By Roy B. Blizzard
[8] "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. [9] Six days you shall labor and do all your work, [10] but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. [11] 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.
Translation:
Remember the Sabbath day is holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work and the seventh day is a Sabbath to YHWH, your God. You shall not do any work: you, or your son, or your daughter, or your man servant, or your maid servant, or your cattle, nor any stranger that is within your gates. For in six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day from all. Wherefore YHWH blessed the Sabbath and consecrated it.
Comments:
The first thing that needs to be understood about this particular commandment is that the Sabbath is Saturday. Any time someone stands up on Sunday, which is called the Lord’s Day, and prays, "Bless this Sabbath," they are a day behind or six days early.Books have been written on the subject. To whom was this commandment given? What is the proper day of worship for God?s people? The answers to those questions are beyond the scope of this passage in translation; however, this commandment, part of the Law of Moses, was given specifically to the Jews.
For those outside of the fold of Judaism, another set of commandments applied; namely, the Seven Laws of Noah. The injunction to keep the Sabbath is not a part of the Seven Laws of Noah. It might be worthwhile to note the account of the man that came to Jesus and asked, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18: 18-22). Jesus’ response was "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery,’ "Do not murder,’ "Do not steal,’ "Do not bear false witness,’ "Honor your father and your mother." There is no mention of the observance of the Sabbath.
This corresponds to Acts 15 when the Jerusalem Council met to determine what commandments of law are to be imposed on the non-Jewish believers. They determined that they could impose upon the non-Jews only four things: (1) abstain from eating meat offered to idols, (2) abstain from fornication, (3) abstain from things strangled, and (4) abstain from drinking of blood, all referring to the pagan ways of worship of the non-Jews.
We know, historically from such archeological sites as Capernaum, which is featured in our new slide presentation, that the early Jewish believers in Jesus met both days. On Saturday, they met in the synagogue as Jews and on Saturday evening, when the first star appeared in the heavens marking the beginning of the first day of the week, they came together as believers.
Justin Martyr, who lived from 110 to 165 C.E., was a non-Jew but born in Samaria near Jacob’s well. He became a Believer in Jesus and wrote extensively in the second century about Christianity. In the First Apology of Justin, Chapter LXVII (67), he writes of the weekly worship of the Christians, saying that "Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world: and Jesus Christ, our Savior, on the same day rose from the dead …"
Notice very carefully Martyr’s next statement – again dating from the early part of the second century – that should once and for all answer the question "when was Jesus crucified" "For he was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday): and on the day after that of Saturn which is the day of the Sun (Sunday) having appeared to his apostles and disciples, He taught them these things which we have submitted to you for your consideration."
These texts can be found in the Ante-Nicen Fathers, Volume 1, published by Erdmans, Page 186.
Also, note that this early record should establish once and for all that it was not Constantine, in the fourth century, as some have suggested, that changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday.
Now, somebody will ask me the question, Okay, on what day should we worship?
If you are Jewish, worship on the Sabbath. If you are a Jewish Believer, worship on both days. If you are a non-Jewish Believer, I would suggest you worship however you feel led.
