Part IX. The Sabbath

Part IX. The Sabbath[pg 414]Illustration.In The Corn-Field On The Sabbath Day. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27.[pg 415]Institution Of The SabbathIllustration.The Garden Of Eden. "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." Gen. 2:3.1. When and by whom was the Sabbath made?“Thus the heavens and the earth, were finished, and all the host of them. Andon the seventh day God ended His workwhich He had made;and He rested on the seventh dayfrom all His work which He had made.”Gen. 2:1, 2.2. After resting on the seventh day, what did God do?“And Godblessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”Verse 3.3. By what three distinct acts, then, was the Sabbath made?Godrestedon it; Heblessedit; Hesanctifiedit.Sanctify:“To make sacred or holy; to set apart to a holy or religious use.”—Webster.4. Did Christ have anything to do with creation and the making of the Sabbath?“All things were madeby Him; andwithout Him was not anything made that was made.”John 1:3. See also Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2.Note.—Christ, being the active agent in creation, must have rested on the seventh day with the Father. It is therefore His rest day as well as the Father's.5. For whom does Christ say the Sabbath was made?[pg 416]“And He said unto them,The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”Mark 2:27.Note.—It was not made for the Jews alone. The Jews derive their name from Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, from whom they are descended. The Sabbath was made more than two thousand years before there was a Jew. When Paul says,“Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man”(1 Cor. 11:9), we understand him to mean that marriage was ordained of God for all men. So likewise with the Sabbath. It was made for the race.6. What does the Sabbath commandment require?“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.Six days shalt thou labor, 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 man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.”Ex. 20:8-10.7. What reason is given in the commandment for keeping the Sabbath day holy?“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.”Verse 11.Note.—The Sabbath is the memorial of creation, and the sign of God's creative power. Through the keeping of it God designed that man should forever remember Him as the true and living God, the Creator of all things.8. Did God bless and sanctify the seventh day while He was resting upon it, or when His rest on that day was past?“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:because that in it Hehadrested from all His workwhich God created and made.”Gen. 2:3.Notes.—God blessed and sanctified the seventh day then future, answering to the day on which He had just rested. The acts of blessing and sanctifying involve the idea of a future use of those things which are blessed and sanctified. Past time cannot be used. It is gone forever. The blessing and sanctification of the day, therefore, must have related to the future—to all the future seventh days.In Joel 1:14 we read:“Sanctify [i.e., appoint] ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord.”Wherever used in the Bible, the word sanctify means to appoint, to proclaim, or to set apart, as in the margin of Joshua 20:7; 2 Kings 10:20, 21; Zeph. 1:7. So when the Sabbath was sanctified, as the last act by which it was made for man, an appointment, or proclamation, of the Sabbath was given. See Ex. 19:23.“If we had no other passage than this of Gen. 2:3, there would be no difficulty in deducing from it a precept for the universal observance of a Sabbath, or seventh day, to be devoted to God as holy time, by all of that race for whom the earth and its nature were specially prepared. The[pg 417]first men must have known it. The wordsHe hallowed itcan have no meaning otherwise. They would be a blank unless in reference to some who were required to keep it holy.”—Lange's Commentary, Vol. I, page 197.9. How did God prove Israel in the wilderness?“Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold,I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day,that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no.”Ex. 16:4.10. On which day was a double portion of manna gathered?“And it came to pass, thaton the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.”Verse 22.11. What reply did Moses make to the rulers?“And he said unto them,This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbathunto the Lord.”Verse 23.Note.—This was a full month and more before they came to Sinai.12.Whenhad Godsaidthis?In the beginning, when He sanctified the Sabbath. Gen. 2:3.Note.—In the wilderness of Sin, before Israel came to Sinai, Moses said to Jethro, his father-in-law,“I do make them know thestatutesof God, and Hislaws”(Ex. 18:16), which shows that these statutes and laws existed before they were proclaimed on Sinai.13. What did some of the people do on the seventh day?“It came to pass, thatthere went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.”Ex. 16:27.14. How did God reprove their disobedience?“And the Lord said unto Moses,How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?”Verse 28.15. Why was double manna given on the sixth day?“See,for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”Verse 29.16. How, then, did the Lord prove the people (verse 4) whether they would keep His law, or not?Over the keeping of the Sabbath.Note.—Thus we see that the Sabbath commandment was a part of God's law before this law was spoken from Sinai; for this incident occurred in the wilderness of Sin, before the children of Israel came to Sinai, where the law was given. Both the Sabbath and the law existed from creation.[pg 418]God's MemorialIllustration.Christ The Word. "He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered." Ps. 111:4.1. What is to endure throughout all generations?“Thy name, O Lord, endureth forever; andThy memorial, O Lord; throughout all generations.”Ps. 135:13.Memorial:“Anything intended to preserve the memory of a person or event; something which serves to keep some person or thing in remembrance, as a monument or a practise.”—Webster.2. What illustration of this is given in the Bible?“Andthese stones shall be for a memorialunto the children of Israel forever.”Joshua 4:7.3. What were these stones to commemorate?“And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? thenye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.”Verses 21, 22.Note.—These stones were to be a standing memorial, or reminder, of Israel's coming dry-shod over the Jordan.4. What was another memorial instituted to commemorate another signal providence in behalf of the Israelites?“Andthis day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”Ex. 12:14.[pg 419]Note.—This, the Passover, was aperiodicalmemorial, to be observed on the fourteenth day of the first month of each year, the day on which the Israelites were delivered from Egyptian bondage, and its celebration was to be, with the seven days' feast of unleavened bread following and connected with it, in commemoration of that event. See Ex. 13:3-9.5. Does God design that His great work of creating the heavens and the earth shall be remembered?“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honorable and glorious: and His righteousness endureth forever.He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered.”Ps. 111:2-4.6. What has He commanded men to observe in memory of this great work?“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; ... 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.”Ex. 20:8-11.7. Of what was this memorial to be a sign?“And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall bea signbetween Me and you,that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.”Eze. 20:20.8. How long was the Sabbath to be a sign of the true God?“It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.”Ex. 31:17.Note.—It is manifest that if the object of the Sabbath was to keep God as the Creator in mind, and it had been faithfully kept from the first, there would not now be a heathen or an idolater on the face of the earth.9. What besides creation were Israel to remember when they kept the Sabbath?“And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.”Deut. 5:15.Note.—There is a deep significance to this scripture not apparent to those unacquainted with the facts. In Egypt, through oppression and idolatrous surroundings, the keeping of the Sabbath had become not only almost obsolete, but well-nigh impossible. See reading on“Reasons for Sabbath-Keeping,”under questions 9 and 10, page423. Their deliverance from bondage was in order that they might keep God's law (Ps. 105:43-45), and particularly the Sabbath, the great seal, sign, and memorial-institution of the law. The recollection of their bondage and oppressed condition in Egypt was to be an additional incentive for keeping the Sabbath in the land of freedom. The Sabbath, therefore, besides being a memorial of[pg 420]creation, was to be to them a memorial of their deliverance from bondage, and of the great power of God as manifested in this deliverance. And as Egypt stands as a symbol of the condition of every one in the world under the slavery of sin, so the Sabbath is to be kept by every saved soul as a memorial of the deliverance from this slavery by the mighty power of God through Christ.10. Of what else does God say He gave the Sabbath to His people to be a sign, or reminder?“Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to bea signbetween Me and them,that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.”Eze. 20:12.Note.—Sanctification is a work of redemption,—of making holy sinful or unholy beings. Like the work of creation itself, this requires creative power. See Ps. 51:10; John 3:3, 6; Eph. 2:10. And as the Sabbath is the appropriate sign or memorial of the creative power of God wherever displayed, whether in creation, deliverance from human bondage, or deliverance from the slavery of sin, it is to be kept as a sign of the work of sanctification. This will be one great reason for the saints' keeping it throughout eternity. It will remind them not only of their own creation and the creation of the universe, but also of their redemption.11. Through whom do we have sanctification?“But of Him are ye inChrist Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, andsanctification, and redemption.”1 Cor. 1:30.Note.—Then, as the Sabbath is a sign or memorial of sanctification, and as Christ is the one through whom the work of sanctification is accomplished, the Sabbath is a sign or memorial of what Christ is to the believer. Through the Sabbath, therefore, God designed that the believer and Christ should be very closely linked together.12. What statement of the redeemed shows that they will remember God's creative power?“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power:for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and werecreated.”Rev. 4:11.13. How often will they congregate to worship the Lord?“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, thatfrom one new moon to another, andfrom one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.”Isa. 66:22, 23.Note.—The Sabbath, which is the memorial of God's creative power, will never cease to exist. When this sinful state of things shall give way to the sinless new earth, the fact upon which the Sabbath institution is based will still remain; and those who shall be permitted to live in the new earth will still commemorate the creative power of God, while singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. Rev. 15:3. See Rev. 22:1, 2.[pg 421]Reasons For Sabbath-KeepingIllustration.Mt. Sinai--Where The Law Was Given. "That ye may know that I am the Lord your God." Eze. 20:20.1. What is the one great feature by which the true God is distinguished from all false gods?“The Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting king....The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.He hath made the earth by his power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion.”Jer. 10:10-12.2. When Paul wished to preach the true God to the idolatrous Athenians, how did he describe Him?“Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you.God that made the world and all things therein.”Acts 17:23, 24.3. What did the apostles say to the idolaters at Lystra?“We ... preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities untothe living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.”Acts 14:15. See also Rev. 10:6; 14:6, 7.4. What reason is given in the fourth commandment for keeping the Sabbath day holy?“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.”Ex. 20:11.[pg 422]Notes.—The Sabbath is the great memorial of creation and of God's creative power, a constant reminder of the true and living God. God's design in making the Sabbath, and in commanding that it be kept holy, was that man might never forget Him, the Creator of all things.“The original Sabbath being a perpetual memorial of God, the Creator calling man to imitate God in the observance of the same, man could not keep the original Sabbath and forget God.”—Prof. E. W. Thomas, M. A., in Herald of Gospel Liberty, June 19, 1890.When we remember that two thirds of the world's inhabitants today are idolaters, and that since the fall, idolatry, with its train of associated and resultant evils, has ever been a prevailing sin, and then think that the observance of the Sabbath, as God ordained it, would have prevented all this, we can better appreciate the value of the Sabbath institution, and the importance of Sabbath-keeping.5. What does God say the Sabbath will be to those who hallow it, or keep it holy?“And hallow My Sabbaths; andthey shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.”Eze. 20:20.6. How important is it that we know God?“Andthis is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”John 17:3.7. Is there any danger of God's chosen people forgetting Him?“Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes.”Deut. 8:11.8. What other reason is given for keeping the Sabbath?“Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep:for it is a sign between Me and youthroughout your generations;that ye may know that I am the Lord that dothsanctifyyou.”Ex. 31:13.Note.