A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2006 Bible Study IV - The Sabbath

Hi folks, I have been remiss in following through with this topic, but wanted to get it started again. And I wanted to do it with a topic that has been a discussion for Dan and I quite often.

God gave us 10 Commandments to live by and one of them was to keep holy the sabbath day.

Exodus 20:6-11 states "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."

So with that comes the question. How do you remember the sabbath? When do you remember the sabbath day? And finally why is it that you think so many people and religious groups choose to ignore this commandment?

tough question Triss - one that I am often convicted of. We consider Sunday the Sabbath although I recognize the rational for Christians acknowledging Saturday. The obvious "remebrance" is church attendance because we are told in the NT to "not forsake gathering together." After that it gets harder to "keep it holy". There are things we don't do specifically because it it Sunday (no movies, etc..) but it becomes more difficult to rationalize that if I then succumb to the lure of the world and go shopping for instance. But I will not frequent a supposedly Christian store if they are open on Sunday and I admire the stand of Chik-fil-a.

As for why we ignore this commandment - it's not convenient. It requires thought, commitment, and dedication. Mostly I think it is because Christians fear looking different from the world and easily give in to worldly values. I also think so little teaching occurs in church regarding keeping the Sabbath that most folks don't have a clue anymore that it should be different.

Yep it's Sunday for me too. And it's alittle easier for me since our services are 3 and 1/2 hours long. And then it's easily another hour to get out the door lol. Since it is the lords day I follow that with rehashing the lessions that were taught during the services. Then any service work or callings that require my attention are dealt with. Since working for the lord is considered acceptable to my faith on Sunday. Also the BYU channel is acceptable watching on sunday evening. Also calling any members who were not able to attend church and seeing to their needs is acceptable.

Of course being on here is only acceptable if I am studing gardening not chatting so I always mess up on that part. Other than that inventoring my food storage and emergency supplies is ok although I don't go shopping either. Not even the grocery store although sometimes that's hard.

I know that before I join the church quite recently I just thought it meant that I wasn't suppose to do work that I got paid for. Broadening the meaning of work got to be entertaining. I still haven't got my schedule worked out so that I don't have to cook on sunday. I know I can make stuff ahead I just forget because for me this is so new. Finding way to dedicate the days activities to the lord is also new but I do better each sunday I think.

Nice topic. Thankyou for starting this string.

One time when we had a Sunday School lesson on this subject I leaned over and whispered to the woman sitting next to me "I think it's a lot easier for a man to keep the Sabbath than a mother." She turned to me in all earnestness and said "I don't even grind wheat any more on Sunday, I make sandwiches the day ahead and we eat off paper plates." That shut me up in pretty short order. Grind wheat?? Don't see that ever happening around here Sunday or not. The paper plates sounded like a good idea though.

We are guilty of that one..
My poor hubby works 6 days a week.
And only gets that one day to do any work
for his dad, my mom, his sister, my brother,
his friend who had a heart attack, etc..
although we do schedule family events during the
entire year on those days too...
It's the only day we have...

And you know all that I am a believer...
but I have often wondered about this one...
*not to be funny, but it comes out funny*

Who makes the 3 meals on Sunday if no one can work?
I've often wondered that???

Thanks everyone who has checked into this topic so far. This issue is such a big one for Dan cuz none of the churches we have attended the Sabbath. We even went to visit a Seventh day Adventist Church in Sacramento and while they worship on Saturday, they had all kinds of people working to video tape the services and then had the women of the church serving a meal afterwards. It really upset him.

As for me I wonder if Saturday is supposed to be the Sabbath, then why could we not keep that in our home and attend church on Sunday.

I do agree Weezie that as a mother, not doing work of any kind is virtually impossible. I would really like to get Lynne's opinion on this one as well since in all the studying I have done it seems that people of Jewish faith keep the Sabbath much better than any other religions.

