We
are on the second path of Exodus
20:10. It is set in the context
of the Ten Commandments as written in Exodus
20:8-11.
This
second path points to the Sabbath day of rest being on the seventh day.
The
verse speaks of the Sabbath day being a day of rest. We have earlier seen that Sabbath points to
the gracious gift of salvation. To
reiterate, Jesus said in
Mark
2:27 that “The Sabbath was
made for man, not man for the Sabbath”. In the light of what we have discussed, that
verse would mean that redemption or salvation is a gift for men. Men cannot earn, merit or deserve it.
This is also the reason for the
Sabbath day of rest being dedicated to the LORD our God. It speaks of salvation as a gift which only
God can give. To further substantiate
this notion, let us take a closer look at the word “rest”
In Matthew
8:20 and Luke
9:58, Jesus said that foxes have holes and birds, nests to rest. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His Head. When Jesus was on the cross, He bowed his head and gave up His Spirit as
recorded in John
19:30. The same Greek word “klinó”
is used for “lay”
and “bow”.
And the word “klinó” means rest.
Jesus’ resting place was on the
Cross. Jesus found rest in redemption. Remember what Jesus said in John
4:31-34? He had food for
nourishment that we know not of. Jesus
is being nourished when saving souls. In John
17:1-2, Jesus regarded His crucifixion as glorious.
God rested when Creation was
completed. Jesus rested when redemption
was accomplished.
Seven
is the biblical number for perfection.
Taken in totality, the 7th day being the Sabbath Day of rest
points to Jesus resting from having accomplished the perfect redemptive work of
God. In Hebrews
10:12 of the Amplified Bible,
it is stated that Jesus of Nazareth sat down at the right hand of God because
He has completed the atonement for sin.
The Sabbath under the Law was
pointing to THE Sabbath that would be accomplished on the Cross. We are to honour the redemptive work of our
Lord Jesus.
Jesus is the Lord of Sabbath. This is stated in Matthew
12:8, Mark
2: 28, and Luke
6:5. The Sabbath was made for
man, not men for Sabbath as we have seen in Mark
2: 27.
Redemption serves men; men do not
serve to earn redemption. It is a gift to be received. This is just like Jesus came to serve the
demands of justice and not to demand justice from sinners as written in Matthew
20:28.
For that reason, it is stated in Exodus
20:10 that no work shall be done on the Sabbath day. The Sabbath Day
speaks of “The favourable year of the Lord;
the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly” as recorded in Luke
4:19. The redemptive work has
been completed by Christ crucified and no other works need to be done. In other words, there is no works other than
Christ crucified that can secure our salvation.
In the words of Acts
4:12, “There is no other
alternative for salvation.”
Hence,
the thrust of Exodus 20:10 is:
“Sabbath Day of rest on the 7th
day”
Comments
Post a Comment