In our last entry, we looked at the issue of the Sabbath as it relates to the book of Genesis. Those who teach and preach that Sabbath-keeping is mandatory in the current age, will often appeal to Genesis to prove this is a Creation ordinance. In our last post, we investigated this claim. What we found is that the only One who rested on the seventh day in Genesis was God Himself. Furthermore, the word Sabbath isn’t even used in Genesis. To summarize, the period from Adam to Moses (roughly 2500 years) saw a number of covenants and major events. But there isn’t even one instance of anyone keeping the Sabbath, let alone a commandment to do so!
It isn’t until we get to the book of Exodus that we find our first usage of the Hebrew word shabbat (“sabbath” in English). It’s found in Exodus chapter 16. The context of Exodus 16 deals with the issue of manna. In response to the murmuring and complaining of the Israelites, the LORD provided manna from Heaven. One can detect the Divine sense of humor here because the very name manna means “what is it?” The Israelites were told to gather manna but were given a command not to store/save it for the next day (Ex 16:19). Some did not obey (shocking, I know!), and the result was that the manna bred worms and had a terrible smell. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much manna (Ex 16:22). After reporting this to Moses we are told this:
Exo 16:23 Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ” (NKJV)
(I quoted from the NKJV here, because unfortunately, the KJV translators inserted the definite article (“the”) in front of Sabbath. The original manuscripts contain no definite article. Most all translations since the KJV have corrected this. This is an important detail because the lack of the definite article implies that the concept was previously unknown.)
This is the first mention in the Bible of the concept of sabbath. It must be remembered that they had just left Egypt, where they had been in slavery for over 400 years as a people. They were not accustomed to taking any days off, let alone a weekly sabbath! This is why the LORD gives them an extended explanation of this sabbath concept. The primary content of the command concerned the gathering of manna. They were not to attempt to gather manna on the seventh day. There would actually be none provided by the LORD, it would be an exercise in futility. Nevertheless, some went out on the seventh day and attempted to gather manna, and found none (again, I know you’re shocked).
All of this was a test for the children of Israel (Ex 16:4) to see if they would obey His law. Legalists insist that Christians must obey the Law of Moses for justification and/or sanctification. This episode in Exodus 16 shows that human beings have always had difficulty with God’s laws. That’s true even when they had just crossed the Red Sea on dry land and experienced several subsequent miracles! They would soon receive the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Torah (613 laws to be exact). The outcome will not be much better. Speaking of the Ten Commandments, let’s take a look at the fourth commandment which is a topic of great controversy, even today.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The fourth commandment in Exodus 20 begins with the word “remember.” Those that maintain the Sabbath is a requirement from Creation (a Creation ordinance) will say that the command to remember hearkens back to Genesis 2:2-3. That is a problem, however, if you are serious about biblical exegesis. As we have already discussed, the word shabbat or sabbath appears nowhere in Genesis! The first appearance of the word is in Exodus 16. This is the nearest antecedent that would have any point of reference for the children of Israel who had just left Egypt. They are to remember the concept that God had just taught them concerning the gathering of manna on the seventh day. This is also seen in the fact that the fourth commandment is stated in a different way in Deuteronomy.
Deu 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
Notice there, the command is simply to keep/observe the Sabbath as opposed to remembering it. The reason for the difference in wording is due to a different context. Deuteronomy is written towards the end of the forty-year period of wandering in the wilderness.
Let’s go back now to the fourth commandment in Exodus 20. They are told to work six days a week, but there is to be a cessation of labor on the seventh day. This rule applied not only to people but also to the domesticated animals. In verse 11, the LORD explains the significance from the Creation account. But it must be noted that even with that being said, the LORD only mentions Himself as having rested on the seventh day. This is beyond the scope of this article, but this is a great apologetics tool to prove that Creation was a literal seven-day period. It should also be noted that there is no command for corporate worship on the Sabbath. There are many groups that insist that worship services are to be held on the Sabbath (which is technically sundown Friday-sundown Saturday). What we will discover is that the Sabbath as it appears in the Law is a call to rest and remain at home on that day.
Though this tends to be a hot topic of controversy, it need not be a test of fellowship or point of contention among true believers. The New Testament urges us not to judge or condemn others regarding the observance of sabbath days or other holidays (Rom 14:5-6, Col 2:16-17).
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