—To sanctify is to make holy, or to set apart for a holy use. The sanctification, or making holy, of sinful beings can be wrought only by the creative power of God through Christ by the Holy Spirit. In 1 Cor. 1:30 we are told that Christ is made unto us“sanctification;”and in Eph. 2:10 it is said that“we are His workmanship,createdin Christ Jesus unto good works.”The Sabbath, therefore, is a sign of sanctification, and thus of what Christ is to the believer, because it is a reminder of the creative power of God as manifested in the work of regeneration. It is the sign of the power of God, therefore, in both creation and redemption. To the believer, it is the evidence, or sign, that he knows the true God, who, through Christ, created all things, and who, through Christ, redeems the sinner and makes him whole.9. What special reason did the Israelites have for keeping the Sabbath?[pg 423]“And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.”Deut. 5:15.Note.—In their bondage the Israelites had to some extent lost the knowledge of God, and departed from His precepts. The Sabbath came to be greatly disregarded by them; and in consequence of the oppression of the Pharaohs, especially the Pharaoh of the exodus, as witnessed by the rigorous exactions made upon them by this latter king through their taskmasters, its observance was made apparently impossible. See Ex. 5:1-19. The special point, both of reform and of conflict, just preceding their deliverance from bondage, was over the matter of Sabbath observance. Moses and Aaron had shown them that obedience to God was the first condition of deliverance. Their efforts to restore the observance of the Sabbath among the Israelites had come to the notice of Pharaoh; hence his accusation against them,“Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron,let[hinder] the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.... Behold, the people of the land are many, and ye make themrest[Heb.,Shabbath] from their burdens.”Ex. 5:4, 5. Deliverance from this oppression was indeed, therefore, an additional and special reason for their keeping the Sabbath. But Egypt and Egyptian bondage simply represent sin and the bondage of sin. See Rev. 11:8; Hosea 11:1; Matt. 2:15; Zech. 10:10. Every one, therefore, who has been delivered from sin has the same reason for keeping the Sabbath as had the Israelites who were released from Egyptian bondage.10. What does the psalmist say was the reason why God brought His people out of Egypt, and placed them in Canaan?“And He brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen with gladness: and gave them the lands of the heathen: ...that they might observe His statutes, and keep His laws.”Ps. 105:43-45.Note.—Their deliverance from Egyptian bondage was a reason for the keeping not only of the fourth commandment, but of every precept of God's law. This is indicated by the preface or preamble to the law as given on Sinai:“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,”etc. Ex. 20:2, 3. See also Lev. 19:35-37; Deut. 10:19; 15:12-15; 24:17, 18. Likewise, every one who, through Christ, has been delivered from the bondage of sin, God calls to obedience, not only in the matter of Sabbath-keeping, but to every precept of His holy law.“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; thatkeepeth the Sabbathfrom polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doinganyevil.”Isa. 56:2.11. What is the meaning of the word sabbath?Rest.Note.—Previous to the fall, God designed that man's time should be occupied with pleasant, invigorating, but not wearisome labor. Gen. 2:15. Laborious, wearisome toil came in consequence of sin. Gen. 3:17-19. While under the fall the Sabbath, therefore, may bring physical rest to both man and the beasts of burden (Ex. 23:12) in a way not originally intended, physical rest was not its original and primary design or purpose. Cessation from the ordinary labors and occupations of the[pg 424]week was ordained, not because these are wrong or sinful in themselves, but that man might have an appointed time and a frequently recurring period for the contemplation of the Creator and His works. Under the gospel, the Sabbath is a sign of spiritual rest and freedom from sin. So we read,“For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.”Heb. 4:10.12. Who gives this rest from sin?“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, andI will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”Matt. 11:28, 29.Note.—The Sabbath, then, is the sign of the soul-rest which Christ gives to the weary and ladened with sin.13. Was the Sabbath intended as a day for public worship?“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest,an holy convocation.”Lev. 23:3.Note.—A convocation is an assembly of people.14. Does the New Testament teach the same duty?“Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”Heb. 10:24, 25.15. What does Malachi say of those that fear the Lord?“Then they that feared the Lordspake often one to another: and the Lord harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.”Mal. 3:16, 17.16. Will the Sabbath be observed as a day of worship in the new earth?“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, andfrom one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.”Isa. 66:22, 23.Note.—“Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our heart is restless till it find its rest in Thee.”—St. Augustine.[pg 425]Manner Of Observing The SabbathIllustration.Sabbath Morning. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Ex. 20:8.1. What is first commanded in the Sabbath commandment?“Rememberthe Sabbathday.”Ex. 20:8.2. Which day is the Sabbath?“The seventh dayis the Sabbath.”Verse 10.3. For what purpose are we to remember the Sabbath day?“Remember the Sabbath day,to keep it holy.”Verse 8.Note.—All through the week the keeping holy of the Sabbath day is to be remembered, or borne in mind. No business contracts or arrangements are to be made, no manner of living indulged in, which will prevent or interfere with the proper or holy observance of the day when it comes. The keeping of this commandment, therefore, is in the interests of, and with a view to, holy livingall the time. Thecommandment itselfenjoins a duty, and is to be kept, all through the week; theSabbathis to be kept when it comes. The Sabbath commandment, therefore, like every other precept of the decalogue, but contrary to the conception of many, is to be keptall the time, and not simply one day in the week. In this matter we should distinguish between theSabbathand the Sabbathcommandment.4. Who made the Sabbath day holy?“Wherefore theLordblessed the Sabbath day, andhallowed it.”Verse 11.Note.—Godmadethe Sabbath day holy; we are tokeepit holy.5. What is it that makes a thing holy?God'spresencein it. See Ex. 3:5; 29:43-46; Joshua 5:13-15.6. Then in order to keep the Sabbath day holy, what must be recognized?[pg 426]God'spresencein the day; Hisblessingupon it; and Hissanctificationof it.7. When, according to the Bible, does the Sabbath begin?“And theeveningand the morning were the first day.”“And theeveningand the morning were the second day,”etc. See Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31.Note.—The evening begins“at the going down of the sun.”See Deut. 16:6; Mark 1:32; Deut. 23:11; 1 Kings 22:35,36; 2 Chron. 18:34.8. Does the Bible recognize this as the proper time for beginning and ending the Sabbath?“From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.”Lev. 23:32.Note.—One great advantage of keeping the Sabbath according to the Bible method of reckoning the day, that is, from sunset to sunset, over keeping it according to the Roman reckoning, or from midnight to midnight, is that by the former one is awake to welcome and to bid adieu to the day when it comes and goes, while by the latter he is asleep when the day begins and ends. God's ways are always best. The setting of the sun is a great natural sign for marking the division of time into days.9. What kind of labor is to be done through the week?“Six days shalt thou labor, and do allthy work.”Ex. 20:9.10. Is any of this kind of work to be done on the Sabbath?“In it thou shalt not doany work.”Verse 10.Note.—If the Sabbath is to be kept“holy,”mere physical rest one day in seven cannot be the great object of the Sabbath institution.11. How does the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, indicate what is true Sabbath-keeping?“If thouturn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doingthy pleasureon My holy day; andcall the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalthonor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thoudelight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”Isa. 58:13, 14.Note.—“Whether the Sabbath becomes a delight or a burden depends upon the spirit with which a man meets it. Indeed, the spirit of the man settles the question as to the benefits to come from any duty he may perform. One man cannot understand why his neighbor should prefer the park or the ball ground to the church, simply because his spirit is different. He has cultivated the higher nature until he loves spiritual things above all others, and to him the Sabbath is indeed a delight. It comes to his weary soul as a reminder of God, and brings him nearer to heaven in heart and mind than does any other day.”—Sabbath Recorder, Dec. 12, 1910.[pg 427]12. What is the character of God, and how only can He be truly worshiped?“God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Himin spirit and in truth.”John 4:24.Note.—This is one reason why the attempt to produce Sabbath-keeping by human Sabbath laws is altogether out of place. Such laws can never produce true Sabbath-keeping, for that isspiritual, and must be of themindand from theheart, and notperfunctory,mechanical, nor offorce.13. What is one thing for which God has given the Sabbath to be a sign?That HesanctifiesHis people, or makes themholy. See Ex. 31:13; Eze. 20:12; and page420.14. What does the“psalm for the Sabbath day”suggest as proper acts and themes for thought and meditation on the Sabbath?“It is a good thing togive thanks unto the Lord, and tosing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: to show forthThy loving-kindnessin the morning, andThy faithfulnessevery night,upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon thepsaltery; upon theharpwith a solemn sound. For Thou, Lord, hast made me gladthrough Thy work: I will triumph inthe works of Thy hands. O Lord,how great are Thy works! andThy thoughts are very deep.”Ps. 92:1-5.15. What do the works of God declare?“The heavens declarethe glory of God; and the firmament showethHis handiwork. Day unto day utterethspeech, and night unto nightshoweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, wheretheir voiceis not heard.”Ps. 19:1-3. See margin.Note.—God designed that the Sabbath should direct the minds of men to His created works, and through these to Him, the Creator. Nature itself speaks to our senses, telling us that there is a God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. The Sabbath, ever pointing to God through nature, was designed to keep the Creator constantly in mind. The proper keeping of it, therefore, must naturally tend to prevent idolatry, atheism, agnosticism, infidelity, irreligion, and irreverence; and, being promotive of the knowledge and fear of God, must of necessity be a deterrent to sin. In this may its value and importance be seen.16. Was the Sabbath designed to be a day for public worship?“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest,an holy convocation.”Lev. 23:3.Note.—The word convocation means“a calling together,”and is always used in the Bible with reference to meetings of a religious character.[pg 428]Illustration.Gathering The Manna. "On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread." "But on the seventh day ... there shall be none." Ex. 16:22, 26.[pg 429]17. What example did Christ set in Sabbath observance?“And as His custom was,He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”Luke 4:16.18. What else did Jesus do on the Sabbath?“And it was the Sabbath day when Jesusmade the clay, and opened his eyes.”John 9:14.Note.—A large share of Christ's ministry consisted of miracles and acts of mercy performed for the relief of suffering humanity; and not a few of these were done on the Sabbath. On this day, as on other days, He“went about doing good.”See next reading.19. With what words did He justify acts of mercy on the Sabbath day?“Wherefore it islawfulto do well on the Sabbath days.”Matt. 12:12.Note.—Not a little of Christ's earthly ministry was devoted to up-lifting the Sabbath, and showing the beneficent character of the Sabbath institution. It was not meant to be a day of sorrow, austerity, or gloom. Disinterested works of love and mercy toward man or beast are always in place on the Sabbath.Lawfulmeans“according to law.”20. What day is especially indicated as the day to prepare for the Sabbath?“And that day [the sixth day] wasthe preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.”Luke 23:54. See also Ex. 16:22, 23.Note.—In order to keep the Sabbath day holy, it must be remembered all through the week; and on the sixth day, or the day just before the Sabbath, special preparation should be madeto be readyto welcome and observe the day when it comes.21. How did the Israelites in the wilderness on the sixth day prepare for the Sabbath?“And it came to pass, thaton the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man.”Ex. 16:22.Notes.—The Sabbath should not be a day of either ordinary labor, idleness, or amusement, but one of rest, reflection, holy joy, worship, and helpfulness. It should be the happiest, the brightest, and the best of all the week. Such it should be made for young and old. Very early the children can be taught the stories of creation and redemption, and taken out amid the handiworks of God and taught to see Him and to commune with Him through nature. Preparation for the Sabbath, therefore, is an essential to its proper observance. God's blessing is upon the first moments of the Sabbath as well as upon the last; and, as far as possible, everything should be got in readiness so that the entire day may be devoted to God and humanity in the manner indicated.In making the Sabbath, God rested upon, blessed, and sanctified the day. Ex. 20:11. Whoever, then, keeps the Sabbath aright, may expect that there will be brought into his life God'srest,blessing, andsanctification.[pg 430]

