Angelic Conflict part 155: Human history (Sabbath) – Heb 4:9; Exo 31:12-17; 35:1-3; Mat 12:1-8; Deu 5:12-15; 1Ch 23:30-32.

Title: Angelic Conflict part 155: Human history (Sabbath) - HEB 4:9; EXO 31:12-17; 35:1-3; MAT 12:1-8; DEU 5:12-15; 1CH 23:30-32. 

 

 

Spiritual common sense: the ability to apply doctrine in a situation that is not specifically addressed in the word of God.

 

Can I pick corn or wheat and eat it on the Sabbath? Can I work on Sunday? Can I divorce in this situation? Should I drink at this particular time? Should I separate from a person?

 

A knowledge of full realm of doctrine mixed with a knowledge of the essence of God, the AC, dispensations, mystery doctrine, grace, etc. produces spiritual common sense.

 

I didn’t say a complete knowledge, but a knowledge of many areas of God’s word so that a complete picture of the plan of God can be formed, at least a little, is required. Being an expert at prophecy while knowing nothing about the spiritual life of the CA believer will not produce it.

 

MAT 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.

 

MAT 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."

 

In a parallel passage:

MAR 2:27-28

And He was saying to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. "Consequently, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

 

MAT 12:3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he became hungry, he and his companions;

 

MAT 12:4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?

 

David eats the consecrated bread in Nob in 1SA 21:1-7.

 

MAT 12:5 "Or have you not read in the Law [jab], that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath, and are innocent?

 

MAT 12:6 "But I say to you, that something greater than the temple is here.

 

MAT 12:7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice [personal sacrifices on Sabbath - Sabbath asceticism],' you would not have condemned the innocent. 

 

MAT 12:8 "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

 

Christ designed the Sabbath and gave it to Israel for their learning and refreshment. Then they added hundreds of silly rules and then condemned Him, the maker and finisher of the Sabbath, for not following them.

 

Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath because He is God and man and is the reason for the Sabbath. There can be no rest or sanctification unless the justice of God is satisfied through the cross.

 

There is also a good lesson in separation here. He gives them the truth and then He departs from them. He doesn’t stay and argue. God doesn’t need us to argue His case. Give the truth and if it is rejected - depart.

 

The fact that the Sabbath represents sanctification achieved by the work of Christ is why it is so important and this is why violation of it was punishable by death.  

 

EXO 31:12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

 

EXO 31:13 "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

 

EXO 31:14 'Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.

 

EXO 31:15 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.

 

EXO 31:16 'So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate [observe] the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.'

 

EXO 31:17 "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed."

 

EXO 34:21 You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.

 

This means that Sabbath rules apply even at times when there was a lot of work to be done. Taking a day off during harvest time could put you behind and someone who didn’t may make it to market with their goods before you and get a better price. God is unconcerned with these things and most concerned with the condition of His child’s soul.

 

Whether you have little to do or much, each of us are entreated to live in God's rest every day.

 

Be careful of human pride, even in honorable things as hard work. There is no such thing as a Sabbath day in the Church-age but there is a day to day rest in the soul.

 

EXO 35:1 Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, "These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do.

 

EXO 35:2 For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the Lord; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

 

Sabbath is not just rest, but rest unto the Lord. One doesn’t have to think of Him every second, but to rest because of Him.

 

EXO 35:3 You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day." [you could keep one going from the day before]

 

DEU 5:12 'Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.

 

DEU 5:13 'Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

 

DEU 5:14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you [that rules out the Sabbath-goy], so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.

 

DEU 5:15 'And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.

 

Remembering the plagues, the Passover, and the Exodus would chase out any doubts concerning any other deliverance a Jew might find himself dwelling on during the Sabbath day.

 

The temple continued to function and animal sacrifices continued to be offered on the Sabbath.

 

1CH 23:30 And they are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening,

 

1CH 23:31 and to offer all burnt offerings to the Lord, on the sabbaths, the new moons and the fixed festivals in the number set by the ordinance concerning them, continually before the Lord.

 

1CH 23:32 Thus they are to keep charge of the tent of meeting, and charge of the holy place, and charge of the sons of Aaron their relatives, for the service of the house of the Lord.

 

Toward the end of the southern kingdom Judah, they were warned to keep the Sabbath or to face destruction.

 

JER 17:27 "But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I shall kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched."'"

 

Eze 20: The exodus example is given to the leaders of Israel in exile in Babylon.

 

The leaders of the Jews in exile in Babylon came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. They are of the first to be exiled and it is still about 2 ½ months before the final destruction of Jerusalem. We are not told what their questions are but we can assume they want to know the extent of the captivity, will Jerusalem be destroyed, when and how they can go back, etc.  We can assume this question because of the answer given, which is a brief history of the exodus who tried the Lord and would not believe and obey Him. They did not come to Ezekiel to hear the word of God but rather to ask, inquire, or challenge God on their particular reality.

 

EZE 20:1 Now it came about in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.

 

EZE 20:2 And the word of the Lord came to me saying,

 

Instead of giving a revelation of the future God holds up before them the sins and the abominations of their fathers as an example. They are not to contend with God.

 

EZE 20:3 "Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God," Do you come to inquire of Me? As I live, "declares the Lord God," I will not be inquired of by you."' 

 

EZE 20:4 "Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Make them know the abominations of their fathers;

 

Is it proper to ask God the why’s and when’s and how’s of our distresses and tests? Does trust eliminate the need to know these answers?

 

ROM 9:20

On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it?

 

ISA 45:9

"Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker —

An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth!

Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?'

Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'?