Have you ever lost something, but it was in plain sight and you did not see it? Let’s suppose you lost your car keys. You searched all over the house but could not find them. Suddenly you remember. You left them in your jacket pocket hanging in the closet or in your purse on a chair in the kitchen.
God has given us the gift of remembering. What if we did not have that gift? What if the only thing we knew was the present? Life would be terribly complicated. In this week’s lesson, we will return to the subject of the Sabbath and look at it from a different perspective. You will recall that the fourth commandment begins with the word “remember.” None of the other commandments begin that way. Remembering presupposes you have known something before. The Sabbath commandment is a perpetual reminder to the entire world of God’s creative authority. Wherever we are in the world, whether we recognize it or not, the Sabbath comes to all humanity offering its blessings each seventh day.
Throughout Scripture the Sabbath reminds us that Christ made us, redeemed us, delivers us, re-creates us, and is coming again for us. Our lesson this week underscores the fact that in God’s eternal plan, Sabbath is a day of blessing, delight, worship, and service. Especially on Sabbath, as we linger in His presence, participate in corporate worship, and seek Him anew, He re-creates us in His image.
Part II: Commentary
In 2008, there was a fascinating article published, titled “Neurotheology: Are We Hardwired for God?” The article quotes Dean Hamer, a PhD behavioral geneticist. The author of the article, René J. Muller, PhD, states, “In 2004 Hamer published The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired Into Our Genes, which was showcased in a Time cover story on neurotheology. Hamer made it clear that he had approached his work with the tools of natural science: ‘The first task for any scientist attempting to link genetics to spirituality is to show that spirituality can be defined and quantified.’ ” “Hamer’s work is not about demonstrating the existence of God, which is the domain of religion, but about showing that spirituality is a real phenomenon that can be described and measured. . . . Religion, he believes, is rooted in nurture and spirituality in nature.”—“Neurotheology: Are We Hardwired for God?” Psychiatric Times, May 1, 2008, http://psychiatrictimes.com/view/neurotheology-are-we-hardwired-god. Hamer joins a growing number of scientists who believe that we are “hardwired for God.”
In Genesis 1:26, the biblical narrative recounts the creation of human beings. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’ ” (NKJV). Genesis 1:27 continues: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (NKJV).
What does it mean that human beings were created in the image of God? Certainly, it means more than a mere physical resemblance. Both animals and humans procreate. The image of God has to do with the totality of who we are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We have been given conscience, reason, and judgment to make moral and ethical decisions. But most of all, written into our genetic code, in our DNA, at the deepest level, we are beings who worship. The Sabbath fills that aching void in our hearts to reconnect with our Creator. The Sabbath is not some legalistic requirement or an exclusively Jewish institution. The Sabbath is a celebration of the life that Christ has given us. It is a reminder to care for the environment around us that also is the object of our Creator’s care.
The Sabbath and the Environment
When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden, He instructed them to “tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15, NKJV). Adam also was given the privilege of naming all the animals (Gen. 2:19, 20). Our first parents were close to nature in their garden home and were instructed by God to preserve their natural surroundings. The Sabbath was a weekly reminder both of their relationship to God and their environment. Worshiping the Creator also includes caring for His creation. Currently, industrial pollution is destroying our planet. “Toxic pollution affects more than 200 million people worldwide, according to Pure Earth, a nonprofit environmental organization. . . . Americans generate 30 billion foam cups, 220 million tires, and 1.8 billion disposable diapers every year, according to the Green Schools Alliance. . . . Pollution in China can change weather patterns in the United States. It takes just five days for the jet stream to carry heavy air pollution from China to the United States, where it stops clouds from producing rain and snow. About 7 million premature deaths annually are linked to air pollution, according to [the World Health Organization]. That is one in eight deaths worldwide.”—Alina Bradford, “Pollution Facts and Types of Pollution,” Live Science, February 28, 2018, http://livescience.com/22728-pollution-facts.html. The Sabbath is a clarion call to care for God’s creation.
