Keeping the Sabbath

There are those who insist on holding onto the rigid laws of the Old Testament and feel that all the laws and ordinances God laid down for Israel bind them as well. Some of the laws were moral and dealt with the interactions between individuals and God and His, absolute truths of right and wrong. God gave the Ten Commandments as standards of behavior, standards that He demanded, standards that if they were violated it was considered sin. His standard of what is correct is listed several places in the Bible, both I the Old and New Testaments. Several examples of Moral Laws are, “Thou shalt not kill,” Thou shalt not steal,” and “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”

The first five books of the Bible are books of the law. They not state the moral laws God gave Israel, but also Civil Laws. Such as what should be done if a person kills or maims a servant or borrowed animal? What should happen if a neighbor burns crops in another’s field? What punishment restitution is necessary to give recompense? These were guidelines on which the judges were to base their decisions. The judges were there to establish the guilt or innocence of the parties involved and determine who was at fault before rendering the verdict. “An eye for an eye” wasn’t a vigilante response as many today believe where vengeance replaces the court system and judges, but it tells what God feels is correct punishment.

Throughout the Old Testament Ceremonial Laws are given, “The feast of Tabernacles,” “The Feast of Purim,” or “The Passover.” Each feast, holiday, and ceremony pointed to the future and the arrival of the Messiah. His arrival made complete the law, all of the feasts, holidays, and prophecies of the Old Testament. Even the birth of Jesus coincided with words written hundreds of years before that marked the exact city and under what circumstances the Christ Child was to be born. As Jesus walked the earth, He shared a new commandment of love. He used the words of the Old Testament to reinforce His being one with God. Jesus worshipped on the Sabbath in the Temple and the synagogues. He shared during His time on earth, the need for keeping all the Commandments except one…and that was “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” Each of the other Commandments Jesus still shared, but the keeping the Sabbath isn’t. Why not?

When Jesus arose on the first day of the week, He set a new precedent. He was the first fruit. He became the propitiation and sacrifice paying mankind’s sin debt. His death on the cross and the blood He shed replaced forever the need for animal sacrifice in the Temple. This is why Christians worship on Sundays.