Opus 2018-261: Because, Gorges, Part 1 of 2

Recently Gorges of Gorges Grouse got a bit upset with me and my inconsistency.  He stopped short of the word “hypocrisy” but you could see it wanting to jump out between the lines.  In case you don’t bother with reading comments, here is what he had to say,

“So why do you deny the TRUE Sabbath, but then stick the commandments for it on the FIRST day of the week? And please don't use the silly argument that man can choose any day he wants for “‘the Sabbath.’”

He has a point.  This is what the Bible has to say.

(Exodus 20:8-11 KJV)  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, 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.

That seems pretty straight forward. 

Of course we also need to point out some conflicts that Jesus had about the Sabbath.  One is found in Mark 2:23-28. 

(Mark 2:23-4 KJV)  And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.  And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

The law allowed people to take enough grain from a field to deal with their hunger so we are not looking at theft or trespass.  What the Pharisees got upset about was that plucking grain was work and that meant that they were working on the Sabbath.  If you understand the passage in Exodus rigidly, then Jesus was breaking the Law.  Yet He answers them to point out an understanding that I am not sure we get yet.

(Mark 2:27 KJV)  And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

The Sabbath rest was not a burden that God put on His people.  It was a protection that He demanded for their lives.  They were not to work themselves into the ground.  Notice that it applied even to the cattle.  If it were written today it might apply to our automobiles.  God knew about type A people who never rest.  He knew that such behavior was bad for us.  To He called a Sabbath rest.

Like all Biblical laws, there is a good reason for them.

To be continued...

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