Question 63: Which is the fourth commandment?*

Answer: The fourth commandment is, "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."

Question 66: How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?

Answer: One day in seven should be especially devoted to corporate worship and other spiritual exercises that restore the soul's rest in God and zeal for His name. It should provide physical refreshment and fit one for a week of devoted service to Christ.

DAY 1: The Sabbath Commandment – A Gift from God - Introduction

This week we begin a look at the fourth commandment. Let me start by saying that this is an issue that I feel very inadequate to speak on. However, I will try to give you my line of reasoning from the Scripture. If we disagree on this issue, please feel free to engage in some dialogue within the teaching time or after. I want my mind and conscience to be bound by Scripture and I hope that is your desire as well. In doing this study, I did take a little more time reading some historical works than usual, since I am not familiar with what some of the first century church fathers gained from the teaching of the apostles. I will have several quotes from a few of them. The one that dealt the most with the issue of the Sabbath in New Testament times was Justin Martyr. However, I do not see any of them that deal with the questions that we have posed to one another in the past, but I think we will have a sufficient answer because I do believe the Bible is sufficient regarding all matters of faith and practice.

First of all, let’s take a look at the word “Sabbath”. The Hebrew word here is shabbath (shab-bawth'). It comes from a Hebrew root shabath (shaw-bath') which means “to cease, desist, or rest”. In fact it is the root word here is the very word used in Genesis 2:2, when the Scripture says, “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.” In the Greek language, the term sabbaton (sab'-bat-on) is used. It meant “the seventh day of each week which was a sacred festival on which the Israelites were required to abstain from all work”. The emphasis of this particular law is that there is a seven day week and that out of those seven days one is to be observed for rest. Notice that the other six days are not for recreation, but for work. Work is a good and wholesome thing, just as much as the day of rest.

Notice that God clearly stated to them to “remember” the Sabbath day. Just as God Himself rested on the seventh day of Creation, now He gives a command to the people of Israel to imitate what He observed Himself. This was to keep Him, not so much the day in their memory every week. Each of the laws, once they were expounded upon in the other books of Moses, were indeed to set the people apart and remind them of the God who had brought them out of Egypt. In everything they did, ate, wore and how they conducted themselves they were given reminders of the God who was their deliverer. And the Sabbath was no exception. The Sabbath is directly linked to the deliverance of the Israelites in Deuteronomy 5:15. Though they were slaves in the land of Egypt, it was God who delivered them from bondage and eventually brought them into the Promised Land, which the Deuteronomy 12:8-11 tells us is His “rest”.

This was not the first time that the term Sabbath was used though. In Exodus 16 we find that God wanted to test the people to see if they would walk according to His law (vs.4). From this passage we can see that the people were to go out and work six days of the week and gather the manna in for food. This was God’s provision for them. However, they were to gather in enough on the sixth day to make do with for two days and that none would be sent in on the seventh day, for it would be a Sabbath rest, holy unto the LORD (vs. 23). It seems that this passage could easily be a picture of what the Lord Jesus taught his disciples to pray for in His model prayer in Matthew 6 when He said, “give us this day, our daily bread”. However, there were those in the midst of the people who went out and looked on the seventh day for manna and did not find it (vs. 27). Verse 28 indicates God’s displeasure with them. However, notice verse 29. God says that He has given the Sabbath to them. The term speaks to God bestowing the Sabbath upon them. It is a gift, not a hindrance. It was made for them (Mark 2:27).

So we can see that the fourth commandment involved the granting of a gift to the people of Israel and as we will see in a future lesson it would picture the rest provided by the Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly they would pervert it and reject the gift and disobey the commandment of God. However, the commandment itself was good and holy and just. As a matter of fact, they were to keep the Sabbath holy, because God had hallowed it Himself. We will look at what is meant by keeping it holy in the next lesson.

DAY 2: How to keep the Sabbath holy (Leviticus 23:3; Isaiah 58:13-14)

In brief, let me say that there is much on this subject of the Sabbath, so please be patient. Many of these lessons may be shortened, so that we can address other things that may come to your mind under the particular Catechism that addresses it. Today we will take a look at what it is to keep the Sabbath day holy, or as our question addresses it: sanctify the Sabbath day.