Illustration.In The Corn-Field On The Sabbath Day. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27.

In The Corn-Field On The Sabbath Day. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27.

Institution Of The SabbathIllustration.The Garden Of Eden. "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." Gen. 2:3.1. When and by whom was the Sabbath made?“Thus the heavens and the earth, were finished, and all the host of them. Andon the seventh day God ended His workwhich He had made;and He rested on the seventh dayfrom all His work which He had made.”Gen. 2:1, 2.2. After resting on the seventh day, what did God do?“And Godblessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”Verse 3.3. By what three distinct acts, then, was the Sabbath made?Godrestedon it; Heblessedit; Hesanctifiedit.Sanctify:“To make sacred or holy; to set apart to a holy or religious use.”—Webster.4. Did Christ have anything to do with creation and the making of the Sabbath?“All things were madeby Him; andwithout Him was not anything made that was made.”John 1:3. See also Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2.Note.—Christ, being the active agent in creation, must have rested on the seventh day with the Father. It is therefore His rest day as well as the Father's.5. For whom does Christ say the Sabbath was made?[pg 416]“And He said unto them,The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”Mark 2:27.Note.—It was not made for the Jews alone. The Jews derive their name from Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, from whom they are descended. The Sabbath was made more than two thousand years before there was a Jew. When Paul says,“Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man”(1 Cor. 11:9), we understand him to mean that marriage was ordained of God for all men. So likewise with the Sabbath. It was made for the race.6. What does the Sabbath commandment require?“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.Six days shalt thou labor, 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 man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.”Ex. 20:8-10.7. What reason is given in the commandment for keeping the Sabbath day holy?“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.”Verse 11.Note.—The Sabbath is the memorial of creation, and the sign of God's creative power. Through the keeping of it God designed that man should forever remember Him as the true and living God, the Creator of all things.8. Did God bless and sanctify the seventh day while He was resting upon it, or when His rest on that day was past?“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:because that in it Hehadrested from all His workwhich God created and made.”Gen. 2:3.Notes.—God blessed and sanctified the seventh day then future, answering to the day on which He had just rested. The acts of blessing and sanctifying involve the idea of a future use of those things which are blessed and sanctified. Past time cannot be used. It is gone forever. The blessing and sanctification of the day, therefore, must have related to the future—to all the future seventh days.In Joel 1:14 we read:“Sanctify [i.e., appoint] ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord.”Wherever used in the Bible, the word sanctify means to appoint, to proclaim, or to set apart, as in the margin of Joshua 20:7; 2 Kings 10:20, 21; Zeph. 1:7. So when the Sabbath was sanctified, as the last act by which it was made for man, an appointment, or proclamation, of the Sabbath was given. See Ex. 19:23.“If we had no other passage than this of Gen. 2:3, there would be no difficulty in deducing from it a precept for the universal observance of a Sabbath, or seventh day, to be devoted to God as holy time, by all of that race for whom the earth and its nature were specially prepared. The[pg 417]first men must have known it. The wordsHe hallowed itcan have no meaning otherwise. They would be a blank unless in reference to some who were required to keep it holy.”—Lange's Commentary, Vol. I, page 197.9. How did God prove Israel in the wilderness?“Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold,I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day,that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no.”Ex. 16:4.10. On which day was a double portion of manna gathered?“And it came to pass, thaton the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.”Verse 22.11. What reply did Moses make to the rulers?“And he said unto them,This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbathunto the Lord.”Verse 23.Note.—This was a full month and more before they came to Sinai.12.Whenhad Godsaidthis?In the beginning, when He sanctified the Sabbath. Gen. 2:3.Note.—In the wilderness of Sin, before Israel came to Sinai, Moses said to Jethro, his father-in-law,“I do make them know thestatutesof God, and Hislaws”(Ex. 18:16), which shows that these statutes and laws existed before they were proclaimed on Sinai.13. What did some of the people do on the seventh day?“It came to pass, thatthere went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.”Ex. 16:27.14. How did God reprove their disobedience?“And the Lord said unto Moses,How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?”Verse 28.15. Why was double manna given on the sixth day?“See,for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”Verse 29.16. How, then, did the Lord prove the people (verse 4) whether they would keep His law, or not?Over the keeping of the Sabbath.Note.—Thus we see that the Sabbath commandment was a part of God's law before this law was spoken from Sinai; for this incident occurred in the wilderness of Sin, before the children of Israel came to Sinai, where the law was given. Both the Sabbath and the law existed from creation.

