What’s the Scoop on the Fourth Commandment for Modern-Day New Testament Christians?

Nothing’s written in stone. This disclaimer frequently used during planning committee meetings overlooks historical Jewish and Christian records to the contrary. In both the Torah and Old Testament, the finger of God engraved ten commandments in stone tablets—not once, but twice. No questions regarding rules against adultery, lying, and stealing, but what’s the scoop on the Fourth Commandment for modern-day New Testament Christians? Isn’t keeping the Sabbath holy an outdated concept?

Many of us still remember the childhood Sunday afternoon drives around a rural American town. No sports games on Sundays. No construction work on homes or streets anywhere. “Let’s go for a ride, girls,” drew cheers as we scurried to get our shoes.  We knew only one business opened on Sunday afternoon. Following Dad’s slow-moving review of construction progress on new buildings in town or the state of various gardens, we always enjoyed a soft-serve ice cream cone. Practically the whole town rested on Sundays.

Exodus 20:8, “Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy,” provides grist for discussions even within the Church. What does it mean to keep a day holy, and does it matter which day, since every day’s pretty much the same?

 

Two Blessings

The Jewish Torah and Christian Old Testament begin with God creating the world. As soon as everything had a place, God took a breather. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so, on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 2:2-3 NIV)

If we read Chapter One to see the specifics, we might picture God leaning back, declaring good or very good after evaluating each stage of creation. God gave His first-ever blessing to mankind right after He created them, male and female. (Gen. 1:28)

God stamped His second blessing on the seventh day, the day He rested, pronouncing it holy. But, this blessing carried more than an isolated declaration at the conclusion of a gigantic project. In fact, later on, God’s people saw it written in stone.

 

More than a blessing

The remaining forty-eight chapters of the Book of Genesis provide some exciting stories. Step-by-step the story unfolded; God’s created humankind would need redemption.

The first example of this need came in physical terms as we read of God’s people enslaved in Egypt. Long story short: God orchestrated their deliverance from the bondage of the cruel Egyptian conditions. During their trek across the desert, the redeemed mass ran into some nasty infighting. Time for God to lay down some basics—in stone.

In the recording found in Exodus, God introduced the engraved work by reminding the people that He was the Lord, their God, who had brought them out of the slavery of Egypt. No doubt their memories served to awaken their attention to hear the ten commandments that followed.

Moving from this second book of the Torah to the fifth (Deuteronomy), God set the redemption reminder inside His Fourth Commandment.

“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” (Deut. 5:12-15 NIV)

Most of us have neither ox or donkey nor servants—male or female—but I love this expanded version of God’s all-inclusive order to rest. Everyone gets in on the blessing.

Sometimes, the very things the Creator God intended to bring joy into our week are twisted by authorities into painful restrictions. The Pharisees certainly had a heyday with the Fourth Commandment.

The Jewish leaders added more and more restrictions with each official interpretation of the Ten Commandments. What began as ten, expanded to hundreds of sub-points, each bearing the weight of a command.

Observing the Sabbath by keeping it holy? Surely, in today’s jam-packed daily agendas God understands people need to work on Sundays.

 

Three Exceptions

Jesus never tossed out any of the Ten Commandments in His teaching. Jesus declared that He had not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. In fact, as it relates to the Fourth Commandment, Jesus declared that He was the Lord of the Sabbath (Mt. 12:8)

In explaining the spirit of God’s law, Jesus tried to get the Pharisees to understand that exceptions existed. The Heavenly Father allowed the following considerations when enforcing the Fourth Commandment:

• Necessity.

• Piety.

• Mercy.

In today’s world that covers those in the medical field who must work on Sundays, those serving in the churches on Sundays, and the necessities of daily living, such as preparing meals. Jesus explained that none of these break the commandment.

Practical examples of exceptions found in the Scriptures include:

 

Necessity.

One Sabbath day Jesus and His disciples cut through a grain field on their journey. Hunger got the best of the men. They began pulling the grain off the stalks and chowing down.

“When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, ‘Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.’” (Mt. 12:2 NIV)

But, Jesus didn’t let them delight in their Gotcha! moment long.