Let’s begin with Leviticus 23:3. Notice that this command to do no work on the Sabbath occurs as the LORD is speaking to Moses about the feasts that He is instating for Israel. Let us not forget this because, as we shall see, the Sabbath is tied to the feast days which are also called Sabbaths, and the New Testament says that they are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is Christ (Col. 2:16-17). The worship that occurred during the feasts also included the worship that took place in the sanctuary. The people were required to bring sacrifices and offer them before the Lord. Notice for the Sabbath, that the worship was holy, even in all their dwellings. This does not just mean their houses, but also meant when they were away in another land, or a journey. They were to always observe the Sabbath.

Why were they to observe the Sabbath? Well, it might seem obvious, but it was because God had commanded it. He said that the Sabbath was to be a solemn rest, a holy convocation. The word used for solemn rest (shabbathown shab-baw-thone') indicates that which is prescribed by God for rest on the Sabbath. In other words, for our understanding, it was not that they rested like they rested at night when they went to bed, but that they rested from their laboring for profit or gain and gave themselves to the thoughts and service of God. The phrase “holy convocation” (qodesh miqra' ko'-desh mik-raw') means that the people came together and the Word of God would be exalted in their midst. The Sabbath would be a time when the worship of God would be the centerpiece of the day. This day was to be different than the hustle and bustle of the routine days of work. It was to be one that refreshed the body, mind, & soul with the meditation on God, His law, and glorifying Him in works of righteousness and mercy. As a matter of fact, anyone found not keeping the Sabbath holy, but trying to work for gain was put to death (Ex. 31:15). We will get into specifics regarding exactly what was required and forbidden in a later lesson.

I believe that just as we spoke of in the first day’s lesson, we see that God gave the Sabbath to Israel as a gift. This gift was for their benefit and for blessing. In Isaiah 58 God communicates the blessing associated with honoring Him by observing His day and finding delight in it. Notice that god is rebuking His people because they have obtained the “form of religious worship”, but their hearts are not in it. They have involved themselves in fasting and a less than heart felt worship of God. They don’t take their fasting seriously (vs. 3). As a matter of fact, it would be well know that they were fasting, but their behavior was not that which was broken though they wore the cloaks of humiliation (vs. 5). Rather they were contentious and desired to stir up strife (vs. 4). God had certainly not appointed their fasting. However, the things He desired He spelled out to the people in verses 6-7. From there He begins to tell them of the blessings that would be theirs if they pursued His ways.

In verse 13 He clearly tells them to depart from their own pleasures on the day that He has set aside. In other words they were not free to worship as they wished, but as God had appointed. If they called the Sabbath a delight and called the day honorable and honor God by doing so and by forsaking their own ways, then they would indeed delight themselves in the LORD. However, we know that part of the problem with Israel was that they chose to forsake the Sabbaths that God had given them and so they paid for it. One of the reasons for their captivity in Babylon was because they failed to keep the seven year Sabbath of the land that the Lord had given them (cf. Lev. 25:4-5; 26:34-43; Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10). We also see that Isaiah is warning the people of their Sabbath worship. Again, Isaiah makes the keeping of the Sabbath a matter of the heart more than the fulfillment of laws. The people may go through the religious experience outwardly, but eventually what was in their own hearts manifested to where even the observance of the Sabbath became something that was profane.

Therefore we see that keeping the Sabbath was not just about the absence of gainful work, but it also spoke to not doing what you thought might be ok in your own eyes. In other words you did not observe the day as you pleased, but as God had prescribed and that would include serious thought about God and one’s own sin and repenting of it. It would involve taking care of the sick, hungry, naked and those with need. This would then become a delight to the person who involved themselves in these things. Why? It was because they would truly be delighting themselves in God.

DAY 3: What does Jesus say regarding the sanctification of the Sabbath? (Matthew 12:1-14; Rom. 14:5-6)

We have seen that God instituted the Sabbath for Israel. There is no where in the Old or New Testament that the Sabbath was for anyone other than them. However, as our the commandment says, “a stranger in your gates” could refer to those who were not Jewish, although predominantly it would be relatives. During the time from the commandment till the time of Christ and even to the present some of the leadership began to focus on the demands of the Sabbath rather than regarding the principle of rest from their labors and the giving of that time, which was once used for profit to works of necessity, mercy, and righteousness. Some of these were illustrated to me in John MacArthur’s New Testament Commentary on Matthew. Let me share a few of them with you.

