Jun 25, 2018
by Gabe Bejjani
I grew up as a Catholic and, at the age of 17, I was converted to the Seventh Day Adventist denomination. The concept of the Sabbath was new to me. Sunday observance was limited to attending mass on either Saturday evening or Sunday morning. But now Sabbath observance became a 24-hour period set to worship and rest. This Biblical concept was embraced by me wholeheartedly. It was a joy to worship and study God’s Word on this wonderful day that our Lord gave us every week.
After a few months of keeping the Sabbath and the rejoicing in it, I began to discover the hard work that it took to really observe the day. From sunset on Friday evening to sunset on Saturday evening all regular activities were to be stopped: no TV, no radio, no sports, no secular music, etc. The church had very specific guidelines and policies on how to keep the Sabbath holy. Unfortunately for me the Sabbath became a day filled with burdensome regulations that robbed from me the joy of communion with my Savior.
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,”
—Isaiah 58:13-14.
The Sabbath should be a day of delight for all of us as believers. No attempt should be done to regulate Sabbath observance by adding rules and regulations. We have clear Biblical principles that ought to be our guide on keeping the Sabbath. In Mark 2:27 Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” By failing to understand this principle, the Pharisees added rules and regulations that reversed the purpose of the Sabbath. They were blinded by their legalism Not on the Sabbath which is demonstrated in the next chapter of Mark. We see the Pharisees watching Christ carefully to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath. After the miracle of healing a man with a deformed hand, they began to plot to kill Jesus! The healing of this man could have waited until the sunset when the Sabbath was over.
The Pharisees were hypocrites as well. In Luke14:5 Jesus asked them a question, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” Again they had no answer. Our Lord, confronted the legalism and hypocrisy among the Jewish leaders. But their attitude about the law was not changed by Christ’s teachings and miracles. They continued to illustrate what Paul calls in 2 Corinthians3:6: ”…the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.”
Let us examine ourselves and realize that we, as well, are both legalists and hypocrites when it comes to Sabbath keeping. We tend to justify what we do and like to do and condemn what we see others doing on the Sabbath. Do you watch TV on Friday evening and Sabbath after church? Do you shop sometimes on the Sabbath? Do you work sometimes on the Sabbath? Do you attend sporting events or concerts on the Sabbath? Do you allow your kids to participate in competitive sports on the Sabbath? Do you condemn others that do similar things on the Sabbath? I could go on and on by listing many other examples of hypocrisy and legalism that all of us at one time or another are guilty of doing. However, our behavior does not justify the breaking of God’s law in keeping the Sabbath day as a holy day.
Ahad Ha’am who is known for his “cultural Zionism” writings said: ”more than Israel has kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept Israel.” History has proven that he was right. The question for us today is: can the Sabbath strengthen our bond together as Christians and churches that worship the Lord and keep all of His commandments?
This short essay probably left you with more questions than answers. It was intended to do just that. We need to examine these issues in our lives and ask God to guide us as we live a life that is worthy of our calling in Him. But as for me, I can honestly and enthusiastically tell you that the Sabbath has been restored in my life as a of day rest, worship and fellowship with other believers. I love the Sabbath and look forward to it every week. Nothing can nor does prevent me from the delight of communion with my Lord. My corporate worship at church is a highlight of my week. I invite you to rejoice in the Sabbath.
