Do Sabbatarians Have a Documented History in the U.S. before 1800?

by Joe Bellefeuille

 

Yes, Sabbatarians have a long and rich history in the United States. There are written records of sabbatarians in Rhode Island going back to the 1670’s. In my brief survey of early American sabbatarians, I have found evidence of sabbatarians in ten of the thirteen colonies and references to 31 sabbatarian congregations/groups in nine of the colonies.

 

In order to share some of this surprising information in an organized format, this article is divided into the following categories:

1. Questions & Answers
2. A list of 31 known pre-1800 congregations/groups
3. A list of some family surnames of early Sabbatarians
4. Bibliography of sources consulted

 

1. Questions & Answers

Who was the earliest known American sabbatarian?

• Stephen Mumford. He came from England to Newport, Rhode Island in 1664. (Gaustad’s New Historical Atlas of Religion in America on page 3 mentions colonial records of Connecticut that state there were “four or five seventh day men” there in 1670. Unfortunately, the reference does not identify who they were, when they originally arrived, or where they lived.)

 

Where was the first known American sabbatarian congregation?…
(this article is an excerpt from the March-April 2006 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)

 

To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 14, click this link: http://biblesabbath.org/tss/518/tss_518.pdf

Sabbath Meditation #3 – The Failure of Human Effort

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

“Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none” (Ex. 16:26).

“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” (Ex.  20:9-10).

God did mighty signs and wonders for the Israelites to bring them out of Egypt. He even parted the Red Sea. God’s people walked across on dry ground and were delivered from Pharaoh’s army. After this series of incredible events, God performed another miracle for them. He gave them manna from heaven.

This manna served as food, but it had a greater purpose. The people were asked to gather one portion of manna for five days and then twice as much on the sixth day. On the seventh day, the people were asked to gather none. God used the manna to reveal to them which day of the week was the Sabbath. The Egyptians used a 10-day work week, so God had to restore Israel to His sacred rhythm. However, there is an even deeper lesson to be learned through this event.

Manna was how God provided for their physical needs. However, no amount of gathering manna on the Sabbath could please God – and no amount of gathering would satisfy human needs. Only the manna saved up from the sixth day was important for physical needs. In a similar fashion, we read in Exodus that we are commanded to work for six days and then rest on the seventh day.

As I ponder these details, it reminds me that my human effort alone will always fall short. It reminds me that where I fall short God’s completed work is so much greater. He will pick up the difference for my failure in a way that is so much greater than anything work could ever accomplish.

When I meditate on this understanding further, I also consider the specific areas in which I fall short. As I have honored the Sabbath over the years, I have learned more and more to surrender my failures to God and ask for His supernatural strength to overcome. I realize that the Sabbath is the time for me to give up trying to figure it out on my own. I need to let Him work it out.

What God can accomplish on the seventh day is so much greater than what my work can accomplish in the previous six days. The dominion given to humans in Genesis will fall short. Trying to carry my work or dominion over into the seventh day will not accomplish anything; I just need to give it up and over to Him.

Lastly, I have come to appreciate grace and salvation more as I honor the Sabbath. Because I am weekly reminded of the failure of human effort, I see how God’s grace is so needed. I appreciate it so much more each Sabbath that comes and goes.

The Sabbath is the way to acknowledge that the Creator’s rest of one day can do more in us than what our own human effort can accomplish in six days. I look up to Heaven so much more now that I understand His Sabbath rest, and I acknowledge that His work is so much greater than mine. With all this in mind, meditate on the following verses:

“1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2)

Truly, there is something available for us in the Sabbath rest that cannot be gained by physical work or labor.

We will explore this more in our next Sabbath meditation.

Selah.

 Kelly McDonald, Jr.; BSA President

www.biblesabbath.org

 

 

 

 

 

What is the Meaning of Hebrews 10:1-4?

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

Hebrews 10:1-4

“1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” (KJV)

Among the more misunderstood passages in the Bible is Hebrews 10:1-4. Some say that these verses declare the entire law of God, including the Ten Commandments, to be a shadow that is no longer relevant. However, a deeper understanding of the Bible will give us a more accurate point of view.

First of all, it is important that we correctly understand the word LAW. The Greek word translated as LAW is NOMOS. It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word TORAH. The term LAW in the Bible can be specific OR generic; the context matters!

The term Law (as well as Nomos or Torah) is a generic word meaning teaching and instruction. Thus, it can refer to anything in the Bible that is instruction. It can also refer to specific sections of the Bible that contain teaching and instruction. I have some examples below.

Jesus quoted the Psalms in John 15:25 and called it LAW. “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law [NOMOS], ‘They hated me without a cause.’” This quote is found in Psalms 35:19, 69:4. Paul used the term law when he quoted from the book of Isaiah. “In the law [NOMOS] it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:21). This is a quote from Isaiah 28:11, 33:19.

The term law can also be specific. In this usage, it refers to instructions given to specific people for a specific application. Many specific laws refer to the Aaronic priesthood and sacrifices. I have listed a few examples below:

Leviticus 6:9
“Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law [TORAH] of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.”

