On 12-6-15, Exodus 20:8-11; 31:12-16 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as The Lord’s Day

The Lord’s Day

Exodus 20:8-11; 31:12-16

December 6, 2015

Commentary 

by

Jed Greenough

This blog by nature and by choice is a succinct attempt at helping you either come up with an idea to pursue as a teacher or to get involved as a student and of course a mixture of the two.  It stands to reason I won’t get too complicated or involved.  Most of you as teachers or students are already committed to doing a thorough study.

This week is one of those weeks when it is difficult to not get to far away from this model as the Sabbath has been a personal point of concern or care of mine for quite some time.  I have in my passion for God been concerned that I am not worshipping on the day that would please God.  I have worried that I have labored when I should not.

We will not go there and words I could say will not sway you anyway if these are concerns of yours you will have to settle this for your self.  I have pursued to my relief or comfort or satisfaction that this (the Sabbath) as with many things was one of many things that pointed to the necessity for Christ.

The people of Israel were told that this is “The Lord’s Day” as in most of our titles.  They were told in Exodus 16 twice that the Sabbath was to the Lord.  To the Lord, remember that.  It was not to them.

Of course there are many more examples of this and I will not note them all but you really should do a concordance search of all the uses of this word and you will get the idea that the Sabbath is to God, it was given to these people to be holy because God is holy.

But man being man and in this case Israel could not just do as the Lord prescribed. Those that taught from the beginning until those who became more officially know as Rabbis added layers of restrictions that no one could follow or keep.  I encourage you to again do a search and see the “layers” that these added to make the keeping of the Sabbath a farce.  Miss one of these things in your observance of the Sabbath and you made all of it for naught according to their teaching.  According to Isaiah these observances were are meaningless to God to the point where He could not bear them.

Fortunately Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath as Matthew 12 tells us.  We could go on Ad Nauseam  but this is what those who taught did before Jesus.  But Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith showed that in honoring God it was always about spirit and truth.. He healed on the Sabbath, He gathered grain on the Sabbath, He did not ignore what was right because of a legal outlook..  Instead He did what was holy.  

This was what God intended for these people to do once a week but really all days and to do in a way that all around them would notice and hopefully emulate.

For Discussion:

1. Discuss how you have struggled with observing the Sabbath.
2. Discuss Seventh Day Adventists and how we have none among us as we study weekly because of this one issue.
3. Discuss how Jesus showed the Sabbath should be observed.
4. Discuss how the verses 12-17 from chapter 20 show a type of holy living.
5. Discuss why God initially prescribed the Sabbath knowing how things would turn out.
6. Read and discuss Hebrews 4.

Upcoming Lessons

12-13-15     Acceptable Offerings Leviticus 22:17-25, 31-33

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved