Not Because of Egypt – The Sabbath Part 2
People tend to use the following passage to argue that the Sabbath was only given to the Jews and therefore doesn’t have to be kept by those who are under the new covenant:
“Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.” – Deuteronomy 5:12-15 KJV
Indeed, this passage makes it known that the Israelites were delivered from Pharaoh, but nowhere does it say that the Sabbath was only given to them as a sign to remember their deliverance. Granted, it does say, “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.” (v. 15). Nevertheless, it could be said that it was worded this way to remind them that it wasn’t just any god who delivered them; rather, it was the Living God who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, who delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh. This makes perfect sense too, because the observance of this command demarcated the difference between those who identified with and worshiped the true God, who created the heavens and the earth, and those who worshiped false gods.
What this essentially means then is that the Sabbath was given to them because God took possession of them. In other words, it wasn’t created at that moment because they were set free and God wanted to give them a day of rest to commemorate what He did for them. Rather, it was given to them because God claimed them as His own. And by them keeping the Sabbath day holy they would acknowledge His authority over their lives. After all, if they were to live under the rule of His government they would be required to obey His laws.
Moreover, because the Sabbath command identifies the Creator it was fitting for them to have received it because in keeping it they would remember where they came from. You see, God not only wanted them to know that He was their Deliverer; He also wanted them to remember their roots, which is why He expected them to keep the Sabbath day holy.
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” – Exodus 20:8-11 KJV
Note: because the Sabbath day was given to them that means it already existed. Hence the Sabbath day wasn’t created because the Jews were set free from being slaves to Pharaoh; it was created because God rested in it and made it holy and separate from every other day.
If it was created as a result of God delivering them from the hand of Pharaoh then those who point to this passage for support in rejecting the command would have a valid argument. But because it was created as a result of God resting on the seventh day and making it holy long before the Jews came to be, it can’t be used for this purpose. That is, it can’t be used as proof to support the idea that the Sabbath command doesn’t apply to Gentiles.
Please click on the link below to read part 3 of this series.