3. Israel Learns of the Sabbath

JERRY RECTOR | Physician

There is no record of Joseph getting in trouble in Potiphar’s house or in jail for keeping Sabbath. No record of Pharaoh desecrating the Sabbath by making the Jews work on it. In fact, the first hint of human Sabbath keeping comes in Exodus 16 when manna is given, which is a prelude to the Sabbath of the fourth commandment given shortly thereafter, then fleshed out further in the Books of the Law (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.)

There is ample evidence that the concept of Sabbath was new to the Israelites, since some of them decided to test God to see if he really meant it when he said there would be no manna on the seventh day. The way God describes the term “Sabbath” in Exodus 16:23 certainly makes it appear to be a novel concept not only to Moses, but to the Israelite nation. That, coupled with the absence of Sabbath reference in the entire book of Genesis, makes it very likely to be a new concept. 

The Ten Commandments certainly took a special place in Israel’s relationship with God. They were written by His hand on tables of stone and placed in the Ark of the Covenant, along with Moses’ staff. The Ten Commandments are described as a specific covenant God made with the nation of Israel. Again note 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.” 

In Exodus 19:5, before the first stating of the actual covenant, the terms were spelled out, 

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” 

So, the terms of this covenant were fairly simple—obey God’s commands, and receive his blessing in return. Even more clearly stated is this verse in Deut 6:24, 25:

“The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” 

I do not believe Moses is talking about salvational righteousness, but instead describing the terms whereby Israel would deserve God’s blessing. However you interpret it, clearly it is a works-related approach. Paul would later comment on it extensively when contrasting the New with the Old Covenant. Israel promised to obey (Ex 24:3 and others) but of course never could manage sustained obedience—a striking lesson on the power of the sinful nature, and the need for a Savior. 

Just as the covenant with Abraham had a sign—circumcision—so this covenant had a sign as well. It was the Sabbath.

“…You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people….The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.” Exodus 31:12-17. 

The term “forever” is worth noting. Many aspects of the law are termed perpetual, everlasting, or never-ending, including the incense burning in the Tabernacle, the various seasonal feasts (see Lev 23) and circumcision as well.

“…they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.” Gen 17:13.

Adventists recognize that these aspects of the Law are not applicable today, despite the forever-type terminology. 

The penalties for breaking the covenant rules vary—some are punishable by death. Primarily, though, purposeful violation causes the offender to be cut off from the nation of Israel. Violating the Sabbath is one of these offenses. (Though it was also punishable by death in some circumstances.) Many of the other “cutting-off” offenses, however, are not violations of the Ten, but are violations of other parts of the Law, including eating anything leavened, neglecting the Passover, misuse of incense/anointing/sacrifices, and not being circumcised. Clearly the entire Law, including but not limited to the Ten, was supremely important to God as part of his Covenant with Israel.

The entire book of Deuteronomy, in fact, is a re-stating of the Covenant to the people before entering the Promised Land. Prior to this rendition, there occurs this statement in Ch. 5:1-4: 

“Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today [which included the Ten as well as many other of the additional laws contained in Exodus/Leviticus/Numbers]. Learn them and be sure to follow them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb [Sinai]. It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant [our fathers is a term used to refer to Abraham/Isaac/Jacob], but with us, with all of us who are alive here today.” 

This verse makes it clear who the parties of the Old Covenant were—God and the nation of Israel. It also demonstrates that this Covenant involved not only the Ten Commandments (described by some as the “moral law”) but the rest of the Law contained in the “books of the Law” (described as the “ceremonial law” by some).

When reading through these books, I am struck that much of it is not just describing ceremonies and tabernacle set-up, but in fact a lot of it is direct restating and application of the Ten. They are really inseparable. There is not a distinct section of ceremonial law that can be separated from a moral section. And all of these laws are part of the covenant God made with Israel. The point is this: the Ten Commandments are connected to the rest of the law. They are intertwined and always linked together. The Bible never separates them. It is also very difficult to separate the Sabbath from the rest of the festivals and celebrations that are contained in that Law. I’ve read them straight through to try to get the proper context.

The sequence of weekly Sabbaths, seasonal new moons and festivals, and Sabbath years (every seventh year including the 49th year being the year of Jubilee) is strongly inter-connected. Interestingly, there is never any record of the Israelites every celebrating a year of Jubilee, though the passage that Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth from Isaiah appears to be a Jubilee prophecy proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord. †