Pastoral Position Paper - Dave Hatcher

The fourth commandment, just like the other nine, is still alive and well. Still in force, this commandment points back to the creation order, having been instituted long before the Mosaic law. Still in force, it now also points back to the completed work of Jesus, His re-creation, salvation work which has been celebrated on the Lord's Day (Rev. 1:10) since the apostolic church. As relevant as ever, it still commands us to cease from our regular activity in order to remember, honor, worship, and rest. And as we shall see, it is another commandment, like the fifth, with a promise still offered today.

But the purpose here is not to argue for the legitimacy of continued Sabbath observance. That is assumed in order to proceed to the important question of how the Lord's Day is to be honored by those who accept the obligation.

Among those who see that the Lord's Day is, in fact, the Christian Sabbath, there is debate over what "regulations" should be observed. There is an understandable fear that we might do that which God forbids, or neglect to do that which He requires.

And there is an even greater fear, for good historical reason, that the Sabbath-keepers among us will become legalistic Pharisees, measuring the distances between church and grandma's house, and forcing everyone to sit in idleness for hours upon end. Such descend upon God's people with a long list of do's and don'ts, and all with the authority of the Ten Commandments behind them. This is not what we want.

Healthy Preparation

Where should we begin a healthy process of growing in our understanding and application of obeying the fourth commandment? What are the proper steps, both inwardly and outwardly, in observing this special day? What are the pitfalls to be avoided, which have ruined individuals and churches in the past?

Loving God is best defined as joyful outward obedience of His commands from the heart (1 John 5:1-5). For anyone determined to keep the Sabbath with steely resolve and a stiff upper lip, this definition proves that his efforts will necessarily be in vain. Not only will his attitude ruin any chance for success, but also, as history has repeatedly shown, he will be one of many who will lead others astray. His sour face will keep others away from Sabbath delight. It is imperative then, that every Christian begin His keeping of the Sabbath with an educated attitude of delight and anticipation.

This is not an impossibility. Let us begin with one of Jesus' famous sayings with regard to the Sabbath. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:26-27).

Jesus did not come to abolish the Sabbath. However, He did make it very clear that He had authority over the Sabbath, and that it was something made for man. It was something given to man for his benefit, and Jesus was going to see to it that all legalistic applications of the Sabbath would therefore be struck down. Christ came, not as a violator of the Sabbath, but rather as the adversary of all Sabbath vandals. The day was something given to man for his blessing, in much the same way that woman was given to man for his blessing.

So how is it a blessing? The answer to this question is most clearly pronounced in the three promises God makes to Sabbath-keepers in Isaiah 58:13-14. "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken."

Anyone who turns from his own ways, pleasures, and words, and calls the Sabbath a delight (remember, from his heart) is promised a deeper delight, a heavenly joy, a holy satisfaction in the Lord. He is also promised spiritual victory over the world; a mindful and experiential remembrance of the accomplishments of God over all of His foes, along with his growing participation in that victory through his sanctification. Finally, he is promised the feast of the heritage of Jacob, which is the blessing of spiritual hunger and thirst satisfied.

Receiving the Blessing

Anyone who believes in God as One who cannot lie, and who sees these promises, is left with no option other than to look forward in joy to a weekly Sabbath. And that is where we must begin --looking forward.

Sabbath keeping must begin with a healthy anticipation that God is going to bless us in a particular way through our obedience. The blessings come to us both 'naturally' in one sense, and 'supernaturally' in another. They are natural in that they are rooted in the creation order. God created us and our society with a need to break our cyde of work regularly. He also created us with a need to remember Him regularly. As a result of sin, we have the correlative character of being easily forgetful.

If the ancient Israelites, living in a peaceful agrarian culture, needed a sabbath rest, how much more do we need such a rest? We need to cease from what can be a ferocious tempo of activity, the frenetic pace of modern life, even when the activity is good and reflective of our callings in life.