The Sabbath and Deliverance
When Moses restates the Sabbath command to a new generation just about ready to enter the Promised Land, he begins, “ ‘ “Observe the Sabbath day” ’ ” and concludes with “ ‘ “and remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day” ’ ” (Deut. 5:12, 15, NKJV). The Sabbath is a sign of deliverance. The Israelites were held in bondage to the Egyptians for centuries. Miraculously, God delivered them. They did not deliver themselves. God delivered them by His “mighty hand.” The Sabbath is a reminder of the power of God to deliver us out of any situation.
At Creation, God spoke, and our world came into existence. God’s Word is an all-powerful, creative, life-changing Word. The Sabbath is a weekly reminder that there is nothing impossible for God. Since He created the world with His Word, He can re-create our hearts. Since He brought light out of darkness, He can lighten our darkened minds. Since He spoke, and fruit trees appeared with their ripe, delicious fruits, He can produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Since He breathed life into Adam, He can breathe new life into our lives. Romans 6:1–7 speaks of the new life that Christ gives us as we voluntarily die to the old life as manifested in the ceremony of baptism. There is a direct linkage between the original life God created in Eden and the newness of life that occurs when God re-creates our hearts. In the beginning, God created life, and once again He makes our lives new. The Sabbath is a symbol of Creation and God’s new creation.
The Sabbath as a Symbol of Refreshing and Blessing
God designed the Sabbath for all humanity. Its refreshing blessing, according to Scripture, is for each one of us (Exod. 23:12). The blessings of the Sabbath are not exclusively for the Jews. According to the Old Testament, they are for every person. The Sabbath not only is a day of worship but also a day to bless others. Jesus performed more healing miracles on the Sabbath day than on any other day. For Jesus, the Sabbath was a day to touch others with His healing grace.
Consider the case of the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda, located in Jerusalem, just inside the Sheep Gate. Bethesda means “house of mercy,” or “house of grace.” Evidently, Jesus was on His way to Sabbath worship when He saw a man who had been in a horrible condition for 38 years. Recounting this experience, Ellen G. White describes Jesus as “walking alone in apparent meditation and prayer” when He saw “one case of supreme wretchedness.”—The Desire of Ages, pp. 201, 202. It was the Sabbath, and Jesus knew that this act of healing would generate significant controversy among the Pharisees. The priests had 39 different regulations governing acceptable work on the Sabbath. These “meaningless requirements” and “senseless restrictions” were an “intolerable burden.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 204. We are told that Jesus “by His words and by His works of mercy . . . was breaking the oppressive power of the old traditions and man-made commandments, and presenting the love of God in its exhaustless fullness”—The Desire of Ages, p. 205.
Seeing his hopelessness, Jesus asked the poor sufferer, “ ‘Wilt thou be made whole?’ ” (John 5:6). It was impossible for the man to make himself whole. By faith he responded to the Savior’s command, “ ‘Rise, take up thy bed, and walk’ ” (John 5:8). New life flowed into every nerve and tissue of his body. Miraculously he was made whole. By faith he accepted Christ’s word and acted upon it. This Sabbath miracle, as each of Jesus’ Sabbath healings, is intimately tied to a deeper spiritual truth. Accepting the Word of God by faith and acting upon it, we are made whole. The point of this Sabbath miracle is that Jesus is both our Creator and our Redeemer. The One who made us can re-create us and make us whole again. He meets us where we are, sees our needs, redeems us by His grace, and turns our despair into hope.
Part III: Life Application
God urged the people of Israel, through the prophet Isaiah, to make a decided reform in their Sabbath-keeping practices. In Isaiah 58:13, 14, He urges, “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 places of the earth” (NKJV). In biblical times, placing your feet on a piece of property was a symbol of ownership. The Sabbath belongs to God. We do not own it. It is His, so He graciously invites us to find our deepest delight and highest pleasure in worshiping Him and blessing others on the Sabbath.
• How can the Sabbath become even more meaningful for you?
• Are there any aspects of your Sabbath keeping that you would like to change?
• In your range of priorities, how important is Sabbath worship to you?
• List at least three specific things you can do to bless others on the Sabbath.
1.
2.
3.