Illustration.The Garden Of Eden. "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." Gen. 2:3.

The Garden Of Eden. "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." Gen. 2:3.

1. When and by whom was the Sabbath made?

“Thus the heavens and the earth, were finished, and all the host of them. Andon the seventh day God ended His workwhich He had made;and He rested on the seventh dayfrom all His work which He had made.”Gen. 2:1, 2.

2. After resting on the seventh day, what did God do?

“And Godblessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”Verse 3.

3. By what three distinct acts, then, was the Sabbath made?

Godrestedon it; Heblessedit; Hesanctifiedit.

Sanctify:“To make sacred or holy; to set apart to a holy or religious use.”—Webster.

4. Did Christ have anything to do with creation and the making of the Sabbath?

“All things were madeby Him; andwithout Him was not anything made that was made.”John 1:3. See also Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2.

Note.—Christ, being the active agent in creation, must have rested on the seventh day with the Father. It is therefore His rest day as well as the Father's.

5. For whom does Christ say the Sabbath was made?

“And He said unto them,The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”Mark 2:27.

Note.—It was not made for the Jews alone. The Jews derive their name from Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, from whom they are descended. The Sabbath was made more than two thousand years before there was a Jew. When Paul says,“Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man”(1 Cor. 11:9), we understand him to mean that marriage was ordained of God for all men. So likewise with the Sabbath. It was made for the race.

6. What does the Sabbath commandment require?

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.Six days shalt thou labor, 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 man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.”Ex. 20:8-10.

7. What reason is given in the commandment for keeping the Sabbath day holy?

“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.”Verse 11.

Note.—The Sabbath is the memorial of creation, and the sign of God's creative power. Through the keeping of it God designed that man should forever remember Him as the true and living God, the Creator of all things.

8. Did God bless and sanctify the seventh day while He was resting upon it, or when His rest on that day was past?

“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:because that in it Hehadrested from all His workwhich God created and made.”Gen. 2:3.

Notes.—God blessed and sanctified the seventh day then future, answering to the day on which He had just rested. The acts of blessing and sanctifying involve the idea of a future use of those things which are blessed and sanctified. Past time cannot be used. It is gone forever. The blessing and sanctification of the day, therefore, must have related to the future—to all the future seventh days.In Joel 1:14 we read:“Sanctify [i.e., appoint] ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord.”Wherever used in the Bible, the word sanctify means to appoint, to proclaim, or to set apart, as in the margin of Joshua 20:7; 2 Kings 10:20, 21; Zeph. 1:7. So when the Sabbath was sanctified, as the last act by which it was made for man, an appointment, or proclamation, of the Sabbath was given. See Ex. 19:23.“If we had no other passage than this of Gen. 2:3, there would be no difficulty in deducing from it a precept for the universal observance of a Sabbath, or seventh day, to be devoted to God as holy time, by all of that race for whom the earth and its nature were specially prepared. The[pg 417]first men must have known it. The wordsHe hallowed itcan have no meaning otherwise. They would be a blank unless in reference to some who were required to keep it holy.”—Lange's Commentary, Vol. I, page 197.

In Joel 1:14 we read:“Sanctify [i.e., appoint] ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord.”Wherever used in the Bible, the word sanctify means to appoint, to proclaim, or to set apart, as in the margin of Joshua 20:7; 2 Kings 10:20, 21; Zeph. 1:7. So when the Sabbath was sanctified, as the last act by which it was made for man, an appointment, or proclamation, of the Sabbath was given. See Ex. 19:23.

“If we had no other passage than this of Gen. 2:3, there would be no difficulty in deducing from it a precept for the universal observance of a Sabbath, or seventh day, to be devoted to God as holy time, by all of that race for whom the earth and its nature were specially prepared. The[pg 417]first men must have known it. The wordsHe hallowed itcan have no meaning otherwise. They would be a blank unless in reference to some who were required to keep it holy.”—Lange's Commentary, Vol. I, page 197.

9. How did God prove Israel in the wilderness?

“Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold,I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day,that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no.”Ex. 16:4.

10. On which day was a double portion of manna gathered?

“And it came to pass, thaton the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.”Verse 22.

11. What reply did Moses make to the rulers?

“And he said unto them,This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbathunto the Lord.”Verse 23.

Note.—This was a full month and more before they came to Sinai.

12.Whenhad Godsaidthis?

In the beginning, when He sanctified the Sabbath. Gen. 2:3.

Note.—In the wilderness of Sin, before Israel came to Sinai, Moses said to Jethro, his father-in-law,“I do make them know thestatutesof God, and Hislaws”(Ex. 18:16), which shows that these statutes and laws existed before they were proclaimed on Sinai.

13. What did some of the people do on the seventh day?

“It came to pass, thatthere went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.”Ex. 16:27.

14. How did God reprove their disobedience?

“And the Lord said unto Moses,How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?”Verse 28.

15. Why was double manna given on the sixth day?

“See,for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”Verse 29.

16. How, then, did the Lord prove the people (verse 4) whether they would keep His law, or not?

Over the keeping of the Sabbath.

Note.—Thus we see that the Sabbath commandment was a part of God's law before this law was spoken from Sinai; for this incident occurred in the wilderness of Sin, before the children of Israel came to Sinai, where the law was given. Both the Sabbath and the law existed from creation.

God's MemorialIllustration.Christ The Word. "He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered." Ps. 111:4.1. What is to endure throughout all generations?“Thy name, O Lord, endureth forever; andThy memorial, O Lord; throughout all generations.”Ps. 135:13.Memorial:“Anything intended to preserve the memory of a person or event; something which serves to keep some person or thing in remembrance, as a monument or a practise.”—Webster.2. What illustration of this is given in the Bible?“Andthese stones shall be for a memorialunto the children of Israel forever.”Joshua 4:7.3. What were these stones to commemorate?“And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? thenye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.”Verses 21, 22.Note.—These stones were to be a standing memorial, or reminder, of Israel's coming dry-shod over the Jordan.4. What was another memorial instituted to commemorate another signal providence in behalf of the Israelites?“Andthis day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”Ex. 12:14.[pg 419]Note.—This, the Passover, was aperiodicalmemorial, to be observed on the fourteenth day of the first month of each year, the day on which the Israelites were delivered from Egyptian bondage, and its celebration was to be, with the seven days' feast of unleavened bread following and connected with it, in commemoration of that event. See Ex. 13:3-9.5. Does God design that His great work of creating the heavens and the earth shall be remembered?“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honorable and glorious: and His righteousness endureth forever.He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered.”Ps. 111:2-4.6. What has He commanded men to observe in memory of this great work?“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; ... 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.”Ex. 20:8-11.7. Of what was this memorial to be a sign?“And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall bea signbetween Me and you,that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.”Eze. 20:20.8. How long was the Sabbath to be a sign of the true God?“It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.”Ex. 31:17.Note.—It is manifest that if the object of the Sabbath was to keep God as the Creator in mind, and it had been faithfully kept from the first, there would not now be a heathen or an idolater on the face of the earth.9. What besides creation were Israel to remember when they kept the Sabbath?“And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.”Deut. 5:15.Note.—There is a deep significance to this scripture not apparent to those unacquainted with the facts. In Egypt, through oppression and idolatrous surroundings, the keeping of the Sabbath had become not only almost obsolete, but well-nigh impossible. See reading on“Reasons for Sabbath-Keeping,”under questions 9 and 10, page423. Their deliverance from bondage was in order that they might keep God's law (Ps. 105:43-45), and particularly the Sabbath, the great seal, sign, and memorial-institution of the law. The recollection of their bondage and oppressed condition in Egypt was to be an additional incentive for keeping the Sabbath in the land of freedom. The Sabbath, therefore, besides being a memorial of[pg 420]creation, was to be to them a memorial of their deliverance from bondage, and of the great power of God as manifested in this deliverance. And as Egypt stands as a symbol of the condition of every one in the world under the slavery of sin, so the Sabbath is to be kept by every saved soul as a memorial of the deliverance from this slavery by the mighty power of God through Christ.10. Of what else does God say He gave the Sabbath to His people to be a sign, or reminder?“Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to bea signbetween Me and them,that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.”Eze. 20:12.Note.—Sanctification is a work of redemption,—of making holy sinful or unholy beings. Like the work of creation itself, this requires creative power. See Ps. 51:10; John 3:3, 6; Eph. 2:10. And as the Sabbath is the appropriate sign or memorial of the creative power of God wherever displayed, whether in creation, deliverance from human bondage, or deliverance from the slavery of sin, it is to be kept as a sign of the work of sanctification. This will be one great reason for the saints' keeping it throughout eternity. It will remind them not only of their own creation and the creation of the universe, but also of their redemption.11. Through whom do we have sanctification?“But of Him are ye inChrist Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, andsanctification, and redemption.”1 Cor. 1:30.Note.—Then, as the Sabbath is a sign or memorial of sanctification, and as Christ is the one through whom the work of sanctification is accomplished, the Sabbath is a sign or memorial of what Christ is to the believer. Through the Sabbath, therefore, God designed that the believer and Christ should be very closely linked together.12. What statement of the redeemed shows that they will remember God's creative power?“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power:for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and werecreated.”Rev. 4:11.13. How often will they congregate to worship the Lord?“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, thatfrom one new moon to another, andfrom one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.”Isa. 66:22, 23.Note.—The Sabbath, which is the memorial of God's creative power, will never cease to exist. When this sinful state of things shall give way to the sinless new earth, the fact upon which the Sabbath institution is based will still remain; and those who shall be permitted to live in the new earth will still commemorate the creative power of God, while singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. Rev. 15:3. See Rev. 22:1, 2.