Calmly, Jesus drew them back to Jewish history. Because of necessity, King David and his men ate the consecrated bread right off the Temple table when they were hungry. No one dared speak against the revered memory of King David. The Pharisees kept silent.

Clearly, when the disciples of Jesus grabbed a handful of grain off the stalk, none of them were performing the work of cultivation. Jesus reminded the Pharisees of an Old Testament passage they knew well as He reinforced the innocence of his men: the spirit takes precedence over the letter of the law.

“If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” (Mt. 12:7 NIV)

 

Piety.

Jesus reminded the Pharisees that each time the priests perform their duties on the Sabbath, they’re working.

“Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent?” (Mt. 12:5 NIV)

Those ministering on the Sabbath are not breaking the Fourth Commandment because their work of piety is an exception to the rule.

 

Mercy.

Moving on from there, an opportunity arose for Jesus to demonstrate that acts of mercy are also valid exceptions to the Fourth Commandment. Before him in the synagogue, sat a man with a withered right hand. Jesus, knowing the thoughts of the synagogue leaders, exposed their legalism.

“He said to them, ‘If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’

“Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.” (Mt. 12:11-13 NIV)

Jesus urged the leaders to understand the blessing intended by the Fourth Commandment. “Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’” (Mk 2:27 NIV)

If it’s possible for one to celebrate the day of rest on the Lord’s Day, great. If not, the commandment allows only six days for work, so there’s still one day in that week to dedicate to the Lord, right?

Sadly, many leaders in the Church today refuse to accept the relevance of the words contained in the Old Testament. They assert Jesus’ death and resurrection freed Christians from all restrictions or orders given during the time of Moses.

Study of the issue clearly reveals that it’s the punishment for breaking the Ten Commandments that Jesus abolished, not the keeping of the laws. The transgressors are no longer to be killed.

It is unlikely the church authorities would condone adultery, stealing, or murder, so is there just cause to toss out the fourth of the ten commandments? God intended the Sabbath rest to be a blessing for His people. It’s the legalism of the laws that Jesus fought against, not the validity of the Commandments.

Among the Believers who observe the day of rest, conflict exists as to which day of the week is to be observed. Clearly, the Old Testament Sabbath was observed on the seventh day of the week. Didn’t God rest from His creation labors and bless that seventh day?

 

Sabbath Vs. Lord’s Day

The conflict over the day Christians assemble for the weekly worship services has created a huge divide in the Body of Believers. None disagree that the seventh day is the Biblical Sabbath, but unity fails when the practice of meeting on the first day, the Lord’s Day, is observed.

Some insist that we can’t be called Christians unless we gather to worship on Saturday, the legitimate Sabbath. If this position is accurate, none of those Jews or Gentiles who first followed the Risen Christ could be called Christians. Let’s see how the change happened.

The last mention of the followers of Jesus keeping the Sabbath can be found in the Gospel of Luke. “Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” (Lk 23:56 NIV)

Do you recognize what’s just happened? Jesus has been crucified. When His followers learned where his body had been taken, the ladies gathered the necessary spices and perfumes. After the Sabbath, they’d go to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body in the traditional manner.

Early that first day of the week, the ladies found the tomb empty. Jesus had risen, just as He said He would. The Resurrected Jesus talked with Mary, a couple of guys walking with Him along the road to Emmaus, and His grieving disciples. What a start to the week!

From that point on, we read of their gatherings taking place on the first day of the week, called the Lord’s Day. Not only had Jesus been resurrected on the first day of the week, but the 120 waiting in the upper room received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost–the first day of the week.

References to gathering together on the Lord’s Day can be found in the following passages of the New Testament:

Paul, the Apostle…Acts 20:7 “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”

John, the beloved disciple… Revelation 1:10” On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.”

We believe the voice to be that of the Lord. Fortunately, He didn’t say, “Harrumph. John, you should have been here yesterday.” Instead, John received the great revelation of the end time events.

Some believe that the practice of keeping Sunday as the day of worship and rest is a vile accession to the pagan order by Constantine. In the Fourth Century, Constantine forbade any work be done on the day of the sun.

