2. The Sabbaths are times of solemn rest
The Sabbaths are times ordained by the Lord for humanity to rest from their daily servile works, for as it is written; “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, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).
The Lord therefore, set us an example that we should follow His steps and so He commanded us saying; “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11).
The seventh day weekly Sabbath therefore is a memorial of creation, a day on which no customary work is to be done by those who believe, for we have been admonished saying; “For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: " So I swore in My wrath, ' They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."
Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” (Hebrews 4: 3-10).
Please note carefully that it is those who are disobedient and do not believe that does not rest on that day, but those who have believed do enter that rest as the Lord has said and so the admonition is, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.
2. 3. The Sabbath/s is holy time
The Sabbath/s is not only a time to rest from customary work but also a time which is sanctified and set apart as holy to the Lord and for His people, for we have been admonished saying, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”. And to Moses the Lord said; “You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 31:14-15).
It is not because the death sentence for breaking the Sabbath is no longer applicable that one should think that the observance of the Sabbaths is no longer required, what is set before us is a matter of choice, a choice of expressing our reverence, gratitude and respect to the Creator on the days He has ordained, or not to stand in awe of Him and worse of all substituting other days which He has not ordained and to worshiping false gods which is blatant idolatry.
To be continued
With brotherly live
Lucius Joseph
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