Illustration.Christ The Word. "He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered." Ps. 111:4.

Christ The Word. "He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered." Ps. 111:4.

1. What is to endure throughout all generations?

“Thy name, O Lord, endureth forever; andThy memorial, O Lord; throughout all generations.”Ps. 135:13.

Memorial:“Anything intended to preserve the memory of a person or event; something which serves to keep some person or thing in remembrance, as a monument or a practise.”—Webster.

2. What illustration of this is given in the Bible?

“Andthese stones shall be for a memorialunto the children of Israel forever.”Joshua 4:7.

3. What were these stones to commemorate?

“And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? thenye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.”Verses 21, 22.

Note.—These stones were to be a standing memorial, or reminder, of Israel's coming dry-shod over the Jordan.

4. What was another memorial instituted to commemorate another signal providence in behalf of the Israelites?

“Andthis day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”Ex. 12:14.

Note.—This, the Passover, was aperiodicalmemorial, to be observed on the fourteenth day of the first month of each year, the day on which the Israelites were delivered from Egyptian bondage, and its celebration was to be, with the seven days' feast of unleavened bread following and connected with it, in commemoration of that event. See Ex. 13:3-9.

5. Does God design that His great work of creating the heavens and the earth shall be remembered?

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honorable and glorious: and His righteousness endureth forever.He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered.”Ps. 111:2-4.

6. What has He commanded men to observe in memory of this great work?

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; ... 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.”Ex. 20:8-11.

7. Of what was this memorial to be a sign?

“And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall bea signbetween Me and you,that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.”Eze. 20:20.

8. How long was the Sabbath to be a sign of the true God?

“It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.”Ex. 31:17.

Note.—It is manifest that if the object of the Sabbath was to keep God as the Creator in mind, and it had been faithfully kept from the first, there would not now be a heathen or an idolater on the face of the earth.

9. What besides creation were Israel to remember when they kept the Sabbath?

“And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.”Deut. 5:15.

Note.—There is a deep significance to this scripture not apparent to those unacquainted with the facts. In Egypt, through oppression and idolatrous surroundings, the keeping of the Sabbath had become not only almost obsolete, but well-nigh impossible. See reading on“Reasons for Sabbath-Keeping,”under questions 9 and 10, page423. Their deliverance from bondage was in order that they might keep God's law (Ps. 105:43-45), and particularly the Sabbath, the great seal, sign, and memorial-institution of the law. The recollection of their bondage and oppressed condition in Egypt was to be an additional incentive for keeping the Sabbath in the land of freedom. The Sabbath, therefore, besides being a memorial of[pg 420]creation, was to be to them a memorial of their deliverance from bondage, and of the great power of God as manifested in this deliverance. And as Egypt stands as a symbol of the condition of every one in the world under the slavery of sin, so the Sabbath is to be kept by every saved soul as a memorial of the deliverance from this slavery by the mighty power of God through Christ.

10. Of what else does God say He gave the Sabbath to His people to be a sign, or reminder?

“Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to bea signbetween Me and them,that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.”Eze. 20:12.

Note.—Sanctification is a work of redemption,—of making holy sinful or unholy beings. Like the work of creation itself, this requires creative power. See Ps. 51:10; John 3:3, 6; Eph. 2:10. And as the Sabbath is the appropriate sign or memorial of the creative power of God wherever displayed, whether in creation, deliverance from human bondage, or deliverance from the slavery of sin, it is to be kept as a sign of the work of sanctification. This will be one great reason for the saints' keeping it throughout eternity. It will remind them not only of their own creation and the creation of the universe, but also of their redemption.

11. Through whom do we have sanctification?

“But of Him are ye inChrist Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, andsanctification, and redemption.”1 Cor. 1:30.

Note.—Then, as the Sabbath is a sign or memorial of sanctification, and as Christ is the one through whom the work of sanctification is accomplished, the Sabbath is a sign or memorial of what Christ is to the believer. Through the Sabbath, therefore, God designed that the believer and Christ should be very closely linked together.

12. What statement of the redeemed shows that they will remember God's creative power?

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power:for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and werecreated.”Rev. 4:11.

13. How often will they congregate to worship the Lord?

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, thatfrom one new moon to another, andfrom one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.”Isa. 66:22, 23.

Note.—The Sabbath, which is the memorial of God's creative power, will never cease to exist. When this sinful state of things shall give way to the sinless new earth, the fact upon which the Sabbath institution is based will still remain; and those who shall be permitted to live in the new earth will still commemorate the creative power of God, while singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. Rev. 15:3. See Rev. 22:1, 2.

