Do you believe in the Sabbath rest?
If so, how do you handle Hebrews 4:9 as it relates to resting on the Sabbath?
Hebrews 4:9
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;
This verse clearly identifies a Sabbath rest without specifying a specific day. Therefore, it’s not a big issue as to “which day” just as long as you take “A” day, right?
Hebrews 4 Sabbath Rest
After all, Jesus our Sabbath rest established new laws governed by love for us to follow. Further, since Hebrews is a New Testament book it would seem obvious that it is more binding than the Old. Right?
For sake of argument I’ll agree with that above thought process. However, I will also read the rest of the verse by adding verse 10 to Hebrews 4:9.
Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.
God rested from His work?
Genesis 2:2-3
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Yes, indeed.
Did He do this because He was tired?
I hope not or we are all in trouble today. Therefore, I would conclude that He was resting the rest of you. Put another way, He was setting the precedence for what we should follow as it relates to Sabbath keeping in our own lives. Yes the Sabbath was for Moses. Sabbath rest is also for us today.
Jesus Our Sabbath Rest
Sadly, many people will contend that somehow Jesus changed the day of rest.
They will use verses like
Matthew 12:8
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
Mark 2:27
Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Luke 6:5
Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
Unfortunately, none of the above verses teach us that the Sabbath has been changed from what it was created to be since the very beginning of time and yet somehow they put the above together in a way to make it say what it clearly does not.
Jesus is Sabbath rest. People God loves have been given this blessing. I would completely agree. What concerns me is when we mere humans then take this concept and make of it what it clearly does not say. I find that to be a danger of immense proportions.
Seventh Day Adventists Sabbath
Many sadly take exception to the Seventh Day Adventists Sabbath position. I would counter that until they are clearly able to show that Scripture does not say what it does say that I will continue to follow God’s Word.
The fourth commandment, which happens to be the only one that starts with the word “remember” is apparently what everyone is attempting to forget today.
Exodus 20:8-11
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Yet, if one truly wants to experience the Sabbath rest doing so God’s way seems the best approach to take to me. How about you?
