Why the seventh day?

Why the seventh day (Saturday) above any other as a day of rest and worship? Why attach ongoing, definitive, importance to that day, instead of any other day? In the light of the arrival of Jesus and the rest He brought, indeed the rest He is through faith for the Christian believer, why continue to honor the seventh day? Why persist in celebrating the so-called Old Testament or old covenant day of worship? Wasn't the seventh day a type or prefiguring of the gospel rest which was to come with the arrival of the Messiah? So why not honor all days as "sabbaths," fulfilling and entering into the rest and holiness found by faith in Jesus Christ Himself? What's the significance of this particular day anyway?

Background

Recently evangelical Christians especially have been asking these kinds of questions with renewed interest. A number of ministers from an array of Christian communities, who receive this magazine have written Ministry asking these or similar questions. The discovery of the gospel among leaders of the Worldwide Church of God has precipitated a momentous shift in thinking on this question and related ones among many in that communion.

In recent times some Seventh-day Adventists, laboring in the hot, dry field of religious tradition, stumbled upon the wonder of the gospel and in the joy of their discovery went out to sell all that they had in order to possess the treasure entire (Matt. 13:44). They ask with unprecedented pointedness the question of this article and its sequel (scheduled for September 1999). A focused buildup of literature and discussion on the subject is having an impact on a limited number of Adventists and ex- Adventists. This is especially true among some of those moving out of Adventism into independent congregations. Some of these appear now to be well on the way to taking their stand against the seventh-day as a particular day of worship. Adventists in general, who are aware of these questions, are looking on with their own assortment of feelings and opinions.

Let me state the central question of this study again, in a slightly different way: Why is the seventh day per se still an integral part of postmessianic or Christian faith and worship? The companion question, which is more fundamental will also be addressed: What impact did the arrival of Jesus in the first century actually have upon "the law" and thus upon the seventh day? In tackling these questions we will take a biblical and theological approach, dealing first with certain relevant Old Testament evidence. The most telling part of our assessment will come in the later, second, article as we frontally appraise the impact of Jesus' first-century life, death and resurrection on law and thus on the seventh day, and as we briefly review the thrust of some of the New Testament passages that illuminate the position taken on the issue of the seventh day by first century Christian communities.

Although the approach or perspective of this study (particularly the second article) is not traditional Seventh-day Adventist fare, its assumptions and conclusions are entirely consistent with Adventist belief and thinking. The traditional Adventist approach to such issues as "the perpetuity of the law" simply does not seem, by itself to answer the legitimate, seminal questions posed by the contemporary antisabbatarian initiative. Therefore the attempt here is to approach the question of the seventh-day Sabbath not only from the perspective of its setting in the permanence of the Decalogue but to look at it in the light of Jesus Christ and the impact of His first advent on law and Sabbath. Thus the article aims at projecting the authentic Christian soul of the seventh day, its Christ filled meaning and proud placement in a thoroughly scriptural and new covenant setting. In so doing, we must go on to reassess the consistency of the seventh day's legitimate biblical connection to the perpetuity of the Ten Commandments, even as Paul views the decalogue's new covenant role and permanence in strong law- Christ passages such as Romans 3 and 7 and Galatians 3 and 4.

So in this first article we will turn to some relevant Old Testament material.

The objective of this section of study is to expose the cosmic, pre-sin, pre-Hebrew, nonsectarian, nonceremonial, moral and permanent nature of the seventh day as it is presented in certain passages in Genesis and Exodus. Space allows limited discussion of only three Old Testament passages:

Genesis 2:1-3

This passage of Scripture gives an historical account of the origin and thus the reality of the seventh-day as a divinely specified piece of holy time. It is suggestive of a number of realities relevant to our discussion, which assumes the historicity of the Genesis account:

• The author of Genesis matter-of-factly gives the seventh day an intimate and inextricable connection with the seminal, historical event of the Creation.
• Thus the seventh day is tied to this objective and unchangeable historical occurrence, which is crucial to the nature and identity of both the seventh day and the whole of humankind.
• When the seventh day is connected to or included with God's primeval creative activity, it is thereby clearly assigned a certain cosmic meaning, transcending temporal, local or cultic (Hebrew) limitations. The seventh day predates the giving of all law that is, the Mosaic-ceremonial law and most significantly the decalogue itself.
• In Genesis 2, not only is the seventh day associated with the pre- Hebrew, pre-"old covenant" cosmic event of the Creation, but it is sanctified, blessed and made holy by God at the same time it is inaugurated (verse 3). It is indeed the divine blessing of the day that calls Sabbath into existence. At its inception and therefore by its essential nature, it has little to do with our usual understanding of traditional covenantal issues such as, let alone mere "old covenant" structures. The fact that the sanctification of the seventh day long precedes any call to keep the Sabbath holy at Sinai is also undeniably crucial to the nature and meaning of the seventh day. It is also therefore critical to the permanence and significance of the seventh day among the family of God in every era of history past, present, or future. Because the seventh day predates the giving of any law, it cannot be simply tied to the old covenant so that at the formation of a new covenant it becomes obsolete. Indeed, given the origin and nature of the seventh day as outlined so far, the strongest case could be made for the transcendence of the Sabbath over or within all covenantal structures and contents.
• Perhaps the most significant reality implied by the Genesis 2 account of the origin of the seventh day is the fact that its creation or inauguration precedes not only the Hebrew nation and the formal advent of law, but it also precedes the arrival of sin. The seventh day is distinctly prelapsarian. Because of this it cannot be seen merely as something dependent for its viability upon old covenant structures. This fact hardly needs enlargement or explanation. Its negative impact on the theory that the seventh day is passe because it was included as a part of the old covenant, whose essential intent was, among other things, to deal with the existence of sin in the life of Israel, is rather obvious. This prelapsarian existence of the seventh day must be allowed at least to call into question the assumptions of a theology that dismisses the seventh day because of its "old covenant" connections.

It is disconcerting to read or listen to attempts to explain away such evidence and assign the seventh day a reduced or non-existent significance in the present new covenant era. So far the only palpable explanations I have encountered involve presuppositions which at their heart question the validity of the Genesis and Exodus accounts themselves. This is unbecoming in those who do it. It would be understandable if the essential orientation of my friends (and they are my friends) was "liberal-higher critical," but it is not. Thus such reasoning, when articulated, comes across as uncomfortable, forced, inconsistent and inadequate. We simply must try to put all of the biblical evidence together without placing ourselves in a position where we feel pressured to resort to such casuistic strategies.

Exodus 16:1-30

This is the account of God's gift of manna to Israel during their wilderness journey. This desert drama is evidence of the fact that the Sabbath concept existed among the Israelites before the giving of the Decalogue itself at Sinai (Exodus 20). In connection with this a number of significant issues stand out.

• The initial giving of the manna, and the Sabbath instructions that came with the manna, preceded the giving of the Ten Commandments and particularly the fourth commandment at Sinai.

• Regardless of whether or not the fledgling Israelite nation actually kept the Sabbath before Sinai, the wording of God's directions to Moses regarding the distinctive way of gathering manna as the Sabbath approached, presupposes a certain knowledge of the nature of the seventh day before this event. It is entirely possible, even likely, that Israel while in Egypt had all but forgotten the Sabbath and that before the formal command was given at Sinai, God gave the manna experience to prepare the nation for His Sinai covenantal expression.

• If the significance of this Exodus 16 Sabbath data is argued against in an attempt to discount the pre-Sinai consciousness of seventh day sacredness, we might also question the existence of a pre-Sinai moral heritage in Israelite life involving the principles behind the other nine commandments. It is interesting that almost no such attempt is made by those arguing against the seventh day existing in Israelite tradition or worship.

It is begging the point to say that there is little or no evidence of Sabbath keeping or Sabbath consciousness before Sinai. It is true that there is not a high volume of biblical material, but no fair-minded person can ignore the evidence that is there, along with its clear implications. Historically, Genesis 2 and Exodus 16 precede Exodus 20. Considering the nature of those passages, it is seriously questionable to virtually ignore or dismiss their objective historical content.

Other textual evidence that may indicate some pre-Sinai seventh day consciousness in Israel is found in Exodus 5:1-9 and 15:25,26. The Exodus 5 passage alludes to and presupposes some kind of cultic or ceremonial activity that was to be celebrated in the desert. In chapter 15 there is mention of God's "decrees" and "commands" that were to be obeyed. Both of these allusions at least imply the pre-Sinai existence of some cultic material or custom.