Basic length of travel was 3,000 feet from one’s house; with exceptions. (1) If there was food that had been placed within 3,000 feet of your house, you could go there to eat it and because food was considered an extension of the house you could go another 3,000 feet beyond it. (2) If a rope were placed across an adjoining street or alley, the building on the other side, as well as the alley between, could be considered part of your house.

A Jew could not carry a load heavier than a dried fig; but if an object weighed half that amount he could carry it twice.

You could eat nothing larger than an olive; and even if you tasted half an olive, found it to be rotten and spit it out, that half was considered to have been eaten as far as the allowance was concerned.

Tailors did not carry a needle with them on the Sabbath for fear they might be tempted to mend a garment and thereby perform work.

Nothing could be bought or sold, and clothing could not be dyed or washed.

A letter could not be dispatched, even if by the hand of a Gentile.

No fire could be lit or extinguished – including fire for a lamp – although a fire already lit could be used within certain limits. For that reason, some orthodox Jews today use automatic timers to turn on lights in their homes will before the Sabbath begins. Otherwise they might forget to turn them on in time and have to spend the night in the dark.

Baths could not be taken for fear some of the water might spill onto the floor and “wash” it.

Chairs could not be moved because dragging them might make a furrow in the ground.

A woman was not to look in a mirror lest she see a gray hair and be tempted to pull it out.

You could carry ink enough to draw only two letters of the alphabet.

False teeth could not be worn because they exceeded the weight limit for burdens.

Instead of rest, the people had been put under severe strain and a burden was placed on them that was too heavy for them to carry. As a matter of fact, those who placed the burden on them couldn’t carry it themselves, nor would they help those that they were teaching to do as they were doing. Therefore, they received the condemnation of the Lord of the Sabbath.

In the time of Christ, roads were being constructed, but they were few. Many travelers would pass through fields and other paths that were on someone else’s property. When they did so, they might often become hungry. When they were hungry, they might often reach out and do just as the disciples did in this passage. They would take some of the heads of the grain (KJV renders this as ears of corn) and eat them. The law did not forbid this as the Pharisees had made the accusation. Rather Deuteronomy 23:25 clearly states that they could do exactly what they were doing on the Sabbath. They just could not go in a harvest the crop. They could satisfy their hunger. Again, the Sabbath was a gift, not a burden. God did not institute it so that people would have to go hungry.

The Talmud said, “If a person rolls wheat to remove the husks, it is sifting. If he rubs the heads of wheat, it is threshing. If he cleans off the side adherences, it is sifting. If he bruises the ears, it is grinding. And if he throws it up in his hand, it is winnowing.” Does this look like Deuteronomy 23:25? No, it does not. This is an important note. Immediately, as this scenario unfolds, the Pharisees have already thought in line with tradition. Tradition can be a good thing in the sense that righteous things are passed on from generation to generation. However, if were are perverse in our ways, then those traditions become a source of enslavement rather than blessing. This was the case of the Pharisees. They were enslaved to their traditions even to the point where they neglected the true teaching of the law.

What is truly upsetting to them in this passage is the words of Jesus in the next verse. “Have ye not read?” These were those who prided themselves in the understanding and teaching and keeping of the law. Jesus’ words must have stung as you can almost hear the sarcastic tone in His voice. Then He gives two illustrations of “unlawful” deeds performed in the past. First, he reminds them of David. David is fleeing the pursuit of Saul and has come to the tabernacle. The priest there, Ahimelech, met David and was fearful. This is possibly because he had heard about the conflict between Saul and David. In any case, notice that David has a concern for his men. There seem to be only a handful of men with him, since Ahimelech acknowledges that David has come alone (vs. 1). David is seeking food for himself and his men. Therefore, he asks the priest for some bread for them (five loaves in fact). However, the priest informs him that there is no common bread, but only holy bread. Now Jesus informs us that this bread was not the thank offering that some Jewish rabbis believe it to be. Rather it is the showbread. This was a holy bread that was continually placed before the Lord on the table of showbread. We know that this incident was also occurring on the Sabbath (cf. 1 Sam. 21:6; Lev. 24:8). So the bread that was given to David and his men was actually to be consumed by the priests and their sons (Lev. 24:9). Was David condemned for this? Was Ahimelech condemned for this? No. As a matter of fact Ahimelech inquired of the Lord in this matter of David (1 Sam. 22:10). So we see that the great king David had partaken of the showbread, which was to be only for the priests and he did so on the Sabbath and was not condemned for it.