Reasons For Sabbath-KeepingIllustration.Mt. Sinai--Where The Law Was Given. "That ye may know that I am the Lord your God." Eze. 20:20.1. What is the one great feature by which the true God is distinguished from all false gods?“The Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting king....The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.He hath made the earth by his power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion.”Jer. 10:10-12.2. When Paul wished to preach the true God to the idolatrous Athenians, how did he describe Him?“Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you.God that made the world and all things therein.”Acts 17:23, 24.3. What did the apostles say to the idolaters at Lystra?“We ... preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities untothe living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.”Acts 14:15. See also Rev. 10:6; 14:6, 7.4. What reason is given in the fourth commandment for keeping the Sabbath day holy?“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.”Ex. 20:11.[pg 422]Notes.—The Sabbath is the great memorial of creation and of God's creative power, a constant reminder of the true and living God. God's design in making the Sabbath, and in commanding that it be kept holy, was that man might never forget Him, the Creator of all things.“The original Sabbath being a perpetual memorial of God, the Creator calling man to imitate God in the observance of the same, man could not keep the original Sabbath and forget God.”—Prof. E. W. Thomas, M. A., in Herald of Gospel Liberty, June 19, 1890.When we remember that two thirds of the world's inhabitants today are idolaters, and that since the fall, idolatry, with its train of associated and resultant evils, has ever been a prevailing sin, and then think that the observance of the Sabbath, as God ordained it, would have prevented all this, we can better appreciate the value of the Sabbath institution, and the importance of Sabbath-keeping.5. What does God say the Sabbath will be to those who hallow it, or keep it holy?“And hallow My Sabbaths; andthey shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.”Eze. 20:20.6. How important is it that we know God?“Andthis is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”John 17:3.7. Is there any danger of God's chosen people forgetting Him?“Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes.”Deut. 8:11.8. What other reason is given for keeping the Sabbath?“Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep:for it is a sign between Me and youthroughout your generations;that ye may know that I am the Lord that dothsanctifyyou.”Ex. 31:13.Note.—To sanctify is to make holy, or to set apart for a holy use. The sanctification, or making holy, of sinful beings can be wrought only by the creative power of God through Christ by the Holy Spirit. In 1 Cor. 1:30 we are told that Christ is made unto us“sanctification;”and in Eph. 2:10 it is said that“we are His workmanship,createdin Christ Jesus unto good works.”The Sabbath, therefore, is a sign of sanctification, and thus of what Christ is to the believer, because it is a reminder of the creative power of God as manifested in the work of regeneration. It is the sign of the power of God, therefore, in both creation and redemption. To the believer, it is the evidence, or sign, that he knows the true God, who, through Christ, created all things, and who, through Christ, redeems the sinner and makes him whole.9. What special reason did the Israelites have for keeping the Sabbath?[pg 423]“And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.”Deut. 5:15.Note.—In their bondage the Israelites had to some extent lost the knowledge of God, and departed from His precepts. The Sabbath came to be greatly disregarded by them; and in consequence of the oppression of the Pharaohs, especially the Pharaoh of the exodus, as witnessed by the rigorous exactions made upon them by this latter king through their taskmasters, its observance was made apparently impossible. See Ex. 5:1-19. The special point, both of reform and of conflict, just preceding their deliverance from bondage, was over the matter of Sabbath observance. Moses and Aaron had shown them that obedience to God was the first condition of deliverance. Their efforts to restore the observance of the Sabbath among the Israelites had come to the notice of Pharaoh; hence his accusation against them,“Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron,let[hinder] the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.... Behold, the people of the land are many, and ye make themrest[Heb.,Shabbath] from their burdens.”Ex. 5:4, 5. Deliverance from this oppression was indeed, therefore, an additional and special reason for their keeping the Sabbath. But Egypt and Egyptian bondage simply represent sin and the bondage of sin. See Rev. 11:8; Hosea 11:1; Matt. 2:15; Zech. 10:10. Every one, therefore, who has been delivered from sin has the same reason for keeping the Sabbath as had the Israelites who were released from Egyptian bondage.10. What does the psalmist say was the reason why God brought His people out of Egypt, and placed them in Canaan?“And He brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen with gladness: and gave them the lands of the heathen: ...that they might observe His statutes, and keep His laws.”Ps. 105:43-45.Note.—Their deliverance from Egyptian bondage was a reason for the keeping not only of the fourth commandment, but of every precept of God's law. This is indicated by the preface or preamble to the law as given on Sinai:“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,”etc. Ex. 20:2, 3. See also Lev. 19:35-37; Deut. 10:19; 15:12-15; 24:17, 18. Likewise, every one who, through Christ, has been delivered from the bondage of sin, God calls to obedience, not only in the matter of Sabbath-keeping, but to every precept of His holy law.“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; thatkeepeth the Sabbathfrom polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doinganyevil.”Isa. 56:2.11. What is the meaning of the word sabbath?Rest.Note.—Previous to the fall, God designed that man's time should be occupied with pleasant, invigorating, but not wearisome labor. Gen. 2:15. Laborious, wearisome toil came in consequence of sin. Gen. 3:17-19. While under the fall the Sabbath, therefore, may bring physical rest to both man and the beasts of burden (Ex. 23:12) in a way not originally intended, physical rest was not its original and primary design or purpose. Cessation from the ordinary labors and occupations of the[pg 424]week was ordained, not because these are wrong or sinful in themselves, but that man might have an appointed time and a frequently recurring period for the contemplation of the Creator and His works. Under the gospel, the Sabbath is a sign of spiritual rest and freedom from sin. So we read,“For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.”Heb. 4:10.12. Who gives this rest from sin?“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, andI will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”Matt. 11:28, 29.Note.—The Sabbath, then, is the sign of the soul-rest which Christ gives to the weary and ladened with sin.13. Was the Sabbath intended as a day for public worship?“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest,an holy convocation.”Lev. 23:3.Note.—A convocation is an assembly of people.14. Does the New Testament teach the same duty?“Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”Heb. 10:24, 25.15. What does Malachi say of those that fear the Lord?“Then they that feared the Lordspake often one to another: and the Lord harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.”Mal. 3:16, 17.16. Will the Sabbath be observed as a day of worship in the new earth?“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, andfrom one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.”Isa. 66:22, 23.Note.—“Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our heart is restless till it find its rest in Thee.”—St. Augustine.

Illustration.Mt. Sinai--Where The Law Was Given. "That ye may know that I am the Lord your God." Eze. 20:20.

Mt. Sinai--Where The Law Was Given. "That ye may know that I am the Lord your God." Eze. 20:20.

1. What is the one great feature by which the true God is distinguished from all false gods?

“The Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting king....The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.He hath made the earth by his power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion.”Jer. 10:10-12.

2. When Paul wished to preach the true God to the idolatrous Athenians, how did he describe Him?

“Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you.God that made the world and all things therein.”Acts 17:23, 24.

3. What did the apostles say to the idolaters at Lystra?

“We ... preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities untothe living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.”Acts 14:15. See also Rev. 10:6; 14:6, 7.

4. What reason is given in the fourth commandment for keeping the Sabbath day holy?

“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.”Ex. 20:11.

Notes.—The Sabbath is the great memorial of creation and of God's creative power, a constant reminder of the true and living God. God's design in making the Sabbath, and in commanding that it be kept holy, was that man might never forget Him, the Creator of all things.“The original Sabbath being a perpetual memorial of God, the Creator calling man to imitate God in the observance of the same, man could not keep the original Sabbath and forget God.”—Prof. E. W. Thomas, M. A., in Herald of Gospel Liberty, June 19, 1890.When we remember that two thirds of the world's inhabitants today are idolaters, and that since the fall, idolatry, with its train of associated and resultant evils, has ever been a prevailing sin, and then think that the observance of the Sabbath, as God ordained it, would have prevented all this, we can better appreciate the value of the Sabbath institution, and the importance of Sabbath-keeping.

“The original Sabbath being a perpetual memorial of God, the Creator calling man to imitate God in the observance of the same, man could not keep the original Sabbath and forget God.”—Prof. E. W. Thomas, M. A., in Herald of Gospel Liberty, June 19, 1890.

When we remember that two thirds of the world's inhabitants today are idolaters, and that since the fall, idolatry, with its train of associated and resultant evils, has ever been a prevailing sin, and then think that the observance of the Sabbath, as God ordained it, would have prevented all this, we can better appreciate the value of the Sabbath institution, and the importance of Sabbath-keeping.

5. What does God say the Sabbath will be to those who hallow it, or keep it holy?

“And hallow My Sabbaths; andthey shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.”Eze. 20:20.

6. How important is it that we know God?

“Andthis is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”John 17:3.

7. Is there any danger of God's chosen people forgetting Him?

“Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes.”Deut. 8:11.

8. What other reason is given for keeping the Sabbath?

“Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep:for it is a sign between Me and youthroughout your generations;that ye may know that I am the Lord that dothsanctifyyou.”Ex. 31:13.

Note.—To sanctify is to make holy, or to set apart for a holy use. The sanctification, or making holy, of sinful beings can be wrought only by the creative power of God through Christ by the Holy Spirit. In 1 Cor. 1:30 we are told that Christ is made unto us“sanctification;”and in Eph. 2:10 it is said that“we are His workmanship,createdin Christ Jesus unto good works.”The Sabbath, therefore, is a sign of sanctification, and thus of what Christ is to the believer, because it is a reminder of the creative power of God as manifested in the work of regeneration. It is the sign of the power of God, therefore, in both creation and redemption. To the believer, it is the evidence, or sign, that he knows the true God, who, through Christ, created all things, and who, through Christ, redeems the sinner and makes him whole.

9. What special reason did the Israelites have for keeping the Sabbath?

Note.—In their bondage the Israelites had to some extent lost the knowledge of God, and departed from His precepts. The Sabbath came to be greatly disregarded by them; and in consequence of the oppression of the Pharaohs, especially the Pharaoh of the exodus, as witnessed by the rigorous exactions made upon them by this latter king through their taskmasters, its observance was made apparently impossible. See Ex. 5:1-19. The special point, both of reform and of conflict, just preceding their deliverance from bondage, was over the matter of Sabbath observance. Moses and Aaron had shown them that obedience to God was the first condition of deliverance. Their efforts to restore the observance of the Sabbath among the Israelites had come to the notice of Pharaoh; hence his accusation against them,“Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron,let[hinder] the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.... Behold, the people of the land are many, and ye make themrest[Heb.,Shabbath] from their burdens.”Ex. 5:4, 5. Deliverance from this oppression was indeed, therefore, an additional and special reason for their keeping the Sabbath. But Egypt and Egyptian bondage simply represent sin and the bondage of sin. See Rev. 11:8; Hosea 11:1; Matt. 2:15; Zech. 10:10. Every one, therefore, who has been delivered from sin has the same reason for keeping the Sabbath as had the Israelites who were released from Egyptian bondage.

10. What does the psalmist say was the reason why God brought His people out of Egypt, and placed them in Canaan?

“And He brought forth His people with joy, and His chosen with gladness: and gave them the lands of the heathen: ...that they might observe His statutes, and keep His laws.”Ps. 105:43-45.

