Give me a break! Not another Sabbath question.

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blhowes

Puritan Board Professor
I heard an excellent sermon at church Sunday on John 5:1-16 about the man that was healed at the pool of Bethesda. What a blessing!

I'm getting better at not allowing myself to dwell on the negatives when listening to a sermon. At the beginning of the sermon, a point was made sort of in passing that I jotted down so I could think about it later (so that I could maintain a positive focus during the sermon).

Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, which caused quite a stir among the Jews. The Sabbath was part of the law, that was given to the Jews. The point was made that we don't follow the Sabbath law anymore, we worship on the Lord's day. For us its no longer a day of rest, because the Sabbath was fulfilled by Christ and therefore our rest is in Christ. Christians are to observe the Lord's day, which is not a day of rest, but a day of service.

That's the gist of the point that was made. I'd rather this thread not get into a debate about the Sabbath (though, if you want to, go for it), but I'd like to take a look at the Sabbath from the perspective of why God commanded the Jews to observe the Sabbath and the benefits God intended the Jews to reap when they did observe it.

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

God could have made all the trees ugly and poisonous, but He commanded the trees to grow, they were good, and we reaped a blessing from it. What good blessings do the scriptures say the Jews (and us) reaped by observing God's Sabbath command?

Here's my reasoning for this train of thought. In many churches, there's a distinction made between law and grace, the OT and the NT, where its kind of implied that one is good and one is bad. What I'd like to be able to do is point out all the blessings that God intended, then ask (those who make the distinction), "Is there some reason why God doesn't want the church to be blessed the way He blessed the Jews?"
 
So, two reasons God wants us to obey the Sabbath are so that we can delight in the Lord and so we'll be joyful in God's house of prayer. That doesn't sound bad.

Isa 58:13-14 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, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isa 56:6-7 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; 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 a house of prayer for all people.
 
Hbr 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.
Hbr 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it].
Hbr 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Hbr 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
Hbr 4:5 And in this [place] again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Hbr 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Hbr 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Hbr 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Hbr 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Hbr 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his.
Hbr 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
 
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