The
Sabbath
By
Ellen G. White
The
Sabbath was hallowed at the creation. As ordained for man, it
had its origin when "the morning stars sang together, and
all the sons of God shouted for joy." Job 38:7. Peace brooded
over the world; for earth was in harmony with heaven. "God
saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good;"
and He rested in the joy of His completed work. Gen. 1:31.
Because
He had rested upon the Sabbath, "God blessed the seventh
day, and sanctified it,"--set it apart to a holy use. He
gave it to Adam as a day of rest. It was a memorial of the work
of creation, and thus a sign of God's power and His love. The
Scripture says, "He hath made His wonderful works to be
remembered." "The things that are made," declare
"the invisible things of Him since the creation of the
world," "even His everlasting power and divinity."
Gen. 2:3; Ps. 111:4; Rom. 1:20, R. V.
All
things were created by the Son of God. "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God. . . . All things were
made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was
made." John 1:1-3. And since the Sabbath is a memorial
of the work of creation, it is a token of the love and power
of Christ.
The
Sabbath calls our thoughts to nature, and brings us into communion
with the Creator. In the song of the bird, the sighing of the
trees, and the music of the sea, we still may hear His voice
who talked with Adam in Eden in the cool of the day. And as
we behold His power in nature we find comfort, for the word
that created all things is that which speaks life to the soul.
He "who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath
shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. 4:6.
. . .
The
Sabbath was embodied in the law given from Sinai; but it was
not then first made known as a day of rest. The people of Israel
had a knowledge of it before they came to Sinai. On the way
thither the Sabbath was kept. When some profaned it, the Lord
reproved them, saying, "How long refuse ye to keep My commandments
and My laws?" Ex. 16:28.
The
Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for the world. It had
been made known to man in Eden, and, like the other precepts
of the Decalogue, it is of imperishable obligation. Of that
law of which the fourth commandment forms a part, Christ declares,
"Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in nowise pass from the law." So long as the heavens and
the earth endure, the Sabbath will continue as a sign of the
Creator's power. And when Eden shall bloom on earth again, God's
holy rest day will be honored by all beneath the sun. "From
one Sabbath to another" the inhabitants of the glorified
new earth shall go up "to worship before Me, saith the
Lord." Matt. 5:18; Isa. 66:23. . . .
"Wherefore
the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." These words
are full of instruction and comfort. Because the Sabbath was
made for man, it is the Lord's day. It belongs to Christ. For
"all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything
made that was made." John 1:3. Since He made all things,
He made the Sabbath. By Him it was set apart as a memorial of
the work of creation. It points to Him as both the Creator and
the Sanctifier. It declares that He who created all things in
heaven and in earth, and by whom all things hold together, is
the head of the church, and that by His power we are reconciled
to God. For, speaking of Israel, He said, "I gave them
My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might
know that I am the Lord that sanctify them,"--make them
holy. Ezek. 20:12. Then the Sabbath is a sign of Christ's power
to make us holy. And it is given to all whom Christ makes holy.
As a sign of His sanctifying power, the Sabbath is given to
all who through Christ become a part of the Israel of God.
And
the Lord says, "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, honorable; . . . then shalt
thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isa. 58:13, 14. To all
who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ's creative and redeeming
power, it will be a delight. Seeing Christ in it, they delight
themselves in Him. The Sabbath points them to the works of creation
as an evidence of His mighty power in redemption. While it calls
to mind the lost peace of Eden, it tells of peace restored through
the Saviour. And every object in nature repeats His invitation,
"Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and
I will give you rest." Matt 11:28.
Published
in The Desire of Ages, pp. 281-289.
| |
|
 |
|  God's
Word Our Assurance
Christ
Our Righteousness A Morning Talk
Through
Faith Alone Part 1
Through
Faith Alone Part 2
What
Was Secured by the Death of Christ
Seek
Those Things Which are Above Part 1
Seek
Those Things Which are Above Part 2
Christ,
Our Loving Comforter and Restorer
Work
to Show Christ to the World
"Let
Him Take Hold of My Strength"
Ellen
G. White's Last Recorded Letter
The
Joy of Giving
A
New Year's Day Letter
Christ
Our Hope
A
Letter of Comfort and Assurance
Prevailing
Prayer
A
Prayer of Consecration
Help
for the Tempted
God
Will Provide
Christ's
Righteousness Avails
Trusting
Christ
The
Fair Flowers of Promise
How
God’s Love is Manifested, Part 1
How
God’s Love is Manifested, Part 2
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 1
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 2
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 3
"I
Will Give You Rest"
Working
as Christ Worked
A
Life-Changing Experience
The
Character of God Revealed in Christ
What
God Desires Us to Be
God's
Plans the Best
A
Peculiar People
God
With Us
Ask
and it shall be given you, Part 1
Ask
and it shall be given you, Part 2
The
Meaning of God's Pardoning Love, Part 1
The
Meaning of God's Pardoning Love, Part 2
The
Foundation of Our Peace
One
Thing Impossible With God
Windows
Wide Open
The
Only Foundation
Christ
Spans the Gulf of Sin, Part 1
Christ
Spans the Gulf of Sin, Part 2
Homeward
Bound
A
New Year's Day Letter
Asking
to Give
The
Mighty and Inspiring Conflict
God's
Word a Treasure House
True
Success
Little
Things
You May Trust
Him
Hearts
Filled with Thankfullnes to God
Calamities
and God’s Love; Sin, Judgment, and the Shortness of Time
Lord
is Risen
The
Sabbath
Some Thoughts
for the New Year
|
|