Questions on Sabbath Keeping.

A number of questions on the Sabbath recently.  Let me give you a flavour of just a few of them:

1. Sherry writes – how can I persuade people that it is wrong to take baths or showers on the Sabbath?
2. Deb writes – Is marriage appropriate on the Sabbath?
3. Ron asks – how about web-commerce – that is a 24/7 operation.  Isn’t that breaking the Sabbath?
4. 12 year old Jeremy writes – the Bible says to “remember” the Sabbath – that doesn’t mean we have to take part in keeping it.
5. and C Crowe writes -- I'm a nurse and my hospital requires that all nurses must work either Christmas or New Year day. My problem is both are on the Sabbath. Can I work since it is a healing profession?

 Summery of answer:  

1. We will only keep the Sabbath properly if we remember who the God of the Sabbath is.  Ex. 20:1-3 points out he is the all powerful God who redeems from slavery – far more powerful than the myriad gods of the Egyptians.  The premise turns all the commandments from rules to responses.  If he is so great I would not want to worship any other god, take his name in vain etc.
2. Genesis 2:1-3 and Exodus 20:8-11 point out that God set aside a special time for remembering.  This is a particular blessing God has given to us to help keep us close to him.
3. Isa 58:13-14 points out that when we have this relationship right we will call the day “a delight” – it will be such a blessing to us.  It also reminds us that this is a day when we are freed from the burdens and pressures of the every day work life.  A day when we do not go about our normal every day business.
4. Isa 56:1-7 points out that it is a day of relationship and a day when the outcasts (foreigner and eunuch) are made whole
5. Mark 2:27-28 makes it clear that the Sabbath is a blessing for us, not a curse.  It is there for our benifit.
6. Matthew 12:10-13, Luke 13:10 and John 9 are all examples of Jesus healing on the Sabbath, turning it from a day of rigid legalism to a day of joy, a day of healing others and a day above all where we love our neighbour.

 From these principles it is then possible for us to decide for ourselves the way that the Sabbath can be a blessing for both us and those we come into contact with.

(Apologies, there is no audio answer available for these questions but I thought it worth still posting this on the web.)

Related questions: Sex on Sabbath,   Christ, the law and the Sabbath, Keeping two Sabbaths,  Sunday and the Resurrection, Saturday as a holiday, Explaining Ephesians 2:15.