Is the Lord really gray about His Sabbath?

[hethathathears]

For the longest time I pretty much hated Sunday. For me it was a day of things I just couldn't do. Over the years it has evolved into a day of Married with Children, Desperate Housewives, Grey Anatomy, and watching B rated movies on cable, over and over and over again. It wasn't until I searched the scriptures that I realized how really off base I was. Below is a list of scriptures and thoughts that really effected me.

Ex 31:13 Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations...

As I read and understood this scripture, I understood that how I keep the Lord's day is how I really feel about God. My keeping His holy day as I should was a sign of my faith and that I really know that God is.

Ex 31:16 ...shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

Many Savies and Gracers teach that the Law no longer applies, and that we no longer need to keep the Lord's day. I think this scripture makes it clear that this is not to fall by the way side.

Jeremiah 17:24-25 This scripture talks about the Power of the Sabbath. The people of Jerusalem were very, very wicked at this time. They were neck deep into idol worship and immoralities, and they were slated for destruction by the invading army from the North. But the Lord promised-

But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it...

Then the Lord promised that David's dynasty would last forever and that Jerusalem would be inhabited forever. In other words, by really putting the Lord first on his holy day, it would have been enough to hold off the Lord's destruction.

Ezekiel 20:13 ... they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do he shall even live in them, and my Sabbaths, they greatly polluted...

V. 16 they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths, for their heart went after their idols.

The words "polluted my Sabbaths" jumped out at me. I reasoned that as I went home from Church and fired up the ol T.V. (my Idol) and watched my various gentile T.V. programs that I was actually polluting His holy day.

Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things, they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have his their eyes from my sabbaths...

From this I gleened that the Almighty wants us to honor his holy day as something special. It is just not to be another day for us, but a special day for us to remember him, and as we do a close bond would develop.

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 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... Isaiah 58:13-14

What a powerful promise.

Exodus 35:3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitation upon the Sabbath day.

I added this because of the detail that the Lord puts into our observance of his holy day. Some 4 thousand years later, we feel that as long as we are not playing football on Sunday, or going to the store, or working putting up a new fence, it is OK to do gardening or sewing, or doing deep cleaning. We need to remember, a man was stoned for just picking up sticks to start a fire in the scriptures. Are we really justified in the activities that we choose to do on the Sabbath.

Lev 25:4 , 26:34 The Lord also gave Israel a command to obey the Sabbath for the Land. Every seven days they were commanded to let the land rest. However, like all commandment, the people blew off that commandment for 490 years. As a result, the Lord said that they would be banished to Babylon, one year for every year they broke that commandment or for seventy years. 2 Chron 36:21 My point, if the Lord held them accountable for all the Sabbaths they broke, will he really let us off if we blow off His holy day.

These are just a few of the scriptures that have taught me to do a better job of keeping my God's Holy Sabbath day holy.

Edited June 23, 2008 by hethathathears

[Guest Username-Removed]

I think keeping the sabbath day holy is important. However, I've been told, and I do agree with it, if you have to work ..... If you really have to work ....... If you REALLY REALLY have to work, then its ok.

Im lucky where I work that I am not required to work on Sunday. I do work every other Saturday though.

I do enjoy going to church and listening to the lessons. For the most part, I enjoy priesthood. In my ward I'm the oldest guy by about 20 years compared to all the other elders in Priesthood. The lessons are kind of ... well, how do I say this nicely, bland. 20 years ago, they would be fine I'm sure, but it difficult to stay awake to be honest. When I do comment, most of the younger guys get a little torked because Im trying to expand and learn something new. One elder basicly told me to shut up once in elders quarum (LOL) so, I just keep to myself now, unless they ask me a token question.

I really enjoy teaching. I've taught elders quarum, Gospel Doctrine, Primary, and I also have a regular Emergency Prep class as well. but for this summer, Im not teaching anything and its boring again. So, I do alot of personal study while I am at chruch. Again, most of the people in the Gospel Doctrine class are very young, so I cant seem to get anything out of them. So, I just keep quiet when I go unless they ask me a token question. Sometime I study in the hallway instead.

I did ask my branch president about meeting with the High Priests, but I think they dont want me to do that. I have to be called as a High Priest, and thats unlikey since unmarried males usually won't be called into the bishopric or branch presidency.

After church, I do enjoy more personal study. I need to ramp that up more to get to my next personal goal. Of course home teaching is huge on Sunday and being home taught as well.

I do some work inside the apartment. I usually work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, so there's not much time for laundry or dishes on other days besides Sunday. But I do try and mix that in with all of my other Sunday Activities.