Notes
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Have you ever lost something, but it was in plain sight and you did not see it? Let’s suppose you lost your car keys. You searched all over the house but could not find them. Suddenly you remember. You left them in your jacket pocket hanging in the closet or in your purse on a chair in the kitchen.
God has given us the gift of remembering. What if we did not have that gift? What if the only thing we knew was the present? Life would be terribly complicated. In this week’s lesson, we will return to the subject of the Sabbath and look at it from a different perspective. You will recall that the fourth commandment begins with the word “remember.” None of the other commandments begin that way. Remembering presupposes you have known something before. The Sabbath commandment is a perpetual reminder to the entire world of God’s creative authority. Wherever we are in the world, whether we recognize it or not, the Sabbath comes to all humanity offering its blessings each seventh day.
Throughout Scripture the Sabbath reminds us that Christ made us, redeemed us, delivers us, re-creates us, and is coming again for us. Our lesson this week underscores the fact that in God’s eternal plan, Sabbath is a day of blessing, delight, worship, and service. Especially on Sabbath, as we linger in His presence, participate in corporate worship, and seek Him anew, He re-creates us in His image.
Part II: Commentary
In 2008, there was a fascinating article published, titled “Neurotheology: Are We Hardwired for God?” The article quotes Dean Hamer, a PhD behavioral geneticist. The author of the article, René J. Muller, PhD, states, “In 2004 Hamer published The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired Into Our Genes, which was showcased in a Time cover story on neurotheology. Hamer made it clear that he had approached his work with the tools of natural science: ‘The first task for any scientist attempting to link genetics to spirituality is to show that spirituality can be defined and quantified.’ ” “Hamer’s work is not about demonstrating the existence of God, which is the domain of religion, but about showing that spirituality is a real phenomenon that can be described and measured. . . . Religion, he believes, is rooted in nurture and spirituality in nature.”—“Neurotheology: Are We Hardwired for God?” Psychiatric Times, May 1, 2008, http://psychiatrictimes.com/view/neurotheology-are-we-hardwired-god. Hamer joins a growing number of scientists who believe that we are “hardwired for God.”
In Genesis 1:26, the biblical narrative recounts the creation of human beings. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’ ” (NKJV). Genesis 1:27 continues: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (NKJV).
What does it mean that human beings were created in the image of God? Certainly, it means more than a mere physical resemblance. Both animals and humans procreate. The image of God has to do with the totality of who we are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We have been given conscience, reason, and judgment to make moral and ethical decisions. But most of all, written into our genetic code, in our DNA, at the deepest level, we are beings who worship. The Sabbath fills that aching void in our hearts to reconnect with our Creator. The Sabbath is not some legalistic requirement or an exclusively Jewish institution. The Sabbath is a celebration of the life that Christ has given us. It is a reminder to care for the environment around us that also is the object of our Creator’s care.
The Sabbath and the Environment
When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden, He instructed them to “tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15, NKJV). Adam also was given the privilege of naming all the animals (Gen. 2:19, 20). Our first parents were close to nature in their garden home and were instructed by God to preserve their natural surroundings. The Sabbath was a weekly reminder both of their relationship to God and their environment. Worshiping the Creator also includes caring for His creation. Currently, industrial pollution is destroying our planet. “Toxic pollution affects more than 200 million people worldwide, according to Pure Earth, a nonprofit environmental organization. . . . Americans generate 30 billion foam cups, 220 million tires, and 1.8 billion disposable diapers every year, according to the Green Schools Alliance. . . . Pollution in China can change weather patterns in the United States. It takes just five days for the jet stream to carry heavy air pollution from China to the United States, where it stops clouds from producing rain and snow. About 7 million premature deaths annually are linked to air pollution, according to [the World Health Organization]. That is one in eight deaths worldwide.”—Alina Bradford, “Pollution Facts and Types of Pollution,” Live Science, February 28, 2018, http://livescience.com/22728-pollution-facts.html. The Sabbath is a clarion call to care for God’s creation.
