Bible Study - God’s Day of Rest

May 22 – 28, 2022

Key Text

“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 2:3

Study Help: Education, 250–252

Introduction

“In the time of the end every divine institution is to be restored. The breach made in the law at the time the Sabbath was changed by man, is to be repaired.” Prophets and Kings, 678

Sunday

1 A DAY OF DELIGHT

Which day of the week is set aside for rest and holy convocation, and how can we treasure it? Leviticus 23:3; Isaiah 58:13, 14

Note: “Far more sacredness is attached to the Sabbath than is given it by many professed Sabbathkeepers. The Lord has been greatly dishonored by those who have not kept the Sabbath according to the commandment, either in the letter or in the spirit. He calls for a reform in the observance of the Sabbath.” Testimonies, Vol. 6, 353

“We can sit with them [our children] in the groves and in the bright sunshine, and give their restless minds something to feed upon by conversing with them upon the works of God, and can inspire them with love and reverence by calling their attention to the beautiful objects in nature.

“The Sabbath should be made so interesting to our families that its weekly return will be hailed with joy.” Ibid., Vol. 2, 584, 585

“The Sabbath is not intended to be a period of useless inactivity. The law forbids secular labor on the rest day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must cease; no labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful upon that day; but as God ceased His labor 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.” The Desire of Ages, 207

Monday

2 THE SABBATH WAS KEPT IN ANCIENT TIMES

2.a. What is written about the Sabbath before Israel reached Sinai? Exodus 16:23–28. Who are mentioned as Sabbathkeepers in the patriarchal era?

Note: “There was something to be done in preparing even the heaven-sent bread for the children of Israel. This was a test for them. God desired to see whether or not they would keep the Sabbath holy. The Lord told the children of Israel that this work must be done on the preparation day, Friday. On that day they were to bake that which they would bake, and seethe that which they would seethe.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 292

“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.” The Desire of Ages, 283

“Hallowed by the Creator’s rest and blessing, the Sabbath was kept by Adam in his innocence in holy Eden; by Adam, fallen yet repentant, when he was driven from his happy estate. It was kept by all the patriarchs, from Abel to righteous Noah, to Abraham, to Jacob.” The Great Controversy, 453

2.b. When did the Sabbath originate, and what does God require from us regarding the seventh day? Genesis 2:1–3; Exodus 20:8–11

Note: “The Sabbath is not Jewish in its origin. It was instituted in Eden before there were such a people known as the Jews. The Sabbath was made for all mankind, and was instituted in Eden before the fall of man. The Creator called it ‘My holy day.’ Christ announced Himself as ‘the Lord of the Sabbath.’ Beginning with creation, it is as old as the human race, and having been made for man it will exist as long as man shall exist.” The Signs of the Times, November 12, 1894

“The institution of the Sabbath was made when the foundation of the earth was laid, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Like the other nine precepts of the law, it is of imperishable obligation. It is the memorial of God’s creative power, the reminder of His exalted work. The fourth commandment occupies a sacred position in the law and bears the same hallowed nature as do the other great moral precepts of God.” Ibid., January 8, 1894

Tuesday

3 AN ATTEMPTED CHANGE

3.a. In Bible prophecy, what is written about the attempt to change God’s law? Daniel 7:25. Which commandment was Satan’s target to destroy?

Note: “The laws of God are the only laws which men are prohibited from changing, for secular powers may change as they see fit the laws of secular governments. In the prophecy it is plainly shown that [the] papal power would with deliberate intention change the law of God.” The Signs of the Times, November 19, 1894

“The papal power has thought to change the law of God by instituting a sabbath for the world and the Christian church; and this spurious sabbath is exalted and revered, while the Sabbath of Jehovah is trampled beneath unholy feet. But will the Lord degrade His law to meet the standard of men? Will He accept a man-made institution in place of the Sabbath which He has sanctified and blessed? No; the convenience or profit of men is not to supersede the claims of God; for He is a jealous God.” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1884

“The Creator of the heavens and the earth commanded, ‘The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work’ (Exodus 20:10). This command was enforced by the example of its Author, proclaimed with His own voice, and placed in the very bosom of the decalogue. But the papal power has removed this divine ordinance, and substituted a day which God has not sanctified, and upon which He did not rest, the festival so long adored by heathens as the ‘venerable day of the sun.’ ” The Signs of the Times, September 14, 1882

3.b. What prophecy will be fulfilled in the last days of this world’s history? Isaiah 56:2–7; 58:12–14

Note: “All who love God will show that they bear His sign by keeping His commandments. They are the restorers of paths to dwell in.” Testimonies, Vol. 6, 265

“In the time of the end every divine institution is to be restored. The breach made in the law at the time the Sabbath was changed by man is to be repaired. God’s remnant people, standing before the world as reformers, are to show that the law of God is the foundation of all enduring reform and that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is to stand as a memorial of creation.” Prophets and Kings, 678

Wednesday

4 THE SABBATH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

4.a. What was Jesus’ custom to do on Sabbath days, and what did He say about the Sabbath? Luke 4:16, 31; Mark 2:27, 28

Note: “The Sabbath commandment is placed in the very bosom of the decalogue, amid the unchangeable precepts of Jehovah. And yet from many pulpits of our land a contemptuous cry is raised against the Sabbath instituted by the Lord God of heaven, and it is stigmatized as ‘the old Jewish Sabbath.’ Let all who are seeking for truth remember that the Sabbath was instituted in Eden before there was a Jew in existence, and that the Saviour said, ‘The Sabbath was made for man’ (Mark 2:27). The fourth commandment was spoken with the other nine of God’s moral precepts, amid the thunders and grandeur of Mount Sinai, and in the holy of holies in the heavenly sanctuary above is the ark of God. It is called the ‘ark of the testament,’ and under its cover—the mercy seat—are the ten commandments that were written with the finger of God.” The Signs of the Times, January 8, 1894

“Jesus had come to ‘magnify the law, and make it honorable’ (Isaiah 42:21). He was not to lessen its dignity, but to exalt it. … He had come to free the Sabbath from those burdensome requirements that had made it a curse instead of a blessing.” The Desire of Ages, 206

“By sweeping away the senseless restrictions of the Jews, Christ honored the Sabbath, while those who complained of Him were dishonoring God’s holy day.” Ibid., 287

4.b. What was the attitude of the disciples, the apostles, and the early Christians regarding the seventh-day Sabbath? Luke 23:54–56; Acts 13:42, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4

Note: “The New Testament has not changed the law of God. The sacredness of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is as firmly established as the throne of Jehovah. John writes: ‘Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth (transgresseth the law) hath not seen Him, neither known Him’ (1 John 3:4–6).” The Sanctified Life, 68

“Christ gave the law to His chosen people, and in seeking to make void the law of God on the ground that Christ abolished it, they [men and women] do insult to both the Father and the Son.” The Signs of the Times, October 2, 1893

Thursday

5 THE SABBATH IN THE NEW EARTH

5.a. What assurance does the Lord give through the prophet Isaiah about the Sabbath on the earth made new? Isaiah 66:22, 23

Note: “In the ark of God in heaven are the tables of stone upon which are written the precepts that are the foundation of His government. And the Sabbath, which God declares to be the sign of the loyalty of His people, is placed in the bosom of the decalogue. Its sanctity reaches into eternity; for God declares that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, His subjects shall come up to worship before Him in the earth made new.” The Signs of the Times, April 7, 1898

“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.” The Desire of Ages, 283

5.b. What will be the theme of the redeemed as they come to worship the Lord? Revelation 5:11–13; 15:2–4

Note: “The theme of redemption is one that the angels desire to look into; it will be the science and the song of the ransomed throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Is it not worthy of careful thought and study now? Should we not praise God with heart and soul and voice ‘for His wonderful works to the children of men’ (Psalm 107:8)?” Testimonies, Vol. 5, 318

“The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity.” The Great Controversy, 651

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How can we make the Sabbath a delight?

2 Of what is the Sabbath a memorial, and why is this not “Jewish”?

3 Why is the Sabbath to be brought to a focus at the end of earth’s history?

4 What examples of Sabbathkeeping are there in the New Testament?

5 When will the Sabbath be restored among all true children of God?