Note.—Their deliverance from Egyptian bondage was a reason for the keeping not only of the fourth commandment, but of every precept of God's law. This is indicated by the preface or preamble to the law as given on Sinai:“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,”etc. Ex. 20:2, 3. See also Lev. 19:35-37; Deut. 10:19; 15:12-15; 24:17, 18. Likewise, every one who, through Christ, has been delivered from the bondage of sin, God calls to obedience, not only in the matter of Sabbath-keeping, but to every precept of His holy law.“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; thatkeepeth the Sabbathfrom polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doinganyevil.”Isa. 56:2.

11. What is the meaning of the word sabbath?

Rest.

Note.—Previous to the fall, God designed that man's time should be occupied with pleasant, invigorating, but not wearisome labor. Gen. 2:15. Laborious, wearisome toil came in consequence of sin. Gen. 3:17-19. While under the fall the Sabbath, therefore, may bring physical rest to both man and the beasts of burden (Ex. 23:12) in a way not originally intended, physical rest was not its original and primary design or purpose. Cessation from the ordinary labors and occupations of the[pg 424]week was ordained, not because these are wrong or sinful in themselves, but that man might have an appointed time and a frequently recurring period for the contemplation of the Creator and His works. Under the gospel, the Sabbath is a sign of spiritual rest and freedom from sin. So we read,“For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.”Heb. 4:10.

12. Who gives this rest from sin?

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, andI will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”Matt. 11:28, 29.

Note.—The Sabbath, then, is the sign of the soul-rest which Christ gives to the weary and ladened with sin.

13. Was the Sabbath intended as a day for public worship?

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest,an holy convocation.”Lev. 23:3.

Note.—A convocation is an assembly of people.

14. Does the New Testament teach the same duty?

“Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”Heb. 10:24, 25.

15. What does Malachi say of those that fear the Lord?

“Then they that feared the Lordspake often one to another: and the Lord harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.”Mal. 3:16, 17.

16. Will the Sabbath be observed as a day of worship in the new earth?

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, andfrom one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.”Isa. 66:22, 23.

Note.—“Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our heart is restless till it find its rest in Thee.”—St. Augustine.

Manner Of Observing The SabbathIllustration.Sabbath Morning. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Ex. 20:8.1. What is first commanded in the Sabbath commandment?“Rememberthe Sabbathday.”Ex. 20:8.2. Which day is the Sabbath?“The seventh dayis the Sabbath.”Verse 10.3. For what purpose are we to remember the Sabbath day?“Remember the Sabbath day,to keep it holy.”Verse 8.Note.—All through the week the keeping holy of the Sabbath day is to be remembered, or borne in mind. No business contracts or arrangements are to be made, no manner of living indulged in, which will prevent or interfere with the proper or holy observance of the day when it comes. The keeping of this commandment, therefore, is in the interests of, and with a view to, holy livingall the time. Thecommandment itselfenjoins a duty, and is to be kept, all through the week; theSabbathis to be kept when it comes. The Sabbath commandment, therefore, like every other precept of the decalogue, but contrary to the conception of many, is to be keptall the time, and not simply one day in the week. In this matter we should distinguish between theSabbathand the Sabbathcommandment.4. Who made the Sabbath day holy?“Wherefore theLordblessed the Sabbath day, andhallowed it.”Verse 11.Note.—Godmadethe Sabbath day holy; we are tokeepit holy.5. What is it that makes a thing holy?God'spresencein it. See Ex. 3:5; 29:43-46; Joshua 5:13-15.6. Then in order to keep the Sabbath day holy, what must be recognized?[pg 426]God'spresencein the day; Hisblessingupon it; and Hissanctificationof it.7. When, according to the Bible, does the Sabbath begin?“And theeveningand the morning were the first day.”“And theeveningand the morning were the second day,”etc. See Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31.Note.—The evening begins“at the going down of the sun.”See Deut. 16:6; Mark 1:32; Deut. 23:11; 1 Kings 22:35,36; 2 Chron. 18:34.8. Does the Bible recognize this as the proper time for beginning and ending the Sabbath?“From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.”Lev. 23:32.Note.—One great advantage of keeping the Sabbath according to the Bible method of reckoning the day, that is, from sunset to sunset, over keeping it according to the Roman reckoning, or from midnight to midnight, is that by the former one is awake to welcome and to bid adieu to the day when it comes and goes, while by the latter he is asleep when the day begins and ends. God's ways are always best. The setting of the sun is a great natural sign for marking the division of time into days.9. What kind of labor is to be done through the week?“Six days shalt thou labor, and do allthy work.”Ex. 20:9.10. Is any of this kind of work to be done on the Sabbath?“In it thou shalt not doany work.”Verse 10.Note.—If the Sabbath is to be kept“holy,”mere physical rest one day in seven cannot be the great object of the Sabbath institution.11. How does the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, indicate what is true Sabbath-keeping?“If thouturn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doingthy pleasureon My holy day; andcall the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalthonor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thoudelight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”Isa. 58:13, 14.Note.—“Whether the Sabbath becomes a delight or a burden depends upon the spirit with which a man meets it. Indeed, the spirit of the man settles the question as to the benefits to come from any duty he may perform. One man cannot understand why his neighbor should prefer the park or the ball ground to the church, simply because his spirit is different. He has cultivated the higher nature until he loves spiritual things above all others, and to him the Sabbath is indeed a delight. It comes to his weary soul as a reminder of God, and brings him nearer to heaven in heart and mind than does any other day.”—Sabbath Recorder, Dec. 12, 1910.[pg 427]12. What is the character of God, and how only can He be truly worshiped?“God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Himin spirit and in truth.”John 4:24.Note.—This is one reason why the attempt to produce Sabbath-keeping by human Sabbath laws is altogether out of place. Such laws can never produce true Sabbath-keeping, for that isspiritual, and must be of themindand from theheart, and notperfunctory,mechanical, nor offorce.13. What is one thing for which God has given the Sabbath to be a sign?That HesanctifiesHis people, or makes themholy. See Ex. 31:13; Eze. 20:12; and page420.14. What does the“psalm for the Sabbath day”suggest as proper acts and themes for thought and meditation on the Sabbath?“It is a good thing togive thanks unto the Lord, and tosing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: to show forthThy loving-kindnessin the morning, andThy faithfulnessevery night,upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon thepsaltery; upon theharpwith a solemn sound. For Thou, Lord, hast made me gladthrough Thy work: I will triumph inthe works of Thy hands. O Lord,how great are Thy works! andThy thoughts are very deep.”Ps. 92:1-5.15. What do the works of God declare?“The heavens declarethe glory of God; and the firmament showethHis handiwork. Day unto day utterethspeech, and night unto nightshoweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, wheretheir voiceis not heard.”Ps. 19:1-3. See margin.Note.—God designed that the Sabbath should direct the minds of men to His created works, and through these to Him, the Creator. Nature itself speaks to our senses, telling us that there is a God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. The Sabbath, ever pointing to God through nature, was designed to keep the Creator constantly in mind. The proper keeping of it, therefore, must naturally tend to prevent idolatry, atheism, agnosticism, infidelity, irreligion, and irreverence; and, being promotive of the knowledge and fear of God, must of necessity be a deterrent to sin. In this may its value and importance be seen.16. Was the Sabbath designed to be a day for public worship?“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest,an holy convocation.”Lev. 23:3.Note.—The word convocation means“a calling together,”and is always used in the Bible with reference to meetings of a religious character.[pg 428]Illustration.Gathering The Manna. "On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread." "But on the seventh day ... there shall be none." Ex. 16:22, 26.[pg 429]17. What example did Christ set in Sabbath observance?“And as His custom was,He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”Luke 4:16.18. What else did Jesus do on the Sabbath?“And it was the Sabbath day when Jesusmade the clay, and opened his eyes.”John 9:14.Note.—A large share of Christ's ministry consisted of miracles and acts of mercy performed for the relief of suffering humanity; and not a few of these were done on the Sabbath. On this day, as on other days, He“went about doing good.”See next reading.19. With what words did He justify acts of mercy on the Sabbath day?“Wherefore it islawfulto do well on the Sabbath days.”Matt. 12:12.Note.—Not a little of Christ's earthly ministry was devoted to up-lifting the Sabbath, and showing the beneficent character of the Sabbath institution. It was not meant to be a day of sorrow, austerity, or gloom. Disinterested works of love and mercy toward man or beast are always in place on the Sabbath.Lawfulmeans“according to law.”20. What day is especially indicated as the day to prepare for the Sabbath?“And that day [the sixth day] wasthe preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.”Luke 23:54. See also Ex. 16:22, 23.Note.—In order to keep the Sabbath day holy, it must be remembered all through the week; and on the sixth day, or the day just before the Sabbath, special preparation should be madeto be readyto welcome and observe the day when it comes.21. How did the Israelites in the wilderness on the sixth day prepare for the Sabbath?“And it came to pass, thaton the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man.”Ex. 16:22.Notes.—The Sabbath should not be a day of either ordinary labor, idleness, or amusement, but one of rest, reflection, holy joy, worship, and helpfulness. It should be the happiest, the brightest, and the best of all the week. Such it should be made for young and old. Very early the children can be taught the stories of creation and redemption, and taken out amid the handiworks of God and taught to see Him and to commune with Him through nature. Preparation for the Sabbath, therefore, is an essential to its proper observance. God's blessing is upon the first moments of the Sabbath as well as upon the last; and, as far as possible, everything should be got in readiness so that the entire day may be devoted to God and humanity in the manner indicated.In making the Sabbath, God rested upon, blessed, and sanctified the day. Ex. 20:11. Whoever, then, keeps the Sabbath aright, may expect that there will be brought into his life God'srest,blessing, andsanctification.

