2. Did Abraham Keep the Sabbath?

JERRY RECTOR | Physician

So we come to Abraham. God communes with him and they develop an amazing relationship. Paul says his faith was credited to him as righteousness, as he lived before the law was given. This is spelled out in Romans 4:13-25. In fact, Paul’s main thesis here is that Abraham couldn’t have been justified by the Law, since he lived 430 before it was given. He therefore stands for all non-Jews who weren’t included in the covenant at Sinai and so couldn’t attain righteousness by keeping the Law. In fact, in chapter 3, Paul admits that Jews and non-Jews are, at the end of the day, in the same boat—all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Abraham did break principles that would be spelled out for the nation of Israel in the future—deceptions and adultery. In fact, he had concubines (in addition to Hagar), which would have been contrary to the 10 commandments (Gen 25:6). We have no record, or even a hint, of Abraham keeping Sabbath. God did make a covenant with Abraham, stating he would create a great nation out of his descendents. There was a sign of this covenant—circumcision (Gen 17:11) not Sabbath-keeping.

There was a sign of this covenant—circumcision—not Sabbath-keeping.

I have been referred to Gen 26:5 as proof that Abraham kept the Sabbath. “…because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees, and my laws.” The Hebrew word that is transliterated into commands (or commandments) is mitzvah. It is sometimes used in the setting of human commands, but most times is used to describe various commands of God—sometimes relating to the Mosaic Law, sometimes relating to other directions God gave to people. For comparison, consider Exodus 34:28, “Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.” Both the words I underlined were translated from the Hebrew word dabar which Moses used in the setting of the actual stone record of the Ten Commandments—describing them as a covenant between God and Israel. He didn’t use the more general term mitzvah. 

“And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.”

My point is that I don’t see any way for this verse to clarify that Abraham had the Ten Commandments. Clearly he had instruction from God, and in general, his life was one of obedience to God’s principles. Yet it would be an assumption to say that God’s requirements, commands, decrees, and laws had been distilled into Ten Commandments for Abraham.

Consider this passage from Galatians 3:

“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come…Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” Galatians 3:16-25.

You can see the reference to the New Covenant here, which I am anxious to talk about at length. But I’m quoting this here to demonstrate this point: Paul shows that the law was given well after Abraham, giving no indication that God communicated a set of 10 set-apart commands to him. It was added because the Israelites needed more specific direction, but had it’s fulfillment in Christ (the Seed.) 

I know that the notion of the Ten Commandments being done away with is particularly bothersome to many people. I’ll spend plenty of time on this issue, but want to say right here that I believe the principles contained in the Ten, along with many other principles described by Jesus and the other Bible writers, are eternal. However, the New Covenant incorporates these principles in a new and different way. Christian living does not ignore them—it expands on them. †