And this also leads to another question. Which churches do you all attend? We had been going to an Evangelical Free Church in Nebraska but have yet to find a place to go here. Dan is looking at several. In the couple of years we attended in NE, I never once heard a sermon or Bible Study on the Sabbath and my questions about it were either completely ignored or glossed over with "we attend church on Sunday"

I remember many sermons on the subject when I was a child and in my teens but after that minister retired when I was 17 I never heard another sermon preached on it until we began attending the church we are in now about 7 years ago (did I mention I'm 52). Since then I've heard it addressed several times, including in children's sermons and examples of righteous living.

I've also heard an interesting radio sermon on it in which the minister talked about how does a preacher keep the Sabbath. He proposed that it was by doing what God called him to do on Sunday and choosing another day of the week to honor the Sabbath. He also indicated that a Sabbath would be doing something different from what we do on a regular day. If someone does physical labor then a day of physical rest is in order, on the flip side, if someone has a desk job all week then maybe mowing the lawn or doing some physical labor is an appropriate Sabbath. I don't have an answer but it is worth contemplating.

We attend a Christian and Missionary Alliance church. It is a small and very conservative evangelical church that God has lead us to after much soul-searching and disillusionment with what has passed for Christianity in the contemporary church. We also have sound people, choir director, organist and occasionally have a carry in lunch in the gym afterward.

Some devout Jewish people hire a Sabbath goy to do the work. I have a young friend who believes that if he is unwilling to do something himself, then he is also breaking the Sabbath by asking someone else to do that thing for him, such as going to a restaurant on Sunday. Something to remember though are Jesus own words about the Sabbath so that we don't become too legalistic, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27

Bev, I do remember reading that. I also read where Jesus healed on the Sabbath and where he told a story about saving a lamb on the Sabbath. Sorry I do not know the locations right off the top of my head as I have been doing a lot of reading on the subject in several different Bibles as of late and am just not versed enough to know where things are.

I also want to state that I did not start this topic to make anyone feel like they arent doing enough, does that make sense. I just want to know if all I have seen is just the places we have gone, or pretty much the norm across the country.

I think that's one of the things I like best about the LDS. They do believe in keeping the sabbath. Not just by not "working" but by dedicating that day to the worship of God. And each person has to decide how best to do that. Family Enrichment Night is practiced by some of the families in our ward on the Sabbath. And yes many families do prepare the Sunday meals earlier in the week so that no one is cooking on Sunday. I haven't quite got the hang of that yet but I'm sure I will in time.

I am sure you will Tammy. I am so happy that you are getting along so well in your new church!

Yesterday in Sunday School we studied Hebrews 4:1-11 where it speaks about entering God's Sabbath rest. It refers back to the Israelites not entering the promised land or rest due to their disobedience and speaks of a coming Sabbath rest for believers. God's Sabbath was when he ended His work in the creation, our coming Sabbath rest is entering His presence for eternity with an end to trials and labor. It sounds wonderful. I wonder if we stress too much about keeping the Sabbath here when it truly does seem to be rest.

I was thinking along those lines as well. God took a day of rest after he worked to create the world. And instead of us taking a day of rest we go out and go to church and often that can entail a lot of stress and preparation, especially trying to get 6 kids out the door. While I love attending church, I certainly cannot call it restful at all. Most of the time going to church means attending a Bible study class, often a potluck or luncheon. And while all of that is spiritually invigorating, it is also no very restful at all.

I think you have to weigh that one out Triss...because we are also commanded to gather with other believers as a way of learning and growing. I think "we" make going to church stressful because we feel we have to dress a certain way..or hold a certain standard or something. Personally...going to church is the one thing I enjoy the most. I love to attend Sunday school...and learn and also know that there are other believers that go through the same difficulties that I do. Sunday morning services are my "least" favorite because they are more of a "formal" service in most places. But Sunday night & Wednesday night services are where you find your core members that are in for the seriousness of the gathering..the committed prayer warriors. I love being with others for the support and the fellowship...and, I think it helps us to be "accountable" to others... I can tell a HUGE difference in my walk when I am not attending church where I can gas up for the week ahead!
I also think it is a wonderful place to allow our kiddos to learn..they certainly are going to get ANY spiritual food at school. And yes, it is our responsability to teach them...but I think they can relate to their peer group and know they can share their struggles!


