As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
The Fourth Commandment for most people seems like the least of the Commandments, and yet the first action God undertook after creating all things, was initiate a day of rest, a Sabbath.
Exodus 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.
Exodus 20:9
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exodus 16:26
Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
As one can read in the above, of a number of verses, the Sabbath is very important to God, for it is listed 4th, after God being first in your life, not creating other gods, not activating God in vain, and a mandate to worship God on the 7th day.
The correct day of the Sabbath is Saturday, not Sunday, the first day of the week. 8th day worship originated with King Jeroboam who being given 10 of the Lost Tribes, did not want to lose his kingdom in people going to Jerusalem to worship with another king there in Rehoboam, so he created a new worship center in Samaria on Sunday to worship.
The Sabbath though is vital for Spiritual and physical reasons. By the Sabbath, like circumcision inwardly, a nation outwardly would be recognized as being God's.The necessity of the Sabbath was to cease labours in this world and focus on a day of rest an interaction with the Lord.
This was more than 52 days in a year of each week, as God set up a number of High Days in which Hebrews and later Christians would come before God and celebrate in sharing the gifts God gave them, before the Lord in enjoying them in remembrance of Him, in the same way Communion is undertaken in remembrance of the Covenant.
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. Thou shalt sanctify the Holy Day.
Q. What does this mean?
A. We must fear and love God, so that we will not look down on
preaching or God's Word, but consider it holy, listen to it
willingly, and learn it.
There were a number of Sabbaths in the Bible. There was the 7 year Sabbath when people who were in debt or sold themselves as servants were freed or lands redeemed and the 50 year Jubilee which forgave all debt and returned to families their ancestral lands. It was a perfect system of advancement of the poor, the restrictions of concentrations of power and wealth i n the few, and a way of handling inflation and usury, which was forbidden, because someone buying land under debt would have to return it in a few years and in this they would never pay huge sums as they could not recoup the losses.
The Sabbath is a day for instruction, worship and contemplation of the Lord, in His Word. It is not an hour in a pew and going off to watch sports. It is time that is meant to interact with God in ways you are comfortable with.
I am not one who likes organized worship, but I work to keep the Sabbath every day in praying without ceasing and always listening for God. I violate the Sabbath in never resting so the Spirit in me is exhausted. It is a reality though that the Sabbath is a time for each Christian to be as God was after Creation and look upon their life in God and say "this is good".
It was Jesus custom and the Apostles following, which continued to set the Sabbath holy or apart from the other days of the week, in gathering, for Church worship in Holy Ghost Inspired Churches is uplifting, and it is a public affirmation to be among the Communion of Saints.
Luke 4:16
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Mark 1:21
And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
The Sabbath is a Commandment which is a circumcision mark in keeping it as it is a perpetual Covenant with Christians. People are blessed or empowered for keeping the Sabbath as a Promise from God. For nations honoring the Sabbath, God Promises their nations will never be conquered or vanquished. The 4th Commandment is one of national identity, hidden blessing and curses. The 4th Commandment is a microcosm of the Judgment Throne, for either you are trying to grow the Spirit in you one day a week, or you are off promoting your physical desires to please you, which will all become ashes to ashes and dust to dust as you do.
Remembering the Sabbath Day is remembering God, and keeping the Sabbath set apart, sets you apart from the world which will end in the future and be replaced with a New Heaven and New Earth. Keeping the Sabbath pure is a Spiritual and physical will of keeping that Day free from rebellion from God and from guilt in those violations.
Forget the Sabbath and God will purge you as He purged the 13 tribes, to teach them that there is a God. It took centuries for the Israelites who became the peoples of the west to be established again, and their firsts actions were to respond to the Christian message, and again began honoring the Sabbath, as they rose to prominence again.
Forgetting the Sabbath is to forget God which violates the fist four Commandments.
Exodus 31:6
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
Isaiah 56:2
Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
Jeremiah 37:24 -25
And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever.
Acts 2:42
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
agtG
