Six days a week we wrestle with the world wringing profit from the Earth. On the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul. .. Six days a week we seek to dominate the world, the seventh day we dominate self. Abraham Joshua Heschel
In each of these blogs on the first days of creation I have tried to give the reader a life lesson that can positively affect their lives. The importance of this effort and the responsibility associated with it is most important when discussing the seventh day. I have pondered this one the longest and feel somewhat inadequate in covering the topic. It should be easy but it is filled with pot holes. Not because God has made it complicated but because men jump to extremes when it comes to this topic. The following is copied and pasted from the Seventh Day Baptist statement of belief page.
We believe that the Sabbath of the Bible, the seventh day of the week, is sacred time, a gift of God to all people, instituted at creation, affirmed in the Ten Commandments and reaffirmed in the teaching and example of Jesus and the apostles.
We believe that the gift of Sabbath rest is an experience of God's eternal presence with His people.
We believe that in obedience to God and in loving response to His grace in Christ, the Sabbath should be faithfully observed as a day of rest, worship, and celebration. Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 16:23-30; Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 5:17-19; Mark 2:27-28; Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14, 42-44; 16:11-13; 17:2-3; 18:4-11; Ezekiel 20:19-20; Hebrews 4:9-10; John 14:15; Isaiah 58:13-14; Luke 23:56.
The Statement is simple enough but then the controversy begins that I am trying to avoid. I am not alone in this avoidance of conflict. Paul exercised it as well. Colossians 2:16 written by him states, ‘Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day’. He also writes in Romans 14:5, ‘One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind’.
In each one of these ‘day’ blogs I have tried to demonstrate the lesson being taught by the Lord. Abraham Heschal teaches this best. However I want to add my two cents even if I have to borrow a penny from Abraham. The lesson that is taught to man through the Sabbath is the lesson of continuity. Jesus calls himself the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He says that he himself is the Lord of the Sabbath. In other words he is above time. He is the same yesterday today and forever, time does not change his nature. When we celebrate the Sabbath (however defined) we are communicating a trust in God over time. We are trust him not only to complete his work but that we can trust him that our work is complete as well. He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it until the end. This is not just a statement about task completion, but a statement about how God rules over eternity, time and the task he has called us to. He has placed us within a generation. Distinct and separate and subject to judgment collectively for the work it did in time. Matthew 11:15-17 read “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” Jesus is describing a generation in time not fulfilling its call because it did not discern the hour of its visitation. Each generation has a ‘hour of visitation’ each is part of the continuous story of God’s grace demonstrated in history and in time. The Sabbath is a constant, it is an anchor, reminding us, that not only does he hold the whole world in his hand, but that we can face tomorrow because the Lord of the Sabbath lives.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24476815/ABRAHAM-JOSHUA-HESCHEL-The-Sabbath
http://www.seventhdaybaptist.org/content/believes-history/statement-belief
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