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Seven Prohibitions
Every time one of God’s people goes to a restaurant on the Sabbath or holy day, he or she is transgressing numerous aspects of the fourth commandment. Consider what God specifically prohibited His people from doing on this day.
You shall not acquire food on the Sabbath.
God actually rebuked the Israelites when they attempted to engage in this practice. His exact words were, “How long refuse you to keep my commandments and my laws?” (Ex. 16:26-28) He uttered them after the Israelites went out to gather food (manna) on the Sabbath.
You shall not prepare food on the Sabbath.
God specifically instructed the Israelites to do their meal preparation on the sixth day (Ex. 16:23). Furthermore, at no time did He suggest that they could commission others to prepare it for them on the Sabbath. He actually indicated that the preparation day was given to “prove” the Israelites and to test their obedience (Ex. 16:4).
You shall not go outside your place on the Sabbath.
God revealed this specific aspect of His command because the Israelites went outside the camp to obtain food on the Sabbath (Ex. 16:29). Furthermore, God was furious with this practice and He made that fact abundantly clear.
At this point, it is interesting to note that the only way God’s people today can avail themselves of a restaurant on the Sabbath is to go outside of “their place.” They must literally go out into the world where God’s Sabbath is being profaned and avail themselves of this sin. Despite this fact, many believe God somehow condones this practice.
You shall not labor on the Sabbath.
God first addressed the issue of work on the Sabbath when He made the seventh day. At that time, the Great Creator of heaven and earth rested from His labor (Gen. 2:2-3). Later, when giving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, God made reference to this rest. Through the Sabbath commandment, God is declaring that our lives should be like His. Labor should not be a part of this day – directly or indirectly.
Additionally, God knew that there were only two broad sources of labor – the work you perform, and the work that is performed for you. The fourth commandment addresses both types. First, you shall not do any work on the Sabbath. That addresses your part. Secondly, no one who comes into your sphere of influence shall be compelled to labor on your behalf. This includes family, servants, strangers, and even livestock. That part addresses everybody else His people would come in contact with on the Sabbath. Everyone else on earth is outside the camp and God already forbid His people to go there (Ex. 16:29).
When God gave the fourth commandment, His intent was very clear: work profanes the day He consecrated – to engage in such a practice is to desecrate that which is sacred (Ex. 20:8-11).
You shall not direct a servant to labor on the Sabbath.
God’s plan for man is that he will ultimately be free from the tyranny of ignorance and sin. The Sabbath pictures that freedom. It is not by accident that when giving the fourth commandment, God reminded His people that they were once slaves in Egypt (Dt. 5:15). It is for this very reason that every Sabbath God’s people are to be liberators. In other words, they are to declare everyone they come in contact with FREE. Nowhere in the commandment does it remotely hint that God condones His people going back into “Egypt” to avail themselves of the very sin they were once a part of (Dt. 5:14-15). The Sabbath is about liberty, not slavery.
You shall not direct an unbeliever to work on the Sabbath.
Whether one is a believer or a skeptic, bond or free, rich or poor, young or old, God’s people are not to allow them to labor on their behalf on His day.
Those who are ignorant of God’s law may not understand why the faithful would be so considerate of them. But God’s people do understand. By releasing the unbeliever from labor on the Sabbath, they are acting out what their King will ultimately do when He returns to earth.
You shall not buy or sell on the Sabbath.
Throughout history, there has been an inextricable link between money and labor. Furthermore, God is very much aware of this link. For this reason, He inspired both Nehemiah’s words and his actions when dealing with the issue of buying and selling on the Sabbath.
If the Israelites during the days of Moses had honored God’s Sabbath as it was revealed to them, there would never have been a reason for buying and selling – and this would not have been an issue to Nehemiah or to God’s church today. Regrettably, that did not happen.
When Nehemiah commanded the Jews to refrain from buying and selling on the Sabbath, he was not introducing a new aspect to the fourth commandment. He was reminding God’s people of where this sin can lead – CAPTIVITY (Neh. 13:15-21). That one word should carry an enormous weight with God’s church today. The Great Law Giver was not bluffing when He indicted the nations of Israel and Judah for profaning the Sabbath. History bears out this painful truth.
T here are those who believe the scriptures can be somewhat misleading with respect to God’s instructions concerning proper Sabbath observance. These “believers” argue that God’s law must be understood in the context of the entire Bible. Although this is true, it also brings with it considerable risk. For example: many professing Christians manipulate the scriptures in an attempt to accommodate pre-conceived ideas about what God is saying in His word. As a result, man has concocted an endless array of beliefs. Sadly, this practice has even raised its ugly head within God’s church.
Nowhere is this fact more evident than in the church’s understanding of the fourth commandment – specifically the issue of going to restaurants on the Sabbath. Although the Bible clearly prohibits this practice, many of God’s people, including its leaders, believe it is permissible. They justify this practice by employing semantical arguments when applying God’s word in their lives. In essence, they re-write God’s law to accommodate their actions.
The following are seven examples of how the original command is modified in the minds of many in the church today. These modifications expand the commandment to accommodate the belief that God approves of going to restaurants on His Sabbath. And although those who engage in this practice may not literally desire to change the wording of the command, they most definitely alter its meaning by their behavior.
These modifications are intended to illustrate how radical certain beliefs are. This is done by expressing how they would look if God Himself actually stated them. As you read each example ask yourself if the amended command is really what God intended when He Gave the fourth commandment.
Example I: A Matter of Personal Labor
Surprisingly, there are many in God’s church today who believe the fourth commandment is limited in scope. In other words, although it prohibits His people from engaging in labor, it does not prohibit them from orchestrating the labor of others for their benefit. As a result of this thinking, many contend that when God gave His law regarding the Sabbath, He intentionally made provisions for His people to be the beneficiary of the labor of others, under certain conditions. Furthermore, they contend that going to a restaurant on the Sabbath is such an condition.
