If you are closed minded then the following topic is not for your eyes, and disparaging comments should be left unsaid.
I have recently have been having a big question lately. Most people would says that it’s a question of “what day is the Sabbath?” but that’s not that case. I was raised in a Baptist Church and like most Americans, worshipped on Sunday. I asked as a young child, while learning the Ten Commandments by memory (which was a requirement); What day was the Sabbath? Obviously my question was answered in ambiguous terms because my childlike mind easily dismissed the third commandment. Sunday was not established as the Sabbath but Saturday wasn’t either. I was told that Jews observe the Sabbath on Saturday, but in my head Jews and Christians didn’t have the same religion and so didn’t follow the same traditions. The 4th Commandment was completely wiped out of my mind. It wasn’t until I came to college, in a town that has a large Seven Day Adventist population, that the question of the Sabbath has popped up in my head again.
Recently having talks with my Mom and friends, I seem to run across a lot of closed-minded individuals. The most common reason that everyone in my life and who I would say are good Christians, all say the same thing. “We are not sure what day is the Sabbath, cause man has changed so much.”Of course had to do my own research, if I want to be a Christian, I can’t take the word of others. Cause the blind leading the blind doesn’t sound like a way to get to Heaven; and 2 Timothy 2:15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
So tonight, after another seemingly closed off conversation with a friend about searching for the truth, I went to Bible Gateway and searched all references to the Sabbath in the bible. I just don’t understand how anyone can say you don’t know what day the Sabbath is, and not want to find out if you want to please God? I was raised to believe that God is not the author of confusion, so why would anyone believe that God would give a commandment and not clearly designate a day for us so we COULD follow his commandments IF that is our desire? It would be the same as condemning everyone because no one would know how to please God. But when I ask this question, I get the same reply; “We are not sure what the day the Sabbath is. Man has changed so much that everything is unclear.”
This reply gives me very troubled thoughts. Thoughts like, “Are you saying as a Christian, you truly believe man has the power to overturn God’s Authority? The power to hide what God wants known? If so, why are you a Christian?” Then other thoughts like, “If Man has the ability to change so much, why believe in anything the Bible says at all? Why pick and choose which things are from God and which is from man’s interference?” And finally, “ If you are unsure, why don’t you do some research and draw your own conclusions instead of just following what you have been told?”
When I mention doing research, I am given this reply. “The bible doesn’t say what day the Sabbath, so it could be any day of the week.” I mentioned earlier where I had referenced all mentions of the Sabbath in the King James Version of the bible, and what I found is this. The word Sabbath is not mentioned in the bible until Exodus, which we all know is when Moses’ story of rescuing the Israelites out of Captivity in Egypt is told. So if they were in captivity in an civilization of polytheism, and mixing had began to take place. God had to give clarity to a nation that has been captive in more ways than one.
What I found was this; the Sabbath was mentioned four whole chapters before the Commandments were given. In Exodus 16, we are told that two months out of Egypt, the Israelites are are distraught over the lack of food and would rather had died in captivity then endure these wanderings. Of course God intercedes and feeds them, giving the manna that they had to gather for themselves, but the food only lasted for that day, because when the sun was hot it would melt. In Exodus 16:22 “And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.” Finally in Exodus 16:23 “And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.” Reading this I automatically say, “How can anyone say that the bible doesn’t say which day is the Sabbath? True, it doesn’t say a day of the week like Saturday or Sunday, but if someone told you that tomorrow was Tuesday, and knowing that there are seven days in a week, couldn’t you reasonably assume that Tuesday comes every seven days? So why is the Sabbath exempt from that bit of common sense?”
Of course, I can’t leave things here, cause my point is not made. For you to see it, you have to read the rest. Exodus 16:24-30 says
“And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 25And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a Sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29See, for that the LORD hath given you the Sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30So the people rested on the seventh day.”
So let’s recap on what this bit of research has uncovered. At the beginning of the chapter the Israeliteswere starving. God then made food grow on the ground that they had to gather for themselves, but the food only lasted that day and none was allowed to be kept overnight. For six days God gave them food to eat for a day, but on the sixth day they were allowed to gather food for two days. Moses told them that the reason for this was that tomorrow was the Sabbath and everyone was commanded to rest. Of course some got up to gather more food to eat but of course there was none for them to gather, so they rested. Of course in the following Chapter we get the Mosaic law and the Ten Commandments.
I say this, I am not Seven Day Adventist, I am just looking for the truth. I want to know what it is that I feel all people who make claims to be Christians should know; how to please God. I just felt the Ten Commandments was a good place to start. This is where my big question comes from, Why are there so many “Christians” that don’t follow all ten commandments, and why do they hide behind the excuse of ignorance but not do research to find the truth?
