Related to the above and expands on some of the ideas. They are from a set of adult Sunday School notes I did a couple of years ago.
The principle that people should devote a day to rest and worship is sometimes called a "œcreation ordinance." It is a principle that has existed since creation itself. Genesis 2:2-3 reads: "œBy 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." Note that God blessed the seventh day. He also made it holy. The seventh day is a holy day, or holiday, separate from the others.
God did not rest on the seventh day because he was tired. He is omnipotent and never tires. He rested in order to provide a pattern for man´s behavior. God blessed the day for man´s benefit, not His own. This is the meaning of Jesus´ saying that "œThe Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27.
This creation ordinance was created prior to sin, the fall, the curse, and the giving of the law. This period of creation is very important for understanding why God created and what God expects of us. We must use these portions of scripture to understand what God wants from us.
The Sabbath Under the Law
The Law of Moses takes the creation ordinance and adds to it. The final product is called the "œSabbath." The Law incorporates the moral principle established at creation: man is to have one day in seven for rest and worship.
"¢ Exodus 20:8-11. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 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. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
"¢ Leviticus 23:3. There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day 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 .
Notice that the concept of resting one day in seven is so central that is part of the Ten Commandments. It is the Fourth Commandment. The Ten Commandments are a perfect summary of our moral obligations.
However, the Law goes beyond the creation pattern in two ways. First, the Law adds ceremonies and rituals to the creation ordinance.
"¢ Numbers 28:9-10. On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs a year old without defect, together with its drink offering and a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
"¢ Leviticus 24:5-9. Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Set them in two rows, six in each row, on the table of pure gold before the LORD . Along each row put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be an offering made to the LORD by fire. This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy part of their regular share of the offerings made to the LORD by fire.
Ceremonial sacrifice becomes integrated with Sabbath worship and is often referenced with the Sabbath is addressed in later scriptures. 1 Chron. 23:31; 2 Chron. 2:4; 2 Chron. 8:12-13; 2 Chron. 31:3; Nehemiah 10:32-33. Other ceremonies and feasts are also either celebrated on a Sabbath or are otherwise held on a date that is calculated based on a Sabbath. Examples include Pentecost, the Day of Atonement, the feast of firstfruits, and the feast of weeks were tied to Sabbaths.
There was no need for these sacrifices and ceremonies at the time of creation, when God introduced the principle of resting and worshipping one day in seven. The reason is that these ceremonies prefigure the redemption Christ would bring. Adam, having never sinned, did not need to be redeemed. Consider the two kinds of ceremonies done every Sabbath: the sacrificing of lambs and the replacing of ceremonial bread in the tabernacle or temple. The Book of Hebrews addresses both of these. In chapters 9 and 10 we learn that the blood of animals prefigures the blood spilled in the sacrifice of Christ. The weekly ceremonial bread indicates that the ceremonial system lacked permanence and could not clear the consciences of worshipers. These things were only to apply to the time of the new order. After Christ´s coming they no longer apply.
The second thing the Mosaic Law added to the creation principle of resting and worshipping one day in seven is criminal penalties for violating the Sabbath. Violating the Sabbath was a very serious crime worthy of death. Exodus 31:12-17; Ex. 35:2. The Law gave civil rulers the discretion to be lenient if circumstances warranted, however. For example, on different occasions Nehemiah warned people guilty of violating the Sabbath instead of punishing them. Nehemiah 13.
Note that the Fourth Commandment only mentions rest. It does not mention the other two elements added by the Mosaic Law, religious ceremony and criminal penalties.
In summary, the Mosaic Sabbath is superimposed on the creation ordinance of resting and worshipping one day in seven. The Mosaic Sabbath has three prominent features. The first is that it incorporates the creation principle of weekly rest and worship. Second, it adds rituals that prefigure the work of Christ, including bloody sacrifices. Third, it imposes criminal penalties for violation. The Sabbath is a mixture of what we described in the last class as moral, ceremonial, and judicial laws.
The Mosaic Sabbath Has Been Repealed
The Bible is clear that the Sabbath has been repealed.
"¢ Colossians 2:13-16. "œWhen you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day." The connection of Sabbaths and New Moons is a familiar phrase in the Old Testament. 1 Chron. 23:31; 2 Chron. 2:4; 2 Chron. 8:12-13 2 Chron. 31:3; Nehemiah 10:32-33. Every time these are connected, it is done in reference to ceremonial sacrifice. This should give us a sense that Colossians is addressing the sacrificial system superimposed over the creation ordinance. This passage is not speaking of the moral component.
"¢ Galatians 4:8-10. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!
"¢ Romans 14:1-6. Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
These passages refer to the Mosaic Sabbath and not to the creation ordinance which the Sabbath had incorporated. The principle of resting and worshipping one day in seven remains but the ceremonial aspects have been abrogated.
Some people would use the above passages to argue that Christians are not obliged to observe (and receive the blessing of) a day of rest and worship. This is a mistake. This is demonstrated by a number of arguments.
"¢ The passages concerning the abrogation of days and ceremonies are all in the context of the Mosaic Law. The passages are directed against the return to the Old Covenant ceremonial law (which is called Judaizing). For example, Colossians 2 concerns "œthe written code, with its regulations." Galatians is similarly concerned with "œthe Law" given by Moses. See Gal. 3-4. The creation ordinance was instituted prior to the Mosaic Law.
"¢ The reasons expressed for doing away with the Sabbath do not apply to doing away with the creation ordinance. The special days and ceremonies of the Old Covenant all prefigured the redemptive work of Christ. They prefigured His death and what His death would achieve (redemption of His people). For example, Colossians 2 says that special days and feasts were "œa shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." Hebrews has an extensive discussion of the purpose of the ceremonial law. The creation ordinance did not prefigure Christ´s redemption. Rather it was give to Adam when he was in a state of innocence (before Adam sinned). He did not need a ritual to prefigure the redemption of Christ. The holy day was a blessing for him to rest from his labor and provided a framework for engaging in the special worship of God that the tasks of ordinary life prevent us from doing on other days.
"¢ If the principles described in these passages and other passages concerning the abrogation of ceremonial requirements are applied outside of the Old Covenant ceremonial law, then all Christian ritual would be abolished. For example, Colossians 2 forbids judging on the basis of what we eat or drink. This would eliminate the Lord´s Supper. Hebrews says that external washings have expired. This would end baptism. Plainly that is not what these have in view.
"¢ If these passages applied to the creation ordinance, they would conflict with the Book of Revelation. There John describes a day as the "œLord´s Day." Revelation 1:10.
"¢ The principle of a weekly rest is embodied in the Fourth Commandment. The Ten Commandments are moral, not ceremonial. This indicates that the Sabbath is based partly on moral grounds. The ceremonial and judicial requirements of the Sabbath are contained elsewhere in the Law.
Another way to think of this is that the Mosaic Sabbath is a mixture of moral, ceremonial, and judicial law. The moral part remains. The ceremonial law has been abrogated.
As noted in a prior class, judicial laws remain to the extent required by their general equity. To the extent that the criminal or civil laws of Moses embody this equity, they can tell us something of what good laws would look like. To the extent they enforce religious ritual, they are expired. Historically Christian nations (both Protestant and Catholic) have had Christian Sabbath laws, forbidding stores from opening, etc. It is only as nations become secularized that these laws fall away.