~V~

Oh do not get me wrong Vanessa, I absolutely enjoy going to church, just do not see it as restful. I always get revved up and have a wonderful feeling being with others who believe as I do. I am with you though that services other than those on Sunday morning are the best!

Our schedule on Sunday is after church I usually always have lunch ready in the crockpot or oven...so that we can get right to it..and then it's NAP TIme!!! For some reason, Sunday is the only day that I can try to nap and actually sleep...and it is ALWAYS the most restful sound sleep I ever get...I look forward to it. But...we haven't made it to church but one time since we have been here..but that will change because I really miss it. And it will help us get to know some of the people here...which I am also looking forward to. I hate being the lone ranger...

~V~

I lead a 1st and 2nd grade Awana Sparky group on Wednesday evenings and never get to go to prayer meeting but believe that this is where God wants me to be. When I first began working with Awana's it was with the 4 year olds and I was fussing one day to my choir mate about how difficult Wednesdays were. If I was going to be sick, late, exhausted or ill-prepared it would be a Wednesday, on top of which it seemed that I couldn't reach the church without some crisis or other occuring. I said it had to be the most exhausting day of the week, she laughed and said "only to be outdone by Sunday, the so-called day of rest." I got a good laugh out of that and finally realized that it wasn't circumstances trying to keep me from what God wanted me to do - it was the Devil trying to intervene.

I think maybe we all are very busy on Sundays but it's an energizing sort of busy.

It is VERY energizing. On Sunday's when we cannot get to church, we usually put on Rich Mullins and listen to it. His music always gives me a reason to smile and puts my heart at ease.

guess i can add my two bits here....as a religious jew "remembering and keeping" the sabbath is a bit different than what others have written until now. first of all, we keep sabbath on saturday (in hebrew sunday is called day one , monday day two etc. and so that makes saturday the seventh day on which G-d rested) from what i understand originally all christians kept sabbath on saturday, but early on it was decided to change to sunday in order to differentiate between the two religions - keep in mind that way back then the judeo christians lived in both worlds practically.
we also do not do any "work". work is defined as any kind of work that was done as service in the Holy Temple. it includes MANY things from turning on a light (but a timer can be set before sabbath begins) to driving to cooking to ripping paper and writing. there are many intricate details that i wont get into but it basically forces you to sit down and dedicate a da to G-d. you cant do any work - and you arent even supposed to think about business or talk about it. its a time where we pray and spend time relaxing and being with our families. i just cant imangine running around seven days a week.

After the resurection the first meeting of Christ's followers was held on the first day of the week. Hinda is right, the early Christians were Jewish and lived in both worlds. The Sabbath was the seventh day but believers met separately on the first day (in addition to the Sabbath for many of them) because that is when they met with Christ. There are still Christian denominations that meet on Saturday. Most Christians consider Sunday the Sabbath because Christ rose on Sunday.

Hinda - how do religious Jews handle the scramble of getting young children ready to go to services? Is that considered work? I know around my house in years past that was the hardest part of Sunday - getting them ready then feeding them when we got home, regardless of whether we did anything else all day.

And Bev...can you tell me why it is that we do that all week long, every morning of the week...get them dressed and ready for school..us for work and out the door and usually at a MUCH earlier time than what we have to for Sunday services.....but for some reason it is way more difficult on Sunday!!!My Pastor use to tell me that the harder it was to get out the door on Sunday morning...the MORE you needed the service. And you know...I think he was right. It seems the more hectic the morning and the more I want to "chunk" the whole ritual of getting ready...I get to the service and it was something I needed desperately to hear or experience. Yet another way we have of measuring the attack of satan! If you do not meet resistance in some areas...you may not be a threat to him. But when he knows (and yes HE knows) that you are being fed and are spiritually growing...that is when he is threatened and has to desperately try to bombard you. AND...you would think the older we get...that he would "slack" up some...completely the opposite. The older you are the closer you get to Heaven's gate...the harder he has to try to knock you down and make you want to give up the good fight.

