SABBATH KEEPING ***

[Doug]

Exodus 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Israel alone was to keep the sabbath.

There is no commandment given to the church, the body of Christ to observe the sabbath.

The sabbath was a covenant. The covenants pertain only to Israel (Romans 9:4).

 

[Randy Kluth]

Exodus 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Israel alone was to keep the sabbath.

There is no commandment given to the church, the body of Christ to observe the sabbath.

The sabbath was a covenant. The covenants pertain only to Israel (Romans 9:4).

The covenant at Sinai only applied to Israel prior to the sacrifice of Christ. They entailed making temporary sacrifices only up until the sacrifice of Christ, which ended all sacrifices.

The Law "for all generations" merely indicated it was given in perpetuity until the laws were no longer necessary. They were given to cover sin. But once sin was fully covered, for all time, there were no longer any need for sacrifices for sin.

Christ was the real target of our redemption, and all sacrifices prior to his was meant to prepare for his sacrifice. What God really meant to say is the sacrifice for sin had to be accomplished for all generations.

So if the Sinai covenant was just preparatory, then all that it entailed, including the Sabbath, was just preparatory, as well. Christ became our final rest, making Sabbath observance no longer necessary. It was completely and finally fulfilled in Christ, who obtained for us the hope of an eternal rest.

 

[DPMartin]

Exodus 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Israel alone was to keep the sabbath.

There is no commandment given to the church, the body of Christ to observe the sabbath.

The sabbath was a covenant. The covenants pertain only to Israel (Romans 9:4).

so you are saying Israel along is to not steal not covet not kill.
maybe you should be careful because Jesus says:


Mat_5:19　 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.


the covenants in the flesh to the flesh (mankind's life of dust to dust) was Adam and Eve then Noah the to the children in the flesh of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the law written by the hand of Moses to the children of Israel. those contracts are fulfilled in Christ to the Father's satisfaction. hence the temple as Jesus describes to be rebuilt in three days. so no man is required to build it, but to expect to live therein with the Lord their God. because the agreement now is the Life of Christ received by the recipient via born of the Holy Spirit.



Rom 3:25　 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;　
Rom 3:26　 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.　
Rom 3:27　 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.　
Rom 3:28　 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.　
Rom 3:29　 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:　
Rom 3:30　 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.　
Rom 3:31　 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.　

 

[Doug]

The covenant at Sinai only applied to Israel prior to the sacrifice of Christ. They entailed making temporary sacrifices only up until the sacrifice of Christ, which ended all sacrifices.

The Law "for all generations" merely indicated it was given in perpetuity until the laws were no longer necessary. They were given to cover sin. But once sin was fully covered, for all time, there were no longer any need for sacrifices for sin.

Christ was the real target of our redemption, and all sacrifices prior to his was meant to prepare for his sacrifice. What God really meant to say is the sacrifice for sin had to be accomplished for all generations.

So if the Sinai covenant was just preparatory, then all that it entailed, including the Sabbath, was just preparatory, as well. Christ became our final rest, making Sabbath observance no longer necessary. It was completely and finally fulfilled in Christ, who obtained for us the hope of an eternal rest.

The covenant at Sinai only applied to Israel prior to the sacrifice of Christ. They entailed making temporary sacrifices only up until the sacrifice of Christ, which ended all sacrifices.

The Law "for all generations" merely indicated it was given in perpetuity until the laws were no longer necessary. They were given to cover sin. But once sin was fully covered, for all time, there were no longer any need for sacrifices for sin.

Christ was the real target of our redemption, and all sacrifices prior to his was meant to prepare for his sacrifice. What God really meant to say is the sacrifice for sin had to be accomplished for all generations.

So if the Sinai covenant was just preparatory, then all that it entailed, including the Sabbath, was just preparatory, as well. Christ became our final rest, making Sabbath observance no longer necessary. It was completely and finally fulfilled in Christ, who obtained for us the hope of an eternal rest.

I see what you are saying, and I really do appreciate this thoughtful consideration, but look at this from verse Exodus 31:17
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever:

This would exclude it only being a shadow of the redemption in Christ, which would be done away with the substance of his sacrifice.

 

[Doug]

so you are saying Israel along is to not steal not covet not kill.
maybe you should be careful because Jesus says:


Mat_5:19　 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

I was only commenting on the verse that dealt with the sabbath....BUT....the mind and will of God in the law are not discarded by Paul as can be seen in Ephesians. See Thou shall not steal and Ephesians 4:28 as an example.
Also, Jesus was talking about the kingdom on earth in Matthew 5:19 and could not be directly applied to the body of Christ who will be in position of rule in the heavenly places.

 

[justbyfaith]

The law about sabbath-keeping is one of the ten.

That being said, we know that Jesus violated the letter of the sabbath (Exodus 20:10, John 5:17; John 5:18).

He came not after a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless life (Hebrews 7:16).

He was in fact the Lord of the sabbath (Mark 2:28).

He was high priest according to the order of Melchizedec; and in this there was a change in law because of the change in priesthood (Hebrews 7:12).

This change in law is defined by Romans 7:6 and 2 Corinthians 3:6.

We are no longer bound by the letter but we are obedient to the spirit of what the law requires.

In this, we do obey the letter for the most part.

But not out of an attempt at keeping the letter.

We don't violate the law because we bear the fruit of the Spirit; and against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).

Love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:14, 1 John 5:2, 2 John 1:6, Romans 8:4).

And love is shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Ghost (Romans 5:5).

Jesus loved the lame man to whom He said, "Take up your bed and walk" on the sabbath day. He healed him.

Nevertheless He violated the letter of the sabbath day law (John 5:17, Exodus 20:10; John 5:18).

But not the spirit of what that law was all about.

For Jesus, being the Lord of the sabbath, redefined the sabbath-day law so that it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days (Matthew 12:12).

That is the spirit of the sabbath-day law; while the letter says, "thou shalt not do *any* work on the sabbath".

The letter kills; but the spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6).

We no longer serve in the oldness of the letter but in the newness of the spirit (Romans 7:6).

 

[Doug]

He was high priest according to the order of Melchizedec; and in this there was a change in law because of the change in priesthood (Hebrews 7:12).

Yes, good insight
The law was changed only in respect of a change in the priesthood not in content.

 

[BarneyFife]

I see what you are saying, and I really do appreciate this thoughtful consideration, but look at this from verse Exodus 31:17
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever:
This would exclude it only being a shadow of the redemption in Christ, which would be done away with the substance of his sacrifice.

I once saw a debate wherein a preacher spent over 5 minutes effectively trying to convince everyone He was a better Hebrew scholar than the scores of translators who have rendered לְעֹלָ֑ם (lə·‘ō·lām) as "forever" in English in Exodus 31:17. He insisted that it could mean any number of other words besides "forever," while Biblehub.com has it translated "forever" (or a word of identical meaning) in no less than 26 of its 27 featured English translations. It was sad and even embarrassing to watch.

He was fine with claiming that the ten commandments, and the Sabbath, in particular, was meant only for the children of Israel, but the new covenant, promised only to the house and people of Israel and Judah in Jeremiah 31:31-33 was, of course, hijackable by Gentiles if they so desire, regardless for whom God said it was intended.

Romans chapter 11 is the key to the whole disparity between covenants, and even the anti-semitism that persists in the church. It is natural to secretly marginalize the stewards of a law that itself is also hated.