Title Sabbath (1) / Exodus 20:8-11
Content We keep the Sunday, not the Sabbath. In the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath is the fourth commandment. Despite the command to 'Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,' there is only the 'Seventh-day Adventist Church' that keeps the Sabbath. All churches are keeping Sunday, the first day after the Sabbath.
The question of keeping the Sabbath was the most important commandment to the Jews than any law. Even manna did not fall on the Sabbath, even in the wilderness, and the two minutes before the Sabbath fell from heaven. In addition, he was not allowed to work, so not only himself but also the guests staying at home were not allowed to work. Of course, livestock were not allowed to work.
A Jewish day lasts from evening to evening the next day. So the Sabbath is, as we say, from Friday evening to Saturday evening. At this time, the amount of money was also kept at a minimum. I couldn't wear clothes that were too heavy. Wearing more clothes than necessary was also considered work. This was their concept of the Sabbath.
If you think of the Sabbath from the perspective of Exodus 20, it is the message of the creation of the heavens and the earth. God created the heavens and the earth in six days. On the seventh day he rested. It is difficult to understand this as 'God rested on the seventh day, so you too should rest'. Because God did not work again on the eighth day. Seven days are endless. Flying is up to six days. God did not reverse the creation of the heavens and earth and start over. 'He rested on the seventh day' means 'there is nothing more to make'. After seven days all days are rest days. It means that the creation of the heavens and the earth was perfect as he had been working for six days.
In the concept of the days of the week given to us, if Monday through Saturday are representative of the days God worked, the seven days are the days of God's completion of His work. 'The creation of the heavens and the earth was so perfect that there was nothing more to be touched. Now there's nothing to do. It means 'Order to rest and rest'. Why is the meaning of this word being called not to work? Not working on the Sabbath is intended to message that God is the Creator who created the heavens and the earth by not working.
"The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying,
You shall keep my sabbath, which sanctifies you between me and you.
so that you may know that it is the Lord, and you shall keep the sabbath, which is holy to you.
Anyone who works on that day will have his life cut off from among his people.
Six days you shall work, but the seventh day is a great sabbath, holy to the LORD.
Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.
to keep it, and it shall be an everlasting covenant from generation to generation, for me and Israel
It is an everlasting sign among children, and in six days I, the LORD, created the heavens and the earth,
For seven days he rested and was at peace.” (Exodus 31:12-17)
Keeping the Sabbath is not because it is a legal command, but because it is a much more important message, a confession of faith that 'God created the heavens and the earth'. Therefore, breaking the Sabbath is breaking the 'mark'.
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Keep my sabbaths,
so that you may know that between me and you is the LORD who sanctifies you (Exodus).
31:13)"
There is one thing in common between the 'concept of the Sabbath' and the 'concept of the Sunday'. That is, the 'concept of Sunday' is a message of redemption and a message of the dimension that creates 'the concept of the Sabbath'. If the Sabbath is a day that requires us not to do anything as a sign that 'God created the heavens and the earth perfectly by himself', then Sunday is a day to show that 'God has perfected' the work of redemption to save us.
In the early church, the Sabbath was moved to Sunday because the resurrection of Jesus Christ took place on the first day after the Sabbath. The day God wants us to live by putting the expression 'God is the Creator' as a 'mark' in the realm of our lives. In the Old Testament, it is the Sabbath, and in the New Testament, it is the Sunday.
The things we pray before we eat, pray at bedtime, and worship at church have a bigger message than I confess in my personal faith. 'I go to church on Sunday' This is a great message to third parties. This is the Sunday that is required of us. If that is the case, then we are keeping Sunday quite a bit wrong. In the eyes of a third person, it must be kept so as to arouse curiosity, saying, “He behaved differently on Sundays.” On this day alone, you should try to avoid spending as much money as possible. Children should also be told that this day is Sunday. It must be absolutely distinct from other days. Even if it spoils the exam, you should not study on Sundays.
We tend to ignore form. The reason we hate form is that it leads to hypocrisy and formalism. However, the form itself is not to be insulted. Without form, there is no place for content. Then, it is our responsibility if the Sunday that God has given us to make the most beautiful message is not to properly convey the meaning of the day to a third person because we do not decorate it properly.
It is 99% the responsibility of the believers for Sunday to be perceived as a weekend, a day of leisure, and a day of play. Even though the issue of believing is transmitted and the cross is communicated, the day called 'Sunday' is not yet formed with such great power in the Korean church.
When it comes to keeping the Sunday, we should do the easiest thing first. It requires mental preparation and tension as it is a day that is different from other days. Sunday should be a day distinct from other days. For everyone and all family members, that day should be communicated as 'Sunday' or 'Lord's Day'. We are the people who call God our Father. Those who profess by faith that the Father created the heavens and the earth. That message is being requested from God. So, the Sunday is a day of God that is separated from our thoughts, and we must have an attitude of giving to God. It has to be formalized as our life. should be formatted. It is difficult because it is a day when I have to separate a part of my life and make it into a certain shape. First of all, you have to make a decision in your heart to create that day. We must become believers who are determined to 'message' Sunday as a day of God, that is, to have a form of life before God in their hearts.