Although many may write the amended command differently with respect to style, those who go to restaurants on the Sabbath concur with the substance of this modified rendering of God’s law. The question is: do you? Ask yourself: do these words really sound like they express the wisdom of the Holy One of Israel? Was it God’s intent to simply shield His people from profaning the day He set apart? Or was He expressing a greater eternal truth about His Kingdom?
Today, all too many in God’s church advance an endless stream of technical arguments in an attempt to circumvent God’s law. But in the final analysis, God’s word is clear. When He told his people they were not to work on the Sabbath, He was declaring that labor profanes the day He made HOLY! Even God Himself ceased from His labor on this day. Does anyone sincerely believe He would avail Himself of the labor of someone else?
The point God was making when He uttered the fourth commandment was that Israel was not to be a party to profane work in any way, shape, or form on this day unless it specifically related to a Levitical duty (Mt. 12:1-5). Going to a restaurant on the Sabbath is not such a duty. It is a pleasure that God’s law prohibits.
Example II: A Matter of Children
This amended command is intended to illustrate where semantical arguments can lead. Those who try to affix a very narrow interpretation of God’s commandments do so in order to broaden the path they wish to take. In other words, many conclude: “the Bible only mentions ‘my servants’, ‘my family,’ and ‘my livestock.’ It doesn’t mention those that belong to someone else. Therefore, I can do anything I wish with that which is not mine.”
At this point it, is important to understand that when God gave His Great Moral Code, it was to provide the Israelites with His perfect wisdom as well as His desire for all mankind. One only has to consider what the world will look like when Jesus Christ returns in power and glory to understand this truth. At that time, all will honor His law the way He intends. Where do you think dining out on the Sabbath will fit in that Kingdom? The point is that God never intended for His people to look for loopholes in His commandments. Ultimately, when He dispenses His judgment, we will understand this truth. At that time, all will know that there are no loopholes.
Example III: The Treatment of Servants
Perhaps the most popular argument advanced by people attempting to justify going to restaurants on the Sabbath is that those working in the restaurant are not their servant – and the command only refers to “your servant.” Therefore, the amended command must be in keeping with God’s intent. If you believe this is how God thinks, try it out on the 10th commandment. This thinking fails to understand God’s purpose for commanding the Israelites to free their servants from labor on the Sabbath. That purpose was powerfully conveyed by God when He gave the original command. The Great Law Giver told the Israelites, and He tells His people today, “You were once a servant in the land of Egypt” (Dt. 5:15).
The question God’s people today should ask themselves is: Would God want me to go back into spiritual Egypt and avail myself of the same bondage I was once in? The answer should be obvious.
Example IV: The Treatment of Animals
It is doubtful that any true child of God would advance the argument that certain animals could be forced to labor on the Sabbath while other animals are exempt from labor. However, for those who believe it is appropriate to go to restaurants on the Sabbath, this amended command must ring true. After all, why would God extend more mercy to an animal than He would to a person created in His own image?
Example V: The Treatment of Strangers
Those who dine out on God’s Sabbath have argued that although the server at a restaurant is an unbeliever (“stranger”), God permits His people to avail themselves of his or her labor because the “stranger” in this case is not under the believer’s authority. In other words, the “stranger” is not “within the gates” of the believer. But is this really true? Does the believer possess no authority over the restaurant employee? This question can be answered with the following illustration: Imagine you are at a restaurant and the service is horrible. The meals are prepared incorrectly and the server in totally unresponsive to you and your guests. When you politely informed him of your concern over the level of service, he responds, “You can’t talk to me like that! I don’t work for you!” Would you honestly agree with his assessment?
The belief that restaurant employees are not under your authority is simply not true. But even if it was, does it make any difference to God? When it comes to the treatment of a “stranger” or brother on the Sabbath, God’s people are not to involve themselves in labor, directly or otherwise.
Perhaps the most important facet of God’s command with respect to the treatment of “strangers” is that God’s people were once “strangers” themselves. However, He delivered them out of the bondage of ignorance and sin into the liberty of His truth. It is a HUGE mistake to think that God would somehow permit His people to return to the world they were delivered from simply to benefit from its sin.
Example VI: Buying and Selling
Some leaders in God’s church today contend that Nehemiah’s indictment of buying and selling on the Sabbath was limited to the scope of purchases being made. According to their reasoning, the Jews in Jerusalem were going into the open market for the entire day and purchasing provisions for their homes. These provisions would last for several days and even longer in many cases. This would be tantamount to buying several hundred dollars worth of groceries today as well as performing other errands. As a result, the entire day was spent in activities totally unrelated to the Sabbath. The assumption here is that it is acceptable with God if only an hour or two are spent in activities totally unrelated to the Sabbath.
These leaders argue that Nehemiah would never have addressed this issue if God’s people invested a more abbreviated period of time doing family errands or some other activity. Furthermore, they contend that sharing a meal with brethren at a restaurant does not distract God’s people from the Sabbath, it actually keeps them connected to this day.
However, this reasoning represents a massive leap in logic. Nowhere does Nehemiah mention the length of this activity (buying and selling) as an issue, but rather the activity itself. Notice that Nehemiah was not attempting to restrict this practice, he was attempting to eliminate it altogether. It is true that God’s people may have spent the entire day purchasing goods and services, but that ignores a bigger question: why were they there at all? Nehemiah’s remedy was designed to address the latter.
The big question God’s people should ask themselves is this: Why would God allow His people to procure ANY food on His Sabbath when He actually prohibited the children of Israel from doing such a thing when they wandered in the Sinai desert (Ex. 16:16-25)?
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