But just where did the idea of the special 7th day of rest come from? That is what Moses now explains as he concludes his description of the Creation week - in Gen.2:1-3. The word "Sabbath" does not actually appear but the word "seventh" is closely related and would cause any Jewish reader to think immediately of the Sabbath.

The Sabbath is special

Moses is careful to point out that the day is special and unlike the other 6 in a week.

· It only occurs after God has fully completed His work of creation - and it specifically follows the declaration that all was very good ie. it completely conformed to what God had planned to create. God rested or ceased from His creative activity on this day.

· Each of the first 6 days gets just one mention each - eg. 5; 8; 13; 19; 23; 31 but when we read about the seventh day it is mentioned three times Gen.2:2(2); 3.

· Each of the first 6 days is given a distinct end - "there was evening and there was morning…" no such thing is said of the 7th day.

· The 7th day is further singled out in being the only day that God blessed and set apart as holy.

Before going any further there is something that we need to take notice of. The setting apart of the seventh day is a creation ordinance.

This is important for us. Sabbath observance belongs firmly in the ongoing category of moral law (as do all of the 10 Commandments) and as such continues to be relevant for the Christian. Being in origin a creation ordinance it is simply not appropriate to reject the idea of Sabbath observance under the pretence that is it a uniquely Jewish affair. It certainly is not to be rejected as part of the OT ceremonial or religious law of Moses.

It is true however that under the Mosaic dispensation certain uniquely Jewish elements were indeed added to the idea of the Sabbath but these were not integral to the initial establishment of the day. We must therefore be careful to distinguish between the principle of the Sabbath as a creation ordinance and the particular temporary and localized details which were to serve a particular purpose for a specific people which were subsequently added.

It is not therefore merely to be considered as a Jewish day which was designed to distinguish the Jews from other nations.

In the initial giving of the 10 Commandments (Ex.20) the reason given for observing the Sabbath was the fact that God had created the world in 6 days and rested from such work on the 7^th. Man was to be careful not to forget this and was to follow God's pattern of working 6 days then leaving off his normal work in order to keep it as a special day to the LORD.

Just before the Israelites went into the Promised Land Moses reminded them of the Law (Deut.5) and on that occasion the Israelites are to remember their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Their possession of the Law of God would indeed serve to distinguish and to protect their identity as the people of God as they prepared to enter the Promised Land.

The Sabbath designed to be a blessing to man

In the NT Jesus taught very clearly that the Sabbath was to be a positive factor in man's life. At the outset man had been brought into existence before the Sabbath day had been set aside. It was ludicrous then to see man as being forced to conform to the Sabbath as though that was the very purpose for which he had been created! No! Jesus taught:

Mk.2:28 "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

The God who had created all things determined to set one day aside as special and in His goodness this day was designed to be good for man.

On this day – one day each week – 52 times a year – God has given man a day on which he is to rest ie. to cease from his regular work that he occupies himself with on the six other days. This day he is to use not for his own material interests but for spiritual matters. How good of God to call man regularly to consider his spiritual interests! How stubborn we are in our resistance to use the day for Him and for His glory!!

On this day we are not to cease from all work – after all God continued to sustain His creation even though He did cease from His creative labours – rather we are to cease from our work and give time to His.

What is then is legitimate and helpful on the Lord's Day,

We must avoid the traps of legalism and of treating His people as infantile. We do not live any longer under the Mosaic dispensation of law. This was appropriate when the people of God were in their state of infancy but now Christ has come and His Spirit has been poured out we are called upon to grow up and no longer live our lives as though we were minors!

Rules and regulations which are highly appropriate for a parent to give his young child are totally inappropriate for the son who is now an adult!

Peter in the NT could even affirm that the Jews had found the Mosaic dispensation of the law irksome and an impossible weight to carry!

So now we must talk in terms of principles and the people of God must grow in their spiritual understanding and in grace to be able to make wise decisions for themselves. They are indeed the born again people of God and they have the Spirit of God! Pastors and other leaders must avoid the temptation of providing too many quick answers!

The works against which there is no objection are the following:

· Works of piety – religious worship, Bible reading, prayer, memory verses, other Christian books etc.

· Works of necessity – food, exercise.

· Works of mercy – visiting etc.

Motivation for keeping the Sabbath

We must take care that our attitude towards the Lord's Day is correct. There are two different attitudes that we can have and only one is right.

Legal obedience – looks to doing the right thing and focuses upon that believing that in doing what is right the Lord will be obliged to respond. Perhaps illustrated best for us in the attitude of the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. This elder brother was in his father's house trying hard to conform never doing what was wrong and yet he seems to have no love for his father and fails to share in his father's joy as the prodigal returns.

The Christian way has been called evangelical obedience. Such obedience comes when the Christian realizes just how greatly God had blessed him who was so unworthy of any blessing. In possession of glorious grace his heart is motivated not by the desire to merit his favours – he already has them fully – but out of an overflowing thankfulness of heart.

It is possible to turn the Lord's Day into a cold legalistic affair – that was the error of the Pharisees as they developed a comprehensive rule book of what could and what could not be done. But this misses the point. We are not to focus on externals but to ensure that our heart attitude is right.

Isaiah had written centuries before Christ concerning the right way to observe the Sabbath:

Is.58:13-14 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honourable; if you honour it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

The path he outlined is one that will lead to rich blessing for the Christian who will heed his call!