Exodus 19 and 20 (particularly 20: 8-11)

This passage, of course, contains an account of the giving of the decalogue at Sinai. It also contains an accurate verbal rendering of the fourth commandment. The way the data appears in Exodus reveals a number of closely related relevant essentials:

• The decalogue definitely stands distinct from any other civil or ceremonial information or instruction given by God through Moses.

This is true because the decalogue was given in an extraordinary manner when compared with the way the rest of the law was given (the ceremonial and civil requirements for Israelite worship and governance were, for instance, apparently simply written by Moses). The Ten Commandments are clearly meant to stand foremost when compared to the other Mosaic revelations. (It is my distinct conviction that when Paul used the word "law" [see, for example, Romans 7 and Galatians 3-5] or the term "written code" he almost always seems to include in his mind all law, moral and ceremonial. (A careful review of the context of a given passage usually reveals quite clearly which aspect of law Paul is referring to.) Although obedience to law of any kind cannot in any way cause human salvation, no one could miss the primacy and exceptional status resident in both the way the Ten Commandments were given and their extraordinary universal substance or content.

Thus the fact that the decalogue was delivered by God with awesome displays of lightening, thunder, smoke, earthquake and fire, preceded by divine warnings and the instructions for special preparations, Moses' ascension up Mount Sinai and God etching this moral essence of His will with His finger on tables of stone, such activity definitely distinguishes it from the ceremonial or civil aspects of the divine communications given quietly through Moses under more tranquil circumstances.

• In all of this it is crucial to frontally note that the seventh-day command is placed in the company of the other nine moral principles, at the heart of the decalogue. Placing the fourth commandment in this setting clearly assigns it a certain moral nature and station or prestige transcendent over mere cultic, temporary, ceremonial or local significance. It is highly questionable to make some kind of exception of the fourth commandment, assigning it a passing, non moral, old covenant "Jewish" nature when it has been assigned much more significance by its divine placement among the other nine commandments, whose moral and logically permanent nature no Christian seriously disputes.

• All of this is strongly confirmed by the actual wording of the commandment: The fourth commandment begins (verse 8) with the word "Remember." Among other things this again suggests or refers back to the existence of the Sabbath in some form before Sinai.

The wording of verse 8 is also reminiscent of the wording of Genesis 2. It is obvious that the six days for labor and the Sabbath seventh is reflective of God's activity during the Creation week (verse 9). This again reveals the inextricable connection of the seventh day to the universally significant cosmic creation event. The seventh day is part and parcel of first things. The transpiring of the Divine ordering of events places the seventh day within the inner circle of original being and consciousness. It is clearly part of what sets the essential trajectory for the entire creation. This, of course, is sealed by verse 11 which overtly ties the sacredness of the seventh day to God's creative work as He formed the earth, and again obviously alludes to the account found in Genesis 2:1,2.

• Thus the very wording of this commandment gives a matter-of-fact, definitive reason for placing the seventh day commandment where it is. Again, the reason for its placement is decisively cosmic: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth ..." (verse 11). In this crucial setting, the seventh day is not assigned any national, cultural, or ceremonial connection, but is designated a distinctly seminal and cosmic origin and meaning. Again, no particular connection with the Hebrew nation and its cultus is included in the wording of the commandment. Of course Moses urged its observance by the Hebrew people, but this is only because its course was set by God at Creation and therefore again, like the other nine commands, it has global scope and significance.

All of this evidence does not, of course, deny that the seventh day was given significant cultic or ceremonial status in Hebrew life and worship. The point here, however, is to note the fact that the Sabbath is assigned much more than this limited standing in Israel's life as well as in the Bible as a whole.

Conclusion

Thus the Genesis and Exodus accounts of the origin of the seventh day establish the universal nature of the seventh day universal both in time and location. These accounts confirm the seventh day to be not merely cultic, ceremonial, temporary or "Jewish." To assign it any other nature or to limit these universal dimensions puts us under pressure to reject the historicity of the biblical account or to adjust the only reliable chronicle we have of our origins and of the origin and integral meaning of Sabbath.

At this point the real questions of this study begin to present themselves with renewed gravity. Some will say that while all of the above may be true, didn't Jesus introduce a historical and theological paradigm shift which transformed or reinterpreted the significance and nature of the law and the Sabbath, particularly the seventh day, thus inaugurating the "new covenant"? What about Jesus, and His messianic effect on the law and the seventh day, or the Sabbath principle as a whole? This is the issue we will take up in the September edition of Ministry, as we move to the second part of this study, and assess the evidence of the New Testament.