These were the words of the Lord to the Pharisees, when they confronted Him regarding the religious observance of the Sabbath. He told them that God made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath. But in what way did God make the Sabbath for man? In our current meditation, let us answer this by answering five questions.

Did God make the Sabbath to be burdensome in its requirements? No. Otherwise Christ would have said, "Man was made for the Sabbath, not the Sabbath for man." In the instance before us, the Pharisees had accused Christ's disciples of violating Sabbath law. "Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, 'Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?'" (Mark 2:23-24). The law of God had made provision for those in need of food to take grain from the field. But the Pharisees, in making the Sabbath more rigid than God intended, had added many of their own stipulations, even to the point of disallowing this provision of God on that Day. Here, Christ shows us that the Sabbath Day was made to bless man, not to make him suffer: "But He said to them, 'Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?' And He said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.'" (Mark 2:25-27). Christ's disciples had been traveling from one place to another and were in need of food. As they were passing by grain, would God have them to go hungry or to eat? Would He consider it a violation of the Sabbath's prohibition of work if they plucked the grain to satisfy their hunger? No. He would have them to eat, and He would not condemn them for so doing. Christ further added this rebuke to the Pharisees, "If you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless" (Matt 12:7). In our zeal for what is good, we must learn to avoid being more strict than God. While we seek to uphold His law, we must never condemn the innocent. The Sabbath was made by God to be a blessing, attended by His mercy.

Did God make the Sabbath for only a certain people? No. That God had commanded the Jews to observe the Sabbath is evident. They were the stewards of God's truth and the heirs of His special calling. In this regard, no other nation properly understood or rightly observed the Sabbath. Some, in light of these facts, have supposed that the Sabbath was made only for the Jews. But this cannot be. The Sabbath was set apart by God in creation, long before the Jewish nation ever existed: "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made" (Genesis 2:2-3). God set this pattern in creation so that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation might properly worship and serve Him. Although He made the Jews the special stewards of the Day, they were to honor it as a light to the nations, that they too might learn to seek God. Why is the world still on a seven-day week? Is it not for this very cause--that God has set apart one day in seven for all to especially come to Him?

Did God make the Sabbath for only a certain time period? No. He placed it as one of the timeless Ten Commandments, as the last of the four that directly concern our relationship to God. "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God" (Exodus 20:8-10). God chose to write this commandment, with nine others, on stone tablets so that it would forever be a witness to our consciences. It is a part of that moral law that is an unalterable part of our existence. It is true that while the nation of Israel was a theocracy, the Sabbath was attended with numerous ceremonial observances, most of which are no longer required in our day. And with the resurrection of Christ, our observance has moved from the seventh day of the week to the first--the Lord's Day (Rev 1:10). But these changes do not invalidate the commandment. There has never been and will never be a time on earth in which we are not in need of devoting one day in seven to the special worship of God--to the worship of the One who is almighty and glorious, who dwells in unapproachable light, and in whom we live and move and exist. We are made to worship, and if we do not worship Him, we will worship something else.

Did God make the Sabbath to be observed with worldly activities? No. He made it to be a day devoted to Him. But a tragedy of the human condition is that we see blessings as burdens, and that we use for evil what is meant for good. The Pharisees, thinking that they were obeying the commandment, had added to it and distorted it, and such errors persist even into our day. But at least they sought to honor and safeguard the Day. Look, by contrast, at how the modern church has taken away from God's Commandment! They have turned the Day into a day of leisure and entertainment! A day of shopping and business! Of sporting events and recreation! Of gatherings and socializing! Even those who attend church behave as if occupying a seat in the pew has met the standards of God! And how many disgracefully give more to their employers than to God? They rise early to make it to work and school between six and nine, but they do not make it to a 9:30 AM Sunday School. They wear their best clothes when in the workplace, but they take little regard for their appearance when in the house of God. They give eight or more hours to the job, but they are rarely seen at the church's evening service. And those who would point out such things are titled as legalists! Why oh why do we see God's provision as a burden? Why do we not rejoice in what He has given, knowing that it is for our good? "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

Did God make the Sabbath to be neutral in its effects? No. The day was made for the benefit of mankind, and it cannot pass without blessing or curse. Dear friend, do not think that Sunday has come and gone, leaving you unchanged. God says, "Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed" (1 Sam 2:30). Do you not see that He has made the day for you? Why, then, do you resist giving it to Him? You do so not to His hurt but to your own. "If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?" (Job 35:6). No, the Lord is not in need of this day--you are. When you devote it to vanity, you will reap vanity; when you devote it to Him, you will find His blessings.

And to what does the Sabbath point us but to our eternal rest in Christ? It is our temporal picture of the eternal reality that Christ has fully accomplished His work of salvation. His completed work is sufficient to save us from our sins, and our rest is found in Him. He is "Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28). Oh then, let me seek Him in that special day. Let me know in my heart that God has made that day for me--for me! He has set apart one day in seven that I might especially find my rest in Him. Let it be the market day of my soul! --That day of refreshing and renewing; that day wherein I worship and delight in Him; that day wherein I seek the instruction of His Word and the fellowship of His people; that day wherein I set aside the cares and pursuits of the world. Has He not promised to bless it? "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then 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).

If you would like to receive further information concerning these matters, please contact Joseph Montalto.