The Sabbath Reality: A Different Perspective
by Robin Todd
“Some of us within the Sabbatarian community are fond of admonishing others to examine and sometimes set aside preconceived notions gleaned from religious tradition. Now I am asking you who debate over the Sabbath issue to step out of your preconceived notions of orthodoxy and hear yet another voice on this important topic. Dare to think outside the box and still be true to the Scriptures. When we approach the subject of the Sabbath as if it were a piece of the puzzle of life, we miss its profound significance. Indeed, when presented as something “instituted” at creation, or “commanded” at Sinai, what the Sabbath symbolizes becomes merely a part of the whole and is thereby unintentionally minimized. So, let’s start from a different position—that is, that the Sabbath symbolizes the foundational reality of God. When seen as the whole itself—as the reality—God illuminates in us his purposes.
Although God created the physical universe as we know it in six days, that creation turns out to be only the stage on which his spiritual reality is played out. When he sanctified that seventh day (with no recorded “evening and morning”), he was weaving his spiritual reality of REST into the very fabric of the created order. Put another way, that which was sanctified and blessed (the greater) was superimposed over the creative result of his labor (the lesser). The rest in which God dwells focuses our attention on God as Creator only secondarily. Primarily, it brings a God who rests into view. Rest is the main thing; it is his reality for you and me—the basis for our relationship with him. Physical creation, as wondrous as it is in declaring the majesty of God, is external. Rest is internal—indicated by its sanctification and its spiritually metaphorical link to our belief system (Hebrews, chapter 4). With that established, let’s continue…”
(This article is an excerpt from the Sept-Oct 2002 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)
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The Sabbath Sentinel 