I'm curious to hear other's opinions on observing the Sabbath today. I've been in the early stages of implementing honoring or at least trying to myself.

Keep in mind the Lord does not just say to remember the weekly sabbath but "all my sabbaths".

If you read Leviticus carefully there are commands given to the sons of Israel and commands that apply to everyone (including aliens and foreigners). The council of Jerusalem responded to a certain understanding of the Torah that to worship Yahweh and to eat the Eucharist the gentiles coming to Christ had to be circumcised and follow the Torah as Judaeans, ie they had to stop being gentiles and become Jews. This is a reasonable understanding given the immediate connection between the Eucharist and Passover.

However, the council understood that the prophets foretold of gentiles coming to worship Yahweh as gentiles. St Paul understood this as well - the gentiles coming were to become gentile followers of Yahweh. Something new, not what they were as pagans but also not becoming Judaeans.

They therefore took a very close reading of Leviticus and said that the Torah did apply to the gentiles, exactly as it always had. And they letter they wrote said the same thing as Leviticus - what applied to not only the sons of Israel but also everyone in the land was that they must not worship idols, eat blood, or practice sexual immorality (all of which are tightly linked to paganism). And that is the historical view of the Church.

If you are not a Judaean, you should not be endeavoring to follow the commands of the Torah directed to the sons of Israel unless you want to become one - if you do, you need to stop being whatever you are, and become completely Judaean as St Paul says - under the whole Torah. And if you are doing that for your salvation, St Paul says you have misunderstood the gospel.

Appreciate the response. So Christians are not obligated to the Ten Commandments by this reasoning?

Yukon Cornelius said:

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I'm curious to hear other's opinions on observing the Sabbath today. I've been in the early stages of implementing honoring or at least trying to myself.

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It is not required under the New Covenant but I believe observing the Sabbath is good for us spiritually. And I try to have some Sabbath rest in every day.

Yukon Cornelius said:

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Appreciate the response. So Christians are not obligated to the Ten Commandments by this reasoning?

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Not for salvation. I can not think of any good that comes out of breaking any of the 10 Commandments. They are for our own good.

Right, didn't mean in relation to one's salvation. If a Christian was habitually having affairs or murdering people or speaking terribly about their parents how would we view them? We would say while they may profess Jesus they are living in sin. Any of the nine commandments would be addressed but not the Sabbath. I wonder if we've collectively lost something along the way.

I guess that begs the question. What is required under the new covenant?

No, I don't think that's the takeaway. I think the takeaway is that there is always right and wrong - sin and righteousness. The Patriarchs practiced the faith before the giving of the Torah to Moses on Sinai. Adultery and murder, for example, are clearly taught as wrong in Genesis.

But the pattern of Genesis is a series of declines. Things become worse and worse until God acts. First the flood, then Babel, and then the giving of the Torah. Even in the patriarchal narratives you can see the decline beginning. Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Joseph goes from God appearing to Abraham and speaking to him multiple times and eating with him to rarely appearing to Jacob and never directly to Joseph. Jacob struggled with God and righteousness in a way Abraham didn't, and at least some of his sons were becoming pagan again… committing brutal murder (Simeon and Ruben) and participating in pagan rituals and intermarrying with pagans (Judah). This is why St Paul says the Torah was given because of transgressions - to rein in the sin and decline that was beginning.

Forgot to add. Some of the fathers of the church write that as Christ fills up the whole law to over flowing, the Christian is not obligated to a weekly physical sabbath but to live every day as a spiritual sabbath - to anticipate the eternal sabbath of the kingdom. Likewise all of the feasts and fasts of the Torah are observed by the church, fulfilled in Christ.

The whole Torah in Christ is like this - expanded and filled to overflowing.

Agreed. But since the Ten Commandments are clearly God defining right and wrong why do we collectively exclude one of the commandments? And also God tells us the reason for it is because God created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. So the Sabbath precedes any of the things you mentioned.

Another example is when the Israelites are in the wilderness collecting mana. They do not collect on the sabbath and God provides a double portion on the sixth day. This precedes the giving of the Ten Commandments.