[prisonchaplain]

Just to give some outsider perspective, when this question usually comes up--it is 7th Day Adventists berating us Protestants for following-in-tow with the Catholic Pope's corruption of this most holy command, by observing it on Sunday, rather than Saturday. Yet, even they do not observe the Sabbath as laid out in the Law of Moses (from which the OP quotes generously--including other OT explanations of that Law).

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for us, not us for the Sabbath. The Apostle Paul went further, saying that IF we choose to observe special days we should give those days to the LORD. On the other hand, IF we choose to keep each day the same, we should give each day unto the LORD.

It is sound physical, psychological, and spiritual wisdom to set aside one day of the week for rest, and for a more concentrated worship and contemplation of our LORD. However, Jesus was clearly off-put by those teachers of the Law, who turned the Sabbath into yet another onerous burden for God's people to bare.

[NeuroTypical]

The old testament is great for getting the blood boiling, and hearing about God's wrath, and just exactly how much grief we're going to bring down on ourselves for doing things wrong.

I don't run off of guilt or fear, so I'm very glad to hear what Christ had to say about the issue:

Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath

This puts all the passion and emotion of the OT verses into a workable context for me. At the end of the day, Sabbath observance is good for me, and these observances are given from someone who knows what's best.

LM

[hethathathears]

Just a quick note before I have to go to work. Sometimes we do have to work on Sunday, and that is called Ox in the Mire. I think the Lord supports us in that. However, we need to be careful not to push the Ox in the Mire. In Nehemiah 13, after the Children of Israel returned from captivity, they went right back to their old habits of defiling the Sabbath. To this Nehemiah went ballistic, and called them to repentance.

I think that sometimes we get caught up in the Hollywood version of life, that if your a semi good person, you will be caught up into heaven, like in the movie Ghost with Patric Swayze and Demi Moore. Here was a couple who where not married, but because Patric was a good guy at the end of the movie, he was taken up into heaven.

The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, however if that justifies 8 hours of junk T.V. like Desperate Housewives or Grey Anatomy, then we will find that the Spirit is greatly restricted in our lives. At least that's what I have found. When I truly honor the Sabbath, I feel the Spirit of God turned on high. That sweat peaceful feeling that I just cherish, however, when I watch Jerry Spring and other quality programming (Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy) I just feel indigestion. But more importantly, How does God feel?

[pam]

One thing a Stake President advised us when I was a teenager...when you come home from Church...leave your church clothes on. Having them on is a reminder of the types of activities that invite the Spirit on the Sabbath.

Have I followed this? Well no...but it has always stayed in my mind and makes a tremendous amount of sense to me. When we get into our jeans and get comfortable...our attitude for the day changes.

[Moksha]

Just to give some outsider perspective, when this question usually comes up--it is 7th Day Adventists berating us Protestants for following-in-tow with the Catholic Pope's corruption of this most holy command, by observing it on Sunday, rather than Saturday. Yet, even they do not observe the Sabbath as laid out in the Law of Moses (from which the OP quotes generously--including other OT explanations of that Law).

You are right, whether we follow the Day of Mithra or the Jewish day, our celebration is the same. When the Emperor gave us the Day of Mithra instead of the Jewish day back in 321 AD, it really did help the work of the Empire get done. Why change?

[PapilioMemnon]

I have come to love the Sabbath Day and really appreciate it, that it was created for us. I truly like to rest from all worries and daily life stuff, and just rest from that, and immerse myself in the things of the Lord!

When I do the things that invite the Spirit, after church meetings, such as keeping the clothes on, serving others, spending time with my sons, resting physically for an hour or so, reading His words, listening to conference addresses, and pondering... especially pondering on heavenly matters,... All daily cares seem to disappear, and I can truly say I rested!

As with all commandments, He wants us to keep His day holy!

I'm very grateful for this commandment that is for our benefit, and the protection it provides when we keep it. (Rectifyin:, All commandments are for our own benefit!)

[Islander]

You are right, whether we follow the Day of Mithra or the Jewish day, our celebration is the same. When the Emperor gave us the Day of Mithra instead of the Jewish day back in 321 AD, it really did help the work of the Empire get done. Why change?

I have friends that are 7th DA and we have agreed to disagree on the subject a long time ago. They can read the NT as good as I can, and, they can also see that in Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor 1,2 that it points to the fact that although the Apostles were Jews, the nascent Christian church was made of gentile converts. So the Apostles observed the Sabbath and met with the disciples on the first day of the week; our modern Sunday to preach the Gospel. But they have to follow their own Adventist tradition.

Beyond that, the Jewish calendar has nothing to do with ours. They have kept a day in seven since the Exodus. The Romans "accommodated" the Jewish traditions into their calendar in order to avoid political strife.

We should therefore heed to the admonition of the Savior and follow the "spirit of the Sabbath" rather than the letter of it. :)

Edited June 24, 2008 by Islander