Sabbath Reforms

Background Scripture: Nehemiah 13:4 – 31 Lesson Passage: Nehemiah 13:10 – 12, 15 – 22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 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. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 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. Exodus 31:12 – 17, King James Version In establishing Israel as a sovereign people, God set up moral and civil laws for them to be governed by. This was in keeping with their uniqueness as a theocracy—that is a God-directed government. Many of the laws they received were types and shadows that constantly pointed them towards God’s universal plan of salvation. Paul expounds on this in his letters to the churches at Galatia and Colosse. The Sabbath is perhaps a cross between these and the more practical need for a people who had endured four hundred years of slavery to learn the importance of giving the physical body a time of rest and refreshing. Note that the Law did not establish the Sabbath as a day of worship but rather a day of rest! Furthermore, God specifically stated that this was to be a sign between God and Israel from generation to generation. Long before the Law was given, God had given a universal sign that applied to all people; and that was the sign of the rainbow as a declaration that God would not destroy all living flesh by water again. On the other hand, this sign was personal between God and Israel. Neither time nor space will allow me at this time to expound on the contrast between Israel’s Sabbath covenant of rest and Christians’ first day of the week gathering for worship and giving that is supported by New Testament scriptures. Suffice to say that there is no place in the New Testament writings where Christians are commanded or admonished to observe the Sabbath as a sign between God and Christians. Now, let’s introduce our lesson for this week. As Nehemiah prepared to close out his testimony as to what had taken place in Jerusalem towards the end of Israel’s Babylonian exile, he turned his attention towards Israel’s covenant relationship with God. He noted that there were many incidents where Israel was living as covenant breakers. He reminded them that this type of behavior had led to Israel’s captivity in the first place. Now that God was gracious enough to allow them to return to the Promise Land, they should show their gratitude by living according to their covenant with God. Among these was the Sabbath covenant. Israel was ignoring the Sabbath covenant and even allowing outsiders to bring their wares into Jerusalem for sale. In today’s lesson, Nehemiah reminded Israel that God demanded total obedience and this included their need for Sabbath Reforms. Robert C. Hudson August 19, 2013