The Sabbath and Deliverance
When Moses restates the Sabbath command to a new generation just about ready to enter the Promised Land, he begins, “ ‘ “Observe the Sabbath day” ’ ” and concludes with “ ‘ “and remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day” ’ ” (Deut. 5:12, 15, NKJV). The Sabbath is a sign of deliverance. The Israelites were held in bondage to the Egyptians for centuries. Miraculously, God delivered them. They did not deliver themselves. God delivered them by His “mighty hand.” The Sabbath is a reminder of the power of God to deliver us out of any situation.
At Creation, God spoke, and our world came into existence. God’s Word is an all-powerful, creative, life-changing Word. The Sabbath is a weekly reminder that there is nothing impossible for God. Since He created the world with His Word, He can re-create our hearts. Since He brought light out of darkness, He can lighten our darkened minds. Since He spoke, and fruit trees appeared with their ripe, delicious fruits, He can produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Since He breathed life into Adam, He can breathe new life into our lives. Romans 6:1–7 speaks of the new life that Christ gives us as we voluntarily die to the old life as manifested in the ceremony of baptism. There is a direct linkage between the original life God created in Eden and the newness of life that occurs when God re-creates our hearts. In the beginning, God created life, and once again He makes our lives new. The Sabbath is a symbol of Creation and God’s new creation.
The Sabbath as a Symbol of Refreshing and Blessing
God designed the Sabbath for all humanity. Its refreshing blessing, according to Scripture, is for each one of us (Exod. 23:12). The blessings of the Sabbath are not exclusively for the Jews. According to the Old Testament, they are for every person. The Sabbath not only is a day of worship but also a day to bless others. Jesus performed more healing miracles on the Sabbath day than on any other day. For Jesus, the Sabbath was a day to touch others with His healing grace.
Consider the case of the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda, located in Jerusalem, just inside the Sheep Gate. Bethesda means “house of mercy,” or “house of grace.” Evidently, Jesus was on His way to Sabbath worship when He saw a man who had been in a horrible condition for 38 years. Recounting this experience, Ellen G. White describes Jesus as “walking alone in apparent meditation and prayer” when He saw “one case of supreme wretchedness.”—The Desire of Ages, pp. 201, 202. It was the Sabbath, and Jesus knew that this act of healing would generate significant controversy among the Pharisees. The priests had 39 different regulations governing acceptable work on the Sabbath. These “meaningless requirements” and “senseless restrictions” were an “intolerable burden.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 204. We are told that Jesus “by His words and by His works of mercy . . . was breaking the oppressive power of the old traditions and man-made commandments, and presenting the love of God in its exhaustless fullness”—The Desire of Ages, p. 205.
Seeing his hopelessness, Jesus asked the poor sufferer, “ ‘Wilt thou be made whole?’ ” (John 5:6). It was impossible for the man to make himself whole. By faith he responded to the Savior’s command, “ ‘Rise, take up thy bed, and walk’ ” (John 5:8). New life flowed into every nerve and tissue of his body. Miraculously he was made whole. By faith he accepted Christ’s word and acted upon it. This Sabbath miracle, as each of Jesus’ Sabbath healings, is intimately tied to a deeper spiritual truth. Accepting the Word of God by faith and acting upon it, we are made whole. The point of this Sabbath miracle is that Jesus is both our Creator and our Redeemer. The One who made us can re-create us and make us whole again. He meets us where we are, sees our needs, redeems us by His grace, and turns our despair into hope.
Part III: Life Application
God urged the people of Israel, through the prophet Isaiah, to make a decided reform in their Sabbath-keeping practices. In Isaiah 58:13, 14, He urges, “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 places of the earth” (NKJV). In biblical times, placing your feet on a piece of property was a symbol of ownership. The Sabbath belongs to God. We do not own it. It is His, so He graciously invites us to find our deepest delight and highest pleasure in worshiping Him and blessing others on the Sabbath.
• How can the Sabbath become even more meaningful for you?
• Are there any aspects of your Sabbath keeping that you would like to change?
• In your range of priorities, how important is Sabbath worship to you?
• List at least three specific things you can do to bless others on the Sabbath.
1.
2.
3.
Notes