Bible Readings — Bible Questions Answered

Physical and Spiritual Rest

What kind of labor is to be done through the week? BR-ASI9 289.15

“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.” Exodus 20:9. BR-ASI9 289.16

Is any of this kind of work to be done on the Sabbath? BR-ASI9 290.1

“In it thou shalt not do any work.” Exodus 20:10. BR-ASI9 290.2

Note.—If the Sabbath is to be kept “holy,” mere physical rest one day in seven cannot be the great object of the Sabbath institution. BR-ASI9 290.3

How does the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, indicate what is true Sabbathkeeping? BR-ASI9 290.4

“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:13, 14. BR-ASI9 290.5

Note.—“As the Jews departed from God, and failed to make the righteousness of Christ their own by faith, the Sabbath lost its significance to them. Satan was seeking to exalt himself and to draw men away from Christ, and he worked to pervert the Sabbath, because it is the sign of the power of Christ. The Jewish leaders accomplished the will of Satan by surrounding God’s rest day with burdensome requirements. In the days of Christ the Sabbath had become so perverted that its observance reflected the character of selfish and arbitrary men, rather than the character of the loving Heavenly Father. The rabbis virtually represented God as giving laws which it was impossible for men to obey. They led the people to look upon God as a tyrant, and to think that the observance of the Sabbath, as He required it, made men hard-hearted and cruel. It was the work of Christ to clear away these misconceptions. Although the rabbis followed Him with merciless hostility, He did not even appear to conform to their requirements, but went straight forward, keeping the Sabbath according to the law of God.”—E. G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 283, 284. BR-ASI9 290.6

What is the character of God, and how only can He be truly worshiped? BR-ASI9 290.7

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24. BR-ASI9 290.8

Note.—This is one reason why the attempt to produce Sabbathkeeping by human Sabbath laws is altogether out of place. Such laws can never produce true Sabbathkeeping, for that is spiritual, and must be of the mind and from the heart, and not perfunctory, mechanical, or of force. BR-ASI9 290.9

What is one thing of which the Sabbath is a sign? BR-ASI9 291.1

That He sanctifies His people, or makes them holy. (See Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12; and page 183.) BR-ASI9 291.2

What does the “Psalm for the Sabbath day” suggest as proper themes for Sabbath thought and action? BR-ASI9 291.3

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High: to shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands. O Lord, how great are Thy works! and Thy thoughts are very deep.” Psalm 92:1-5. BR-ASI9 291.4

What do the works of God declare? BR-ASI9 291.5

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1-3. (See margin.) BR-ASI9 291.6

Note.—God designed that the Sabbath should direct the minds of men to His created works, and through these to Him, the Creator. Nature itself speaks to our senses, telling us that there is a God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. The Sabbath, ever pointing to God through nature, was designed to keep the Creator constantly in mind. The proper keeping of it, therefore, must naturally tend to prevent idolatry, atheism, agnosticism, infidelity, irreligion, and irreverence; and, being promotive of the knowledge and fear of God, must of necessity be a deterrent to sin. In this may its value and importance be seen. BR-ASI9 291.7

Was the Sabbath designed to be a day for public worship? BR-ASI9 291.8

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation.” Leviticus 23:3. BR-ASI9 291.9

Note.—Convocation means “a calling together,” a meeting. BR-ASI9 291.10

What example did Christ set in Sabbath observance? BR-ASI9 291.11

“And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” Luke 4:16. BR-ASI9 291.12

What else did Jesus do on the Sabbath? BR-ASI9 292.1

“And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.” John 9:14. BR-ASI9 292.2

Note.—A large share of Christ’s ministry consisted of miracles and acts of mercy performed for the relief of suffering humanity; and not a few of these were done on the Sabbath. On this day, as on other days, He “went about doing good.” See next reading. BR-ASI9 292.3

In what words did He justify acts of mercy on the Sabbath? BR-ASI9 292.4

“Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.” Matthew 12:12. BR-ASI9 292.5

Note.—A great deal of Christ’s earthly ministry was devoted to showing the beneficent character of the Sabbath institution. It was not meant to be a day of sorrow, austerity, or gloom. Disinterested works of love and mercy toward man or beast are always in place on the Sabbath. Lawful means “according to law.” BR-ASI9 292.6