The second example that Jesus laid before the Pharisees was that of the priests. They busy themselves in the temple all day long on the Sabbath, thus profaning the Sabbath. In other words they desecrate the Sabbath in order to fulfill the requirements. This would seem to indicate that the Sabbath was not entirely moral, in the fact that there wee to be strict adherences to the wordage used. However, there was a principle involved. As we look to the commandment itself, its emphasis is on the principle of setting apart one day in seven unto God. In other words, there were certain “works” that could be performed on the Sabbath day. Jesus goes on in verses 11 and 12 to communicate that some acts are of necessity and mercy. This should answer the question of any type of work on the Sabbath. In our culture today, we have some work of necessity that might fall into this category. For instance, doctors and nurses may fall into this category. We might also see the necessity of power, gas, and other services as of necessity because of the environment that we are in. We should not condemn them for such acts. However, if they are brothers in Christ and their consciences condemn them, then they should obey conscience until they understand the freedom that is theirs in Christ. We will be speaking in a later lesson about whether the Sabbath is even carried over into the New Covenant.

Notice that Jesus quoted the Scripture to them in response to what they were asserting. He said, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”. He said this following the statement about Him, which was that He was greater than the temple itself. Again, this was to show His superiority and in fact His deity even over the temple (vs. 6) and over the Sabbath (vs. 8). This phrase was quoted from Hosea 6:6. It was used to rebuke someone if they failed to understand the underlying moral commands of the law, and they focused upon the mere external ceremonial aspects of it. This is precisely what the Jewish leaders had done. They were content with sacrifices and the external acts of keeping the law, but they became judgmental and harsh and placed on the people burdens that God Himself had not placed on them. Thus they sought to justify themselves, rather than seek for the mercy of God. They also would not give mercy to those around them who were failing to keep the law just as much as they were failing to keep it. However, they were blinded so much by their own self-righteousness that they could not see that the law dealt with the heart of man which needed circumcision.

Jesus went on then to show exactly what He meant by going into their own synagogue. There He saw a man with a withered hand. His seeing him must have been noticed by the Pharisees for they asked Him if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Now the Jews had a law where a person could be helped and given medical attention on the Sabbath. However, they could only be helped to the point of sustaining life. They could not give help that actually improved the person, because this was considered work. Jesus then confronts them regarding what type of value they put on one of their sheep versus what value they put on man, who is the image bearer of God. They obviously would take care of a sheep that had fallen into a pit. Why would they not show the same compassion and mercy to their fellow man? Then Jesus states, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” and He heals the man’s withered hand. Can we do no less? Each day should bring to us opportunity to show mercy to others. Whether in a kind word, exhortation, gifts, visits or other ways the principle that God had for the Sabbath we can learn from today. That is that God is not pleased with mere external conformity, but rather He is interested in the attitude of the heart and how that produces in us “good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”.

I do believe this is the principle we will find in Romans 14:5-6. The context of the passage includes that of eating and drinking, which we know is not what the kingdom of heaven is all about. Therefore, it seems that some in the church observed the Sabbath of the Old Covenant and some were pagans who shunned away from certain pagan holidays. In either case Paul’s point was that if one person observed the day, it was to the Lord and if another didn’t it was to the Lord. So the issue of sanctifying the Sabbath therefore was indeed a matter of the heart, which was a product of one’s own conscience. However, the principle was the same and we shall see a pattern in the New Testament of 1 day in 7 was to be observed for rest from our labors.

Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11;

Leviticus 23:3; Isaiah 58:13,14; Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:27; Romans 14:5-6.