Illustration.Sabbath Morning. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Ex. 20:8.

Sabbath Morning. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Ex. 20:8.

1. What is first commanded in the Sabbath commandment?

“Rememberthe Sabbathday.”Ex. 20:8.

2. Which day is the Sabbath?

“The seventh dayis the Sabbath.”Verse 10.

3. For what purpose are we to remember the Sabbath day?

“Remember the Sabbath day,to keep it holy.”Verse 8.

Note.—All through the week the keeping holy of the Sabbath day is to be remembered, or borne in mind. No business contracts or arrangements are to be made, no manner of living indulged in, which will prevent or interfere with the proper or holy observance of the day when it comes. The keeping of this commandment, therefore, is in the interests of, and with a view to, holy livingall the time. Thecommandment itselfenjoins a duty, and is to be kept, all through the week; theSabbathis to be kept when it comes. The Sabbath commandment, therefore, like every other precept of the decalogue, but contrary to the conception of many, is to be keptall the time, and not simply one day in the week. In this matter we should distinguish between theSabbathand the Sabbathcommandment.

4. Who made the Sabbath day holy?

“Wherefore theLordblessed the Sabbath day, andhallowed it.”Verse 11.

Note.—Godmadethe Sabbath day holy; we are tokeepit holy.

5. What is it that makes a thing holy?

God'spresencein it. See Ex. 3:5; 29:43-46; Joshua 5:13-15.

6. Then in order to keep the Sabbath day holy, what must be recognized?

God'spresencein the day; Hisblessingupon it; and Hissanctificationof it.

7. When, according to the Bible, does the Sabbath begin?

“And theeveningand the morning were the first day.”“And theeveningand the morning were the second day,”etc. See Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31.

Note.—The evening begins“at the going down of the sun.”See Deut. 16:6; Mark 1:32; Deut. 23:11; 1 Kings 22:35,36; 2 Chron. 18:34.

8. Does the Bible recognize this as the proper time for beginning and ending the Sabbath?

“From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.”Lev. 23:32.

Note.—One great advantage of keeping the Sabbath according to the Bible method of reckoning the day, that is, from sunset to sunset, over keeping it according to the Roman reckoning, or from midnight to midnight, is that by the former one is awake to welcome and to bid adieu to the day when it comes and goes, while by the latter he is asleep when the day begins and ends. God's ways are always best. The setting of the sun is a great natural sign for marking the division of time into days.

9. What kind of labor is to be done through the week?

“Six days shalt thou labor, and do allthy work.”Ex. 20:9.

10. Is any of this kind of work to be done on the Sabbath?

“In it thou shalt not doany work.”Verse 10.

Note.—If the Sabbath is to be kept“holy,”mere physical rest one day in seven cannot be the great object of the Sabbath institution.

11. How does the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, indicate what is true Sabbath-keeping?

“If thouturn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doingthy pleasureon My holy day; andcall the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalthonor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thoudelight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”Isa. 58:13, 14.

Note.—“Whether the Sabbath becomes a delight or a burden depends upon the spirit with which a man meets it. Indeed, the spirit of the man settles the question as to the benefits to come from any duty he may perform. One man cannot understand why his neighbor should prefer the park or the ball ground to the church, simply because his spirit is different. He has cultivated the higher nature until he loves spiritual things above all others, and to him the Sabbath is indeed a delight. It comes to his weary soul as a reminder of God, and brings him nearer to heaven in heart and mind than does any other day.”—Sabbath Recorder, Dec. 12, 1910.

12. What is the character of God, and how only can He be truly worshiped?

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Himin spirit and in truth.”John 4:24.

Note.—This is one reason why the attempt to produce Sabbath-keeping by human Sabbath laws is altogether out of place. Such laws can never produce true Sabbath-keeping, for that isspiritual, and must be of themindand from theheart, and notperfunctory,mechanical, nor offorce.

13. What is one thing for which God has given the Sabbath to be a sign?

That HesanctifiesHis people, or makes themholy. See Ex. 31:13; Eze. 20:12; and page420.

14. What does the“psalm for the Sabbath day”suggest as proper acts and themes for thought and meditation on the Sabbath?

“It is a good thing togive thanks unto the Lord, and tosing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: to show forthThy loving-kindnessin the morning, andThy faithfulnessevery night,upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon thepsaltery; upon theharpwith a solemn sound. For Thou, Lord, hast made me gladthrough Thy work: I will triumph inthe works of Thy hands. O Lord,how great are Thy works! andThy thoughts are very deep.”Ps. 92:1-5.

15. What do the works of God declare?

“The heavens declarethe glory of God; and the firmament showethHis handiwork. Day unto day utterethspeech, and night unto nightshoweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, wheretheir voiceis not heard.”Ps. 19:1-3. See margin.

Note.—God designed that the Sabbath should direct the minds of men to His created works, and through these to Him, the Creator. Nature itself speaks to our senses, telling us that there is a God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. The Sabbath, ever pointing to God through nature, was designed to keep the Creator constantly in mind. The proper keeping of it, therefore, must naturally tend to prevent idolatry, atheism, agnosticism, infidelity, irreligion, and irreverence; and, being promotive of the knowledge and fear of God, must of necessity be a deterrent to sin. In this may its value and importance be seen.

16. Was the Sabbath designed to be a day for public worship?

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest,an holy convocation.”Lev. 23:3.

Note.—The word convocation means“a calling together,”and is always used in the Bible with reference to meetings of a religious character.

Illustration.Gathering The Manna. "On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread." "But on the seventh day ... there shall be none." Ex. 16:22, 26.

Gathering The Manna. "On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread." "But on the seventh day ... there shall be none." Ex. 16:22, 26.

17. What example did Christ set in Sabbath observance?

“And as His custom was,He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”Luke 4:16.

18. What else did Jesus do on the Sabbath?

“And it was the Sabbath day when Jesusmade the clay, and opened his eyes.”John 9:14.

Note.—A large share of Christ's ministry consisted of miracles and acts of mercy performed for the relief of suffering humanity; and not a few of these were done on the Sabbath. On this day, as on other days, He“went about doing good.”See next reading.

19. With what words did He justify acts of mercy on the Sabbath day?

“Wherefore it islawfulto do well on the Sabbath days.”Matt. 12:12.

Note.—Not a little of Christ's earthly ministry was devoted to up-lifting the Sabbath, and showing the beneficent character of the Sabbath institution. It was not meant to be a day of sorrow, austerity, or gloom. Disinterested works of love and mercy toward man or beast are always in place on the Sabbath.Lawfulmeans“according to law.”

20. What day is especially indicated as the day to prepare for the Sabbath?

“And that day [the sixth day] wasthe preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.”Luke 23:54. See also Ex. 16:22, 23.

Note.—In order to keep the Sabbath day holy, it must be remembered all through the week; and on the sixth day, or the day just before the Sabbath, special preparation should be madeto be readyto welcome and observe the day when it comes.

21. How did the Israelites in the wilderness on the sixth day prepare for the Sabbath?

“And it came to pass, thaton the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man.”Ex. 16:22.

Notes.—The Sabbath should not be a day of either ordinary labor, idleness, or amusement, but one of rest, reflection, holy joy, worship, and helpfulness. It should be the happiest, the brightest, and the best of all the week. Such it should be made for young and old. Very early the children can be taught the stories of creation and redemption, and taken out amid the handiworks of God and taught to see Him and to commune with Him through nature. Preparation for the Sabbath, therefore, is an essential to its proper observance. God's blessing is upon the first moments of the Sabbath as well as upon the last; and, as far as possible, everything should be got in readiness so that the entire day may be devoted to God and humanity in the manner indicated.In making the Sabbath, God rested upon, blessed, and sanctified the day. Ex. 20:11. Whoever, then, keeps the Sabbath aright, may expect that there will be brought into his life God'srest,blessing, andsanctification.

In making the Sabbath, God rested upon, blessed, and sanctified the day. Ex. 20:11. Whoever, then, keeps the Sabbath aright, may expect that there will be brought into his life God'srest,blessing, andsanctification.

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