So to me it seems the entirety of the Ten Commandments should be observed by Gods people and are not tied to the levitical law or the national laws of Israel.

But that these Ten Commandments are the base layer of morality designed/instituted by God.

dermdoc said:

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Yukon Cornelius said:

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Appreciate the response. So Christians are not obligated to the Ten Commandments by this reasoning?

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Not for salvation. I can not think of any good that comes out of breaking any of the 10 Commandments. They are for our own good.

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I would agree that Aggie football has not been for my own good these last years.

Ah so more to my original question. Do you mind expanding more on how the orthodox keep the sabbath Holy. Clearly I'm ignorant of it.

Yukon Cornelius said:

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I guess that begs the question. What is required under the new covenant?

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Council of Jerusalem decided that. No eating of blood, meat counting blood, strangled animals, no idols, and no sexual immorality.

I believe if we are truly regenerate, we will naturally love God and love our neighbor.

If we do that, how could we break one of the 10 Commandments? God has written them on our hearts.

And so to my original post how do you keep the Sabbath?

I ask because I've been on an interesting personal journey with it this last year and curious other's opinions.

Yukon Cornelius said:

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And so to my original post how do you keep the Sabbath?

I ask because I've been on an interesting personal journey with it this last year and curious other's opinions.

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I read my Bible, meditate on the word of God, and pray.

Everyday at work I spend a half hour alone in a converted supply closet with a couch at lunch.

On Sunday I usually go to church then come home and rest.

Awesome thank you

There are cycles of feasts and fasts in the church, reflecting the cycles of the Torah, but fulfilled. For example we don't celebrate the feast of Tabernacles but the Transfiguration. We don't celebrate Passover out fo Egypt but the new Passover of Christ (Pascha in Greek just means "passover". English seems to be the only language where this connection is broken).

So there is a weekly cycle as well. When we fast, we fast harder on the weekdays. In most languages it is still indeed called Sabbath. Saturday is always relaxed from fasting, Sunday moreso. In periods like Lent where we don't serve weekday liturgies at all, we always do on Saturday. Saturday we prepare for Sunday.

The fathers say we should not keep external sabbath by abstaining from work but spiritual sabbath. We should pray and meditate on the scriptures - keep a spiritual sabbath.

Sundays are elevated even moreso - in most languages this is the Lord's Day… English again robs the meaning. We don't kneel or prostrate in prayers on Sunday, but we stand in the resurrection. It is a tiny Passover celebrated each week.

St John Chrysostom points out that circumcision was never delayed for the sabbath, so its observation was greater than the sabbath observation: yet Christians aren't obliged to be circumcised.

Yukon Cornelius said:

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Awesome thank you

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Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

That's awesome. Going to look more into the orthodox practices.

Not sure how that negates the importance or role of the Sabbath but an explanation of its purpose. It's still from God.

The Sabbath is exclusively part of God's covenant with the b'nei Yisrael.

In Orthodox Judaism, it's forbidden for a non-Jew, even one in the process of converting to Judaism, to keep Shabbat completely. The prospective convert will, of course, have to learn the laws of Shabbat to keep them after conversion. But until he's officially made the cut to become a Jew, the Rabbi will insist that he do one little thing like lighting a match, in order to have "worked" on Shabbat.

Why is that the case but not the other 10 commandments?

Yukon Cornelius said:

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Not sure how that negates the importance or role of the Sabbath but an explanation of its purpose. It's still from God.

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Agree. But it is for our good as are all the 10 commandments. God knew we needed rest.

So much so it's within our God given morality base layer. Yet the church doesn't really teach it. Or at least in my personal experience I've never seen in taught or encouraged.

Yukon Cornelius said:

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So much so it's within our God given morality base layer. Yet the church doesn't really teach it. Or at least in my personal experience I've never seen in taught or encouraged.

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Agree. Jesus sure talked a lot about the peace and rest He gives us. We just need to take advantage of it.

Great Sabbath today. Prayers and Bible reading this am. Watched service on line as we are out of town. Probably nap and play with grand kids followed by a family meal. With red wine of course. God is so good.

Shalom.

