, that Joshua had not given them a permanent rest.

Which is why David, speaking long after the people are settled, and most certainly with reference to the Sabbath Day worship in mind, says :
Psa 95:1-7
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,​
So, David is well aware, as Hebrews also shows us, that the resting in the land is only typological. As, indeed the Sabbaths are also. The Sabbath is David's "today," the special day, which is what he calls the people to, and begs them not to profane the day by its abandonment.

The problem in our day is with all the over-realized eschatology that people try to have now. As if we were in heaven now. Well, we aren't, which is the writer-to-the-Hebrews' point. But Jesus IS, and that's the great thing. Because we are united to Christ, we also can get a foretaste, a better foretaste than the OT Sabbath, of the Eternal Rest when we come to meet with God in the Lord Jesus.

It remains, folks. This means it is a present possession of the believer, in Christ, if we will but not neglect it! Heb.4:11 is ENCOURAGING us to "labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." That is, he is telling us to put forth effort to get to Christian worship where we will be refreshed with the rest that Jesus has already attained.

Heb.4:11 isn't simply talking about striving in the Christian life, or in any way working so as to be sure to get to heaven. It is speaking in parallel to Heb.10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching," and Heb.12:22 "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels."

The book of Hebrews is practically a sermon (it probably WAS a sermon at some point), and is FULL of these liturgical elements, references to the meeting of gathered saints. Here's another: Christ, the leitourgos "of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man," (Heb.8:2). That would make him "leader of the liturgy."

Let's not take away from the EXCELLENCE of one day, Today, which in the context is the day of Sabbath worship, by making everything "worship." Everything isn't worship, it never has been since the beginning of the world, when there was a "time" for meeting with God in the cool of the day. When we make everything worship in the special sense, then there's no time for the special presence of God. There's literally "nothing special" about it. Is that what we want?


Heb 4:1 "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." That isn't the weekly rest. It does appear to be the same rest of 4:3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11.

Plenty of them observed the weekly rest but it is said of some of them "to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief."--yet they observed the weekly rest.
 
Bryan,
Keeping the Sabbath day in vain was and is a sin.
Ex.31:13 "You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, 'Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.'"​
This was the command, but it was regularly disobeyed.
Jer.17:22-23 "And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction."​
And earlier...
Is.1:13 "...New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations-- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.​
So, their weekly observance was often mere formalism. No better to them than living in the land without faith. In fact a condemnation.


The word in v9 is quite unique. It's possibly a "coined" term by this author, not found in any prior literature. It needs to be thus appreciated. Why did the author create/insert such an expression?

So it simply isn't the case that the passage dismisses Sabbath, even when he indicates that Christ has rested, as with God at creation. In fact, the Sabbath is introduced (verbatim) as an intermediate conclusion out of the main thrust of the passage.

He tells us v1 there is an opportunity for the believers to enter the "rest" (which is eternal); the discussion actually begins in ch.3, though in a different vein (comparing Christ and Moses), and the bringing in of Ps.95-second-half keeps coming back to v7 of the Psalm. From 3:13 the emphasis on "today" is on the immediacy and urgency of the exhortation. Whereas in 4:7, "today" is once again referred to as a specific day, an appointed day, as fit David's original context (double-referent, "today" as "right now" and as "Sabbath").

From that rest v1 (consistently κατάπαυσις, katapausis), he analogizes to God's resting in the everlasting rest, of which Canaan was but a type. V6 speaks the truth that everyone who is alive on earth knows: that some have yet to join the heavenly rest.

Since it remains a present reality which may be entered, and some have already passed away who refused to enter, you should listen to David, who long ago exhorted his fellows to come with him and rest. But, if he was talking about Canaan's land, then he would have no reason to say "today, come get your rest," because they would already have it. So, plainly Israel had not achieved God's final intent. David isn't speaking nonsense. He's calling them to come with him to the place of grace-experience, and don't delay. He's calling them away from unbelief to the exhibition of faith in worship. There they will find a better, truer rest.

In fact, it is crystal clear from Ps.95-first-half that David is speaking of the appointed gathering of the people at worship. Which is how the present author applies his exposition, leading the reader to the "Sabbath-rest-keeping" that remains. He exhorts the reader to enter the rest, but he's not telling him to "work" for heaven, rather to get to the place of the offered grace--where he finds the sharp Word (v12), where his sin is exposed (v13), where he finds his high priest (v14), and where he approaches the throne of grace (v16). Ours is an even farther advance upon David's.


When do we enter Christ's rest, brother? Ultimately in glory, but the writer to the Hebrews is saying we should be entering it Today. We need to be going with David to the Tabernacle.
 
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