Our catechism study now takes us to the fourth commandment which
concerns the Sabbath. This commandment opens with the word remember. That’s worth thinking about: the Sabbath, which is so
obviously designed for our benefit and God’s honor, is so easy to forget! The
blessing and necessity of the Sabbath have eluded both our society and,
woefully, the church as well. Why is that? As we ponder this lesson, let us
pray that we would appreciate the precious truths and joys of the Sabbath and
that we might respond faithfully as God’s worshippers.
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WSC Q57. Which is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment
is, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; 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. 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.[a]
[a] Ex. 20:8-11; Deut.
5:12-15
Question 57 asks what the fourth commandment is, and answers that
the fourth commandment is: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six
days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to
the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son
or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the
alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the
earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Comments and considerations:
This commandment is reviewed
in six questions instead of only four; there is much to be considered. Future
questions deal with what is required and forbidden in the fourth commandment,
which day of the week is the Sabbath, how it is to be hallowed, and the reasons
for doing so. This first question and answer simply state the commandment:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” It is a creation ordinance: “Thus
the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the
seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh
day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day
and sanctified it” (Gen. 2:1-3).
For the moment, let us
consider the word Sabbath.
I remember when I first came
into the “Reformed Camp,” a place of “Sabbath Keepers.” Yes, I came from a
Christian home with an evangelical background. But although the Lord’s Day was
important in our understanding, it didn’t hold the Old Testament significance in
this Dispensation of Grace, this
Church Age, when supposedly any day, time, or place could be dedicated to
worship, or—better—praising God; the Sabbath Day was thought to be an ordinance
for a different time and people. So I had some unlearning to do, and I studied
afresh what Scripture taught on this topic. Struggling as I was under this new
Sabbath understanding and burden, I had an observant pastor say to me one day
that I was completely missing the point; the Sabbath is not a burden, but a blessing.
It was meant to free me from my labors and cares, and provide me a blessed rest
and enjoyment of God’s promises and provisions. The Sabbath is a blessing, not
a burden! There are none so blind as those who will not see; and I was totally
blind to the blessing of the Sabbath until that faithful Reformed Presbyterian
pastor spoke those words.
The word Sabbath means
figuratively “a time of rest or repose;
intermission of pain, effort, sorrow, or the like”; and we know it as “a season or day of rest; one day in seven
appointed for rest or worship” (Webster’s 1913 Dictionary).
I have several valued fruit
trees in my backyard, but the fig tree is my favorite; it not only provides
wonderfully large, dark, and abundantly sweet figs, but gives summer shade and
beauty, too. However, I recall in the winter on a particular Sunday when there
were several folk at our home, enjoying an afternoon lunch and fellowship. One
of them noticed my fig tree, which looks rather pathetic. “What wrong with it?”
they asked. “Nothing,” I responded. “It is in its dormant season. I trimmed it
back—pruned it—getting it ready for the spring’s warm sun and the new growth
and joy it will bring.” When you think about it, that fig tree is enjoying its
Sabbath rest. God has built in to the creation order a cycle which gives rest
and protects, nourishes, revitalizes and restores his creatures; he prepares
the fig tree for new growth and fresh fruit produced for his glory and our
enjoyment.
This is the Sabbath principle.
Training
Hearts and Teaching Minds Questions:
1.
Read Gen. 2:1-3. In six days God created all things from nothing,
and he rested on the seventh day. Was he tired after all his labors? Did he run
out of ideas for additional things to be created? Of course not. But the fact
remains that for his good purpose, God chose to make the seventh day a special
day of rest and peace, a day to ponder his wondrous creation and providence.
For this and many other reasons, “the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it
holy.”
2.
In the Law, the Lord commanded the keeping of the Sabbath. He also
established other special days (and even years) as a time of Sabbath rest.
According to Ex. 31:12-13, what was one reason for doing this?
3.
At times in his earthly ministry, Jesus did things on the Sabbath
that angered the religious leaders (the Pharisees). In one particular incident
found in Matt. 12, how did Jesus identify himself in verse 8?
4.
After Christ completed his work on the cross, rose from the grave,
and was seated at the right hand of the Father, the Sabbath continues on the
first day of the week. According to Acts 20:7, on which day of the week did the
church meet? What did they do? Also see I Cor. 16:2.
Harmony of the Standards: WSC Q57, WLC
Q115
WSC
Q57. Which is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; 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. 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[a].
[a] Ex. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15
WLC
Q115. Which is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy
work; 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 man-servant, nor thy
maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested in the seventh day:
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it[a].
[a] Exod. 20:8-11
Question(s) for further study:
Look at the last phrase of our Catechism proof test. It is often thought that wherefore means where,
but in fact it is a conjunction meaning why,
for what reason, because of what. It could also be phrased therefore.
So the question is, as a concluding point why, for what reason did our Lord set-up as special (hallowed) the
Sabbath day? It was always meant to be a what?
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