Hinda, I have missed you and was so tickled to see your post...pop in a little more often ya hear...I always enjoy your input so much!

~V~

This is a bit off topic but I really wanted to share this. I think it is a wonderful thing that I can add to my day...everyday!

> 1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your
> prayers by praying for those
> closest to you. They are the easiest to remember.
> To pray for our loved ones
> is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."
>
> 2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray
> for those who teach,
> instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors,
> and ministers. They need
> support and wisdom in pointing others in the right
> direction. Keep them in your
> prayers.
>
> 3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It
> reminds us of our leaders.
> Pray for the president, leaders in business and
> industry, and administrators.
> These people shape our nation and guide public
> opinion. They need God's
> guidance.
>
> 4. The fourth finger is our ring finger.
> Surprising to many is the fact
> that this is our weakest finger; as any piano
> teacher will testify. It should
> remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble
> or in pain. They need
> your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much
> for them.
>
> 5. And lastly comes our little finger; the
> smallest finger of all which
> is where we should place ourselves in relation to
> God and others. As the Bible
> says, "The least shall be the greatest among you."
> Your pinkie should remind
> you to pray for yourself. By the time you have
> prayed for the other four
> groups, your own needs will be put into proper
> perspective and you will be able
> to pray for yourself more effectively.


~V~

What a lovely guide Vanessa. And yes, I absolutely think it is satanic assault that hits us when we are going to worship. Anything to interfere with us drawing closer to the Lord. Remember in Acts (I think) where it talks about the young slave girl who's master had her telling fortunes and she kept yelling that these men were servants of the living God as they were on their way to prayer. Just another attempt to disrupt prayer time and corporate worship. It wasn't until I recognized the source of the assault and vowed to persevere in spite of it that my Wednesday night attacks let up.

I can relate to that completely Bev...at the beginning of ANY and EVERY service I attend...the very first thing I do is pray for ALL distractions to be removed so I (and others) do not get distracted from being fed and enriched, encouraged and lifted up. Just getting there is only half the battle...I cannot tell you how many times I have grasped a huge NUGGET of gold in a service and looked to see others fiddling with papers, kids, dozing etc....and my heart was broken that they missed it. I do know that I am not responsible for what everyone else does...but I just think it is important to really try to encourage attention...you never know how much you may have needed what you missed!!!

~V~

Thanks for the prayer guidance Nessa. Hey Hinda good to see you or see your posts anyway lol.

Are your temples close enough together that you can manage to walk to them? I couldn't get to church without someone being willing to drive me. It's probably at least 10 miles away.

I've been trying to read through the Book or Mormon and every since I've gotten 2/3 of the way through it's been like walking in waist deep mud. It takes 20 minutes it get through both sides of one page. So even though I don't have to get kids ready for church I do understand about having difficulty with doing church activities. I guess I need to be adding that to the 5th part of my prayers.

Take care all.

TK..I am really glad that you have someone to drive you to church. Most churches seem to be thoughtful enough to provide transportation to any one needing it. I also wanted to comment to you about how much I enjoy reading your posts about how you have been cooking for and taking care of fellow church members and the elders. You seem to be having such great fun doing that...and I am really glad!!! Just adds a LOT of spice to life doesn't it? I will be REALLY glad when we get settled enough to make a decission on a church and then become active and getting to know some people around here...I just love to be involved. We have had to drag our feet a bit because of some of the issues with the baby...but it is all starting to simmer down so we will be able to plow on a head....I'm am excited!!!

~V~