Sabbath

There is a lot of confusion regarding the use of the term "Sabbath" in today's world; and I want to begin by saying that I don't have all of the answers on this. Here is what I see in the Bible. The Sabbath was an old testament concept that was given to the Jews as a part of the Law of Moses. The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, Saturday. We see this referenced in many Old Testament places as a part of the Law of Moses, given to the "Sons of Israel" as a part of their Law. Note Exodus 31 beginning in verse 12: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death...' ' " Later in this passage, He says, "It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever." It would seem clear that He is speaking specifically to the "children of Israel" which is the Jewish people, establishing here the covenant between God and the Jews. It should be noted that the keeping the Sabbath was the fourth commandment in the 10 commandments given to Moses to be given to the children of Israel as a part of the Jewish Law. The Jewish Law was done away by the coming of Jesus, the new law beginning in Acts chapter 2; this is called "Faith" in many places in the New Testament, referring to faith in Jesus, note Galatians 3:23-29. Many of the 10 commandments were carried over into the Law of Christ, but only by reference in the New Testament. The Sabbath is not carried over into the worship and service of the church of the New Testament. We do see the New Testament church worshipping on Sunday, note Acts 20:7 and 1Corinthians 16:2. In summary, it seems clear by reading the New Testament that we are not under the Law of Moses and that "Sabbath" was a part of the Jewish Law. The question in my mind is what the Lord intended for us in today's world. When He created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1, He rested on the seventh day. He then told the children of Israel to keep the seventh day (Sabbath) holy. He didn't specifically say for His people under Christ to rest on the seventh day. But with the precedent of the Old Testament emphasis of resting on the seventh day, one might wonder if He wants His people today to rest one day of the week. Give that some thought and I will see you next week. Thanks for reading.