Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SABBATH

(Heb. šabbāṯ)

The seventh day in a seven-day week, established in the OT as a day of rest. The OT records the institution of the sabbath in the laws given to Moses. The first command concerning the observance of the sabbath is found in Exod. 16:22-30. The Israelites were given manna daily and were told to gather twice as much on the sixth day so they would not have to gather on the seventh day. The inclusion of the sabbath law in the Decalogue both in Exodus and Deuteronomy established this command as a permanent law of the nation of Israel. In Exod. 20:8-11 the requirements of the law explicitly state no work shall be done by any person or livestock on the sabbath day. The theological defense for resting on the seventh day is derived from Gen. 2:1-3, in which God rests on the seventh day of creation. Israel is to rest because God rested.

Once the sabbath had been instituted, specific commands and prohibitions were given. The sabbath was not only a day of rest, but also a feast day. Because of this, the requirements of feast days were enforced, including holy convocations, public worship, and worship in the home. Special sacrifices were to be offered and the bread of the presence was to be renewed.

While the sabbath was to be considered a joy and privilege, it was also of such supreme importance that a violation of sabbath law carried the death penalty (Num. 15:35). This reflects the sabbath’s two-sided nature: it was both a blessing and a requirement for the nation of Israel.

In the intertestamental period, two rabbinic traditions developed concerning the sabbath. One maintained a strict sabbath observance, with an emphasis on the rules of the sabbath, while the other emphasized the concept of internal, spiritual rest.

There are six recorded confrontations between Jesus and Jewish religious leaders over sabbath observance. Five involve healing on the sabbath, and the remaining incident involves picking corn on the sabbath (Mark 2:23-26 par.). This was a violation of the law according to the Pharisees. Using the legal format of finding a similar case, Jesus argued that this was like the situation in 1 Sam. 21:1-6, in which David and his men eat the consecrated bread. The similarity was that human need overrides ritual law.

In Mark 3:1-6 par. Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. In Luke 13:10-17 he heals a woman who was bent over in sickness caused by evil spirits. In Luke 14:1-6 Jesus takes the offensive and asks the Pharisees if it is right to heal on the sabbath. Receiving no response, he heals a sick man. Jesus defends his actions by pointing out that any one of the Pharisees would rescue an animal who had fallen in a well on the sabbath day. In John 5:1-17 Jesus makes the Jewish leaders angry by healing a sick man and telling the healed man to carry his pallet. This was a twofold problem, because Jesus was both healing on the sabbath and encouraging the healed man to violate the sabbath by carrying a pallet. In John 7:21-24 Jesus is still being sought because of healing this man. He points out that the Jewish leaders circumcise on the eighth day, even if it falls on the sabbath. How much more important is it to heal an entire man. In John 9:1-34 Jesus heals a blind man by making clay and putting it on the man’s eyes. Not only does Jesus heal on the sabbath, but he also makes clay, which is against the law of the Pharisees. In all six sabbath confrontations, Jesus did not question the principle of a day of rest. Rather, the right use of the day is at the heart of these controversies. In some cases, such as in the picking of grain on the sabbath, human need overrides the ritual law. In other cases, Jesus is challenging the kind of regulations which go against the purpose of the law, which is to bring healing and wholeness. Although Jesus broke with rabbinic traditions about the sabbath, he did not seek to annul the observance of the sabbath day.

Considering the role of sabbath laws in the OT and in the Gospels, one might expect to find much more about the sabbath. If the sabbath is to be kept, one would assume that the gentile converts would need to be instructed in this. If the sabbath is to be annulled, one would assume that the Jewish believers would need to have this explained to them.

Six NT texts outside the Gospels and Acts impact discussions of sabbath theology and practice. There is evidence in Acts 20:7 that the first day of the week, Sunday, became a regular day of worship, but it does not replace or override the Jewish sabbath observance at this time. Rom. 14:5-6 contains no direct mention of the sabbath, but these verses renounce the idea of sacred days. All days are to be considered God’s days, and no day has any special sacredness. Galatians contains an argument against Gentiles adopting Jewish practices and upholding Jewish ritual laws. In Gal. 4:10 there is an injunction against observing Jewish ritual time; although the sabbath is not specifically mentioned, it seems to fall under the idea of observing special days. In Col. 2:16 the argument is that the sabbath (along with food and festival regulations) was a type, a shadow, of what was to come in Christ. Therefore, now that Christ has come, there is no need for the shadow. Heb. 4:9 states that the sabbath rest in some way remains. This describes a sabbath rest which is probably not the once-a-week day of rest, but a rest of heart, provided by Christ. This rest appears to be spiritual rather than temporal, but this text has caused some confusion about a post-Gospels understanding of the sabbath.

Rev. 1:10 describes “the Lord’s Day,” which refers to Sunday, the day on which Jesus was resurrected. However, this early practice of meeting for worship on Sunday was not linked to the sabbath rest until much later. Therefore, this reference to the Lord’s day does not appear to be linked to the sabbath laws at this time.

The Scriptures have left some questions concerning the sabbath unanswered. Not only are some particulars of sabbath regulations unclear, but the fundamental question of whether or not the sabbath was completely fulfilled by Christ’s first coming has plagued Christianity and is still a debated topic. The choice of the day also presents a point of disagreement, with some groups continuing to adhere to the Jewish practice of a Saturday sabbath. Lastly, the relationship of the sabbath to the Lord’s Day becomes an issue in later centuries.

Bibliography. N.-E. A. Andreasen, The Old Testament Sabbath (Missoula, 1972); D. A. Carson, ed., From Sabbath to Lord’s Day (Grand Rapids, 1982); W. Stott, “Sabbath, Lord’s Day,” NIDNTT 3:405-15; K. A. Strand, ed., The Sabbath in Scripture and History (Washington, 1982).

Ann Coble

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SABBATH

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)