THE DAY IS DIFFERENT

The issue of the sabbath has become a topic for national discussion in Ghana after the West African Examination Council (WAEC) released the time table for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for 2020. Unlike the years past, WAEC for the first time scheduled some of the WASSCE papers on Saturdays. This action by WAEC has resurrected the old age debate of the sabbath in homes, churches, schools, social media, main stream media etc. Whilst sabbath keepers are very worried and vocal about this action, a lot more people are indifferent. They don’t seem to understand why there should be a controversy over a day when all the days are same ie. 24 hours.

This article seeks to answer the questions below from a Biblical perspective. All references will be solely from the Bible (Both old and New Testaments)

    1. Are all the days of the week the same?

    2. What makes one day (sabbath) different from all the other days of the week?

Sabbath – Origin

The origin of the sabbath goes back to the creation account in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. God created the world in six (6) days and rested on the 7^th day. God did not use millions of years to create the world as some philosophers say. He used 6 literal days to create the world. This is evidenced by the phrase “So the evening and the morning were…” that ends every creation day (Ref. Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23 and 31). For example; Genesis 1:5 reads - God called the light day and the darkness He called night. So, the evening and the morning were the first day. The creation of the world in 6 literal days testifies of the might and awesome power of God.

When God finished creating on the 6^th day, the Bible says that he rested on the 7^th day. Genesis 2: 1,2 reads; “¹Thus, the Heavens and the earth and all the host of them were finished. ²And on the seventh (7^th) day God ended the work which He had done and rested on the seventh-day from all His work which He had done”.  This verse makes the point that the sabbath did not start with the Jews as many people say. The sabbath was instituted a day after Adam and Eve were created many years before Abraham from whom the Jews originate lived. It will therefore be erroneous to say that the sabbath started and belongs to the Jews. The sabbath was made for all humanity as Jesus said in Mark 2:27.

 Sabbath – Which day is the 7^th day?

Another issue of controversy over the years is; Which day is the sabbath (7^th day)?

There is no doubt after reading the scriptures that the 7^th day is Saturday. Saturday is the same day that Jesus kept whilst on earth (Luke 4:16). The final events before Jesus’s death sets the record straight as to which day is the sabbath. We know from history and Easter celebration that Jesus died on Friday and resurrected on Sunday (Luke 23 and 24).

⁵²This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³ Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it down in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. ⁵⁴ That day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew near. ⁵⁵ And the women who had come with him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. They rested on the sabbath according to the commandment (Luke 23:52 – 56).

¹ Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. ² But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb (Luke 24:1, 2)

Sabbath – What makes it different?

The sabbath indeed is Saturday. There is therefore no argument when it comes to which day of the week is the 7^th day. There is no other record in the Bible that states something contrary to what is stated above.

When God rested on the 7^th day (Saturday) he did 3 things that made it different from the other days of the week. Genesis 2:3 reads - “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made”. God rested, blessed and set it apart making it holy. This is the reason why the sabbath is special. God did not do any of these things on any of the other days of the week except the sabbath.

The sabbath is also different in the sense that it is part of the 10 commandments (4^th commandment) which was written in Exodus 20:1-17 by God himself to Moses. In fact, God wrote the 10 commandments with his own finger on two tablets of stones. The sabbath (4^th commandment) is the only commandment that starts with the word “Remember” meaning don’t forget. I would like to say that, the 10 commandments unlike human laws and constitutions cannot be amended by anyone except God. There is also no record in the Bible amending the 10 commandments These commandments are not suggestions but commandments. It is unfortunate that people try as much as possible to obey the rest of the commandments such as you shall not steal, kills, fornicate, worship idols, honour father and mother etc. but has thrown away the 4^th commandments.

It is the only day that God refers to it as My Holy Day (Ref. Isaiah 58:13, 14). Jesus calls Himself the Lord of the sabbath (Ref. Matthew 12:8, Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5). John in Revelation 1:10 says “He was in the spirit on the Lord’s day and heard behind him a great voice as that of a trumpet”. It is a special day to God hence we must observe it as such.

 Sabbath – Purpose

God does not do anything without a plan and a purpose. The Bible is full of evidences to the fact that He does everything intentionally and for a purpose. For example; God had a reason for creating the land and the sea before creating the trees and fishes. He had a reason for allowing Joseph to be sold to Egypt and for Jesus to die on the cross. He is an amazing God. In the same way, God has a reason for instituting the sabbath day as a day of rest and for worship.

First, the sabbath reminds us of the fact that God is the creator of this universe (Exodus 20:8-11). By keeping this weekly sabbath, the sabbath keeper recognises and ascribes to God the creatorship of this earth. You can’t be a sabbath keeper and believe other theories like evolution aside the creation story. This is why the Bible uses the word “Remember” in the verse above.

Second, the sabbath is God’s sign or seal on His children (Ref. Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:12, 20). It is the seal God puts on His people and recognises them by the sabbath. It is therefore important for us to observe the sabbath so that we will be spared of the wrath of God which is written in Revelation 14:9,10. John describes the saints of God in Revelation 14:12 as those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. The commandments of God which includes the sabbath commandment.

Third, the sabbath is a day of worship (Ref. Luke 4:16, Acts 13:14, 27, 42, 44, Isaiah 56:1-8). Just as the Israelites, Prophets, Jesus, the Disciples, Apostles and the early church did, we must worship God the creator on the sabbath day. It is not an ordinary day for us to do whatever we like. It is a day dedicated to worship God. Isaiah 58: 13 and 14 counsels us on how to behave and treat the sabbath day.

If you turn away your foot from the sabbath, from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honourable, and shall honour Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words. ¹⁴Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken (Isaiah 58:13, 14)

From the verse above, God forbids secular labour on the rest day of the Lord including examination. We must cease toil that gains a livelihood. No labour for worldly pleasure or profit is to be done upon that day. As God ceased His labour of creating, and rested upon the Sabbath and blessed it, so man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds.

Fourth, the sabbath is a day for doing good and showing the goodness of God to all humanity. When Jesus was on this earth, He performed many of His miracles and relieved suffering on the sabbath days (Ref. Mark 3: 1-6, John 9:1-16, Luke 13:10-17). The sabbath is the best time to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, visit the prisoner, lead the blind, etc. Just as Jesus did, so must we also do.

Conclusion

The Bible clearly states that we should remember the sabbath to keep it holy as a remembrance of God’s creative and redemptive works. The day is special and should never be treated as an ordinary day. It is a day to be remembered and observed as a holy day of God. Let us do as the Lord says and we shall be blessed and partake in His heavenly Kingdom when He comes the second time. 

Remember, the sabbath is the seal of God.

Written by James Mckeown Amoah