Todays not the sabbath though. Which I know enters into a realm of legalism etc but we don't use that as an excuse not follow the other 10 commandments. I've come to tbe conclusion there is a sabbath day. It's six days and then the seventh day is the sabbath. Always. Regardless if people have any clue or not.

I know this probably sounds strange at first but the Sabbath is the seventh day in which God rested. So six days. Than the sabbath. So forth and so on. It does not change.

It's like Christmas Day. There is a Christmas Day. Regardless of when people celebrate it or if they celebrate it or not. It's a defined day every year. Same with the sabbath. There is a defined sabbath every week.

Genesis 2:13 (ESV): Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

This day is separated from the rest of the week. It doesn't change days depending on culture etc.

Yukon Cornelius said:

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Todays not the sabbath though. Which I know enters into a realm of legalism etc but we don't use that as an excuse not follow the other 10 commandments. I've come to tbe conclusion there is a sabbath day. It's six days and then the seventh day is the sabbath. Always. Regardless if people have any clue or not.

I know this probably sounds strange at first but the Sabbath is the seventh day in which God rested. So six days. Than the sabbath. So forth and so on. It does not change.

It's like Christmas Day. There is a Christmas Day. Regardless of when people celebrate it or if they celebrate it or not. It's a defined day every year. Same with the sabbath. There is a defined sabbath every week.

Genesis 2:13 (ESV): Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

This day is separated from the rest of the week. It doesn't change days depending on culture etc.

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From my reading of Paul, especially Romans 14:5, the actual day of the week does not matter.

Romans 14:5
One person considers one day more sacred than another, another considers every day alike. Each of them should be convinced in their own mind.

And the key is that is not a requirement for Gentiles and is actually a blessing,

This is in reference to passing judgement on others weak or immature in the faith. Which I'm not trying to do by any means.

But it is wise to say following the Ten Commandments is better than not no? And in them is to keep the Sabbath. Which again I've only recently been exploring what that looks like. But it's also in a vacuum as the church seems indifferent to it. Even to the point of excusing it like we've seen in this thread but no one would rightfully excuse any of the other Ten Commandments.

So to me it seems to come not from a place of theological conclusions but of personal ignorance or indifference. Which I don't think is good.

And I by no means have the correct opinion as my own has changed a multitude of times this past year.

But I will say with some certainty the church is missing something here.

Maybe I'm way off base but this seems to be speaking of gentiles. Foreigner is the literal Greek meaning from gentile.

Isaiah 56:18 (ESV): 56 Thus says the Lord:
"Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my righteousness be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
"The Lord will surely separate me from his people";
and let not the eunuch say,
"Behold, I am a dry tree."
4 For thus says the Lord:
"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
5 I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
6 "And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples."
8 The Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
"I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered."

Yukon Cornelius said:

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Maybe I'm way off base but this seems to be speaking of gentiles. Foreigner is the literal Greek meaning from gentile.

Isaiah 56:18 (ESV): 56 Thus says the Lord:
"Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my righteousness be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
"The Lord will surely separate me from his people";
and let not the eunuch say,
"Behold, I am a dry tree."
4 For thus says the Lord:
"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
5 I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
6 "And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples."
8 The Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
"I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered."

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The Council of Jerusalem specifically stated what was required of Gentiles. Keeping the Sabbath was not one of the requirements.

And Isaiah was writing based on the Old Covenant based on the Law. There was no revelation of Jesus yet so the way a Gentile pleased God was by following Jewish law.

I think there is a benefit to keeping the Sabbath but it is not required according to Scripture in my opinion.

Ok. Are you doing anything else outlined in Lev 23?

That's not where it originates from. Levitical also speaks about murdering. Which I also don't do. We don't abandon any morality jsur because it's implemented into the Levitical laws.

You can say that but the Torah is a functional unit, you can't subdivide it. There is zero distinction made between different parts of it. The parts of Leviticus about the sabbath are part of the commandment to keep the sabbath. And there are other commandments regarding sabbaths in Leviticus 23. .

So why do you think the first part of Leviticus 23 applies to you, but the rest doesn't?

The same reason I think murder is an act of rebellion against God.