We need to regularly gather together and worship God, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We need to hear gifted preachers regularly open the Word of God and feed our souls to the glory of God. We need to rest from our vocational labors through a long and peaceful Lord's Day afternoon.

The blessings which come from this are supernatural in the sense that, as New Covenant Christians, we are rooted in the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of our Lord and Savior. We therefore follow His pattern of ceasing from His works and gathering with His people in order to be blessed as we bless Him. The blessings are supernatural in the sense that we receive the great promises of Isaiah 58 when we attend to the Lord's Day. So we must come to the Sabbath with delight and expectation, all to His glory.

But Still...

However, there is the stipulation in Isaiah that we leave `our own ways, our own pleasures, and our own words'. There is a requirement to not do some things on the Sabbath. Clearly, these are not references to sinful thoughts or activities, because that would be forbidden every day. So, as traditionally has been understood, this must refer to the activities of normal work and recreation that a believer participates in throughout the week.

Determining exactly what that means requires wisdom. It is easy to see examples of activities which one family would determine to be Sabbath-breaking while another family would view as a work of necessity, or a joyful part of celebrating the Sabbath. Taking care at this point is especially important, in order to avoid drifting into a judgmental Sabbath-censoriousness.

So, before you decide what particularly you may or may not do on the Sabbath, you must first make sure that you are coming to the question in an attitude of joyful obedience and anticipation. You must want to obey the Sabbath because you know that God wants you to believe He will bless those who keep it with honest hearts. You must believe that there is nothing better to do with your day than to honor God in whatever ways He wants you to.

Then, you must consider your own motives in regard to the particulars and seek wisdom from the Lord, understanding His grace in this issue. Jesus was not concerned about picking the heads of grain on the Sabbath. He was not concerned about doing works of mercy to others on the Sabbath. He was not going to get caught up in those kinds of questions. But He was not abolishing the Sabbath in this refusal; He was setting an example for us in how to keep it.

Now there are honest questioners and dishonest questioners. The honest questioners want to keep the Sabbath, are seeking wisdom, and are patient.

The dishonest questioners come in two flavors. The first is the legalist. He is disappointed that God has not made a specific and long list of do's and don'ts, and is determined to make up the deficiency himself and supply everyone else with his list. He is concerned with the Pharisees in measuring distances and counting steps. He is convinced that God is really impressed with his law-keeping. He is missing the point.

The second is the licentious. He doesn't want any day taken from him for any reason and he wants his autonomy. He does not have his eyes on the blessing, only the commandment. He is like a child who will not come upstairs to see that grandma and grandpa have arrived for a special feast, bringing presents for all, because someone has dared to tell him that he must come upstairs. He doesn't want to be told what to do, and he is also missing the point.

"Give me understanding and I shall keep your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart" (Ps. 119:34). Certain questions should be carefully examined for suspicious motives. "Can I do this or that on the Sabbath?" If the one questioning has already decided that obeying this command is a joy, we can consider the question, for this person wants understanding and intends to use the answer to obey God with his whole heart.

But if the attitude is one of stiffnecked autonomy, then it will do no good to address the question. "Why is God telling me what I can and cannot do on my only day off?" The question cannot be answered without repentance and humility.

A Good Start

For those who are just coming to a conviction to keep the Sabbath, a good suggestion is to begin by focusing on what God is inviting you to do, while avoiding a focus on what is not permitted. God invites you to celebrate in worship His glorious victory in Jesus Christ.

He invites you to gather with brothers and sisters in the Lord, and to hear His Word preached and explained. He invites you to be encouraged and to encourage as you sing to and fellowship with one another. He invites you to rest. He invites you to be silent and know that He is God. He invites you to read His Word and pray.

In this attitude of rest, He invites you to see the rest of your life in the light of eternity, to readjust your thinking, your attitudes, your priorities, your desires. He invites you to be filled to overflowing, to be satisfied in Him, to be awestruck in His sanctifying power, to the praise of His glorious grace. And He gives you the whole day to pursue Him to this end.

Begin here, and see if you don't begin to call the Sabbath "a delight."