It’s far more likely that Constantine observed that Christians had chosen to gather on the first day of the week for the hundreds of years since the Resurrection, so he just made the order fit the practice. Clearly, the New Testament Christians broke with the Jewish Sabbath worship well before Constantine’s order made it easier for them to gather on the Lord’s Day.

And, speaking of practice, what should Christians be doing to keep the Fourth Commandment?

 

Applying the Fourth

General Stonewall Jackson dedicated his life to serve his country and his God. While incredibly busy, the respected General refused to discuss any secular topics on a Sunday. Should a family member bring such a matter up at the dinner table, General Jackson gave his gentle smile and suggested that the matter could be discussed the following day.

Jackson believed no government employee should have to work on Sunday, so he never mailed nor fetched his mail on a Sunday. In fact, the General counted the number of days a letter would take to arrive before he mailed it, in order to keep it from arriving in the post office on a Sunday.

Lest you think Stonewall lazed around on the first day of each week, put that thought to rest. Stonewall attended two church services and taught two Bible classes each Sunday.

A bit over the top? Maybe so, but we will do well to consider the spirit of the commandment when planning our day of rest each week. Observing the day by keeping it holy means it’s dedicated to God. Before you picture twelve hours in a wooden church pew, read on.

The Creator God knows the frail beings He’s put together quite well. God knows His creation needs a break once a week from the trials of life on earth—body, soul (mind/emotions), and spirit.

How many times have we found ourselves groaning and wishing we could have just one day to rest, read a book, take a long walk, or have the liberty to have a day of spontaneous activity with a friend? Good news! God commanded just such a day for you.

Our Manufacturer warned we’d stay in top condition if we recharge once a week. To God, Sunday’s not like any other day of the week. If it is to us, we might need to reclaim it.

The blessing of the day of rest shouldn’t be a burden but a joy. Instead of working seven days a week—either at the office or bringing work home–abstain from any of the usual secular work on Sunday.

I discovered when I stopped studying or working on academic projects on Sunday, I had better concentration and great results. Yes, I did sometimes endure the taunts of other classmates who thought the practice slothful. On the other hand, during Graduate School, I received a totally unexpected faculty cash award, so the major players didn’t find my performance lacking.

Part of resting from the spiritual stresses of the week may be found in regular church attendance. Singing, listening to great teaching from God’s Word, and fellowshipping with like-minded folks can provide a real boost to our spirits. Plus, I love to go to lunch with church friends after services to extend the time of fellowship.

The specifics of resting from the physical stresses of our week depends on the usual work, right? Resting doesn’t mean idleness. If one spends all day at a computer, a long walk may meet the body’s rest need. With all the gadgets providing opportunity to listen to music or read books while walking, the rest for the soul may also be accomplished at the same time. Sports are super physical rest measures for the desk-jockeys—but one needs to actually play the game not sit and watch it.

 

Conclusion

What’s the scoop on the Fourth Commandment for modern-day New Testament Christians? The main thing is this: God gave the commandment to work only six days a week to help us stay balanced and dedicated to God, not to put us under condemnation for failing to keep what someone else might consider holy on Sunday. Jesus didn’t erase our need to submit to the commandment, but He did free us from the bondage of the letter of the law.

Keeping the other nine commandments in mind, the details of how we meet our need to provide rest for our body and soul, as well as minister to our spirit are ours to decide. While special circumstances requiring additional periods of rest may arise, God has mandated that work may only be performed six days each week. That’s written in stone.

Take a minute to evaluate how you normally spend Sundays. Consider how you might better meet the admonition of the Fourth Commandment. If you need to change something, write down some specific possibilities.

If you’d like to learn more, check out Alistair Begg, a preacher with a delightful Scottish accent and a great sense of humor that permeates sound Biblical teaching. Alistair shares on his daily radio program, Truth for Life, offers podcasts of the same name for on-the-go learning, or free downloads of his messages via the TFL website (www.truthforlife.org).

Enjoy celebrating the Fourth Commandment!