The Ten Commandments
Commandment No 4
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT TEXT: Exodus 20:8 'Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. - This commandment wa engraved in stone by God's own finger, and will be our comfort to have it engraven in our hearts. - When the word "remember " is used it shows that there is a possibility of forgetting the Sabbath holiness. So we need a memorandum to put us in mind of sanctifying the day. 1. There is the words a solemn command; Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy - The matter of it. Sanctifying the Sabbath by resting from our works and in a careful discharge of our religious duty. - The person whom the command is given, either superior, and even more private, as parents and masters, children and servants, sons and daughters, to the stranger in your gates. 2. The arguments to obey this commandment of keeping the Sabbath are; - From rationality. He rationalised the days in six days do all your works but He kept the seventh day for himself. Everyone should set this day aside for worship and nothing else. - From the justice of it. The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God; whoever robs God this day and puts it to common uses, is a sacrilegious person, he steals from the crown of heaven, and the Lord will nowise hold him guiltless. - From God's own observance of it, He rested the seventh day. We should follow God as a pattern. Having done your own callings for six days now you should cease from your secular duties and dedicate the seventh day to me as a day of Holy rest, says the Lord your God. - From the benefit which is around a religious observation of the Sabbath. The lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. The Sabbath day is not a day of honour to God but also a day of blessings to us. It is not only a day we give worship to God, but also a day he gives us grace. On this day blessings come upon our homes, children, maids, servants and even strangers in our gates. When we do not keep it then it brings a curse; Jeremiah 17:27 But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.'' Malachi 2:2 If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name,' says the LORD Almighty, 'I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. 3. Why has God appointed a Sabbath? 1. Respect to himself, God has commanded to be worshipped due to his power to us. 2. Respect to us, this Sabbath day is for our interest, it promotes holiness in us. The week days business makes us forget God and tend to think it is by our own power everything works, but the Sabbath brings him back to our remembrance. 4. The manner of sanctifying the Sabbath - Negatively, we must not do any work in it. Exodus 16:26 the Lord forbade manna to be gathered on the Sabbath. - But it is lawful to do works of mercy, helping a neighbour when either life or house are in danger. John 7:23 - Positively. We keep this day holy by consecrating and dedicating it to the service of the most high God. This sanctification of the day requires two things a) a good preparation of it. Luke 19:5 Jesus asked Zacchaeus to be prepared for the Lord's day. b) the sacred observation of it. Rejoice at the approach of the day, John 8:56 5. Having dressed your bodies you must dress your souls by prayer for hearing the word; 1- By reading the word. John:17:17 2. By Meditation. Get up to the mount of meditation, and there converse with God. Meditate on four things; - on the works of Creation. Matthew 8:26 - on God's holiness. Habakkuk 1:13 - on Christ's love in redeeming us. Rev 1:5 - on Sabbath morning meditate on the glory of heaven. Heaven is extract and assence of happiness. Rev. 21:19,21.
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