Leviticus 6:14
“And this is the law [TORAH] of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.”

Leviticus 6:25
“Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is law [TORAH]of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD: it is most holy.”

 Leviticus 7:37
This is the law [TORAH] of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings;

These are just a few of many examples we could use. At the end of Leviticus chapter 7, God closes out the preceding chapters by saying “THIS is the LAW of…”. This signifies that He listed specific laws for the priesthood and sacrifices. With this understanding, let us examine the verses in question a second time.

Hebrews 10:1-4
“1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” (KJV)

The context gives us how we should apply the term law in this specific passage. Notice how often the term sacrifice is used in these four verses.  Also, bulls and goats are specifically mentioned.  The author mentions “…the very image of the things”. The Greek word translated as image is eikon, and it is where we derive the English word icon. In other words, bulls and goats are not in the image of the perfect sacrifice they represented; they are shadows.

Just a few verses later, the writer states: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Christ is the image of God; He also came bearing the likeness of mankind (Col. 1:15, Phil. 2:7). He is not a shadow – He is the real thing!

Thus, Hebrews 10:1-4 is plainly referring to the specific law of sacrifice. The Ten Commandments are not shadows; to say so is denying eternal truths. Those who say the Ten Commandments are shadows have not thought out the implications of such reasoning. For instance, consider the first commandment. Is worshiping only the True God a shadow? Absolutely NOT! God’s commandments are eternal truths that will never fade away.

As you read the New Testament, be aware that some references to LAW are generic and others are specific. It takes a careful study of the Word of God and discernment from God’s Spirit to know the difference. 2 Tim. 2:15.

Kelly McDonald, Jr. – BSA President www.biblesabbath.org

The Land Sabbath in Modern Israel

by Doug Ward, Ph.D.

 

“Rest can be hard to come by in twenty-first century Western societies. With so much to do, it is all too easy for us to become enslaved to our busy schedules. The Bible gives indications that our Creator did not intend for us to live such restless and hurried lives. In Genesis 2:1-3 we read that God rested on the seventh day of the creation week, setting an example for mankind. Later, in proclaiming the Decalogue from Mt. Sinai, God reminded the children of Israel of that example

(Exod. 20:8-11).
The weekly Sabbath is one of the foundations of the Torah, God’s wise and loving instruction for his people. The Torah also makes provision for the land of Israel to “rest” every seven years (see Exod. 23:10-11; Lev. 25:1-7). In a sabbatical year (known in Jewish tradition as a “shemittah year,” from a Hebrew word in Exod. 23:11 that means “let drop”), farmers are not to plant seed, prune their trees, or harvest crops. For that year the land becomes public property, and people may take what grows by itself according to their needs. The seventh year is also a time for cancellation of debts (Deut. 15:1-2) and release of indentured servants (Deut.  15:12-18).
The sabbatical commandments of the Torah are designed to maintain and strengthen the relationship between God and his people….”
(this article is an excerpt from the May-June 2005 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)

 

To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 4, click this link: http://biblesabbath.org/tss/513/tss_513.pdf

Laying Down Your Burdens for Sabbath

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

In Jeremiah 17:19-27, God spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah to correct the people of Judah. The people at that time were working on the Sabbath and carrying heavy loads through the gates of Jerusalem. We know that God was speaking to the people of Judah on a literal level. He wanted them to completely obey the Sabbath, which includes abstaining from work.

However, we know that physical burdens can have a figurative connotation to it. Paul wrote: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). The Greek word translated as ‘burdens’ refers to something that is heavy.

In the figurative sense, a burden is anything that weighs on your mind and thoughts. It involves pressure, expectations, and stress. Burdens distract us from focusing on the task at hand. Some people are burdened about a situation at work. Others may be hindered by difficult financial circumstances. Those attending school (of all ages, including college), may be weighed down mentally by an important assignment or a test coming up. There can be family problems involving parents, children, or grandchildren.  Of course, national and international events can also keep us mentally occupied.

We all have mental burdens. These can cause us to exert emotional energy. Moreover, they can cause physical fatigue. As a result, burdens can easily distract us from Sabbath observance. During the week,w e pick up these burdens because we might have to take a test at school, deal with a difficult situation or address certain people. However, the Sabbath is the time to lay down them down.

In our fast-paced world, it is imperative that we slow down, recognize these burdens and put them down before we enter into the Sabbath rest. It will take time and practice to put this concept into its full use.

Here is how I began to implement this notion: I took 15-30 minutes before Sabbath started to sit down and take a deep breath. I recognized my burdens and let them go; I prayed and asked God to help me put them down. It took me time to hone this discipline, but it has produced results.  Over time, I have noticed myself not picking up those burdens during the Sabbath and even after the Sabbath ends. I have also noticed God working out things that are beyond my control.

Many times worry involves concern about things that have yet to happen. There are things in life that we can control and things we cannot control. Often, our burdens come from things that we cannot control. Often there’s nothing we can do to resolve these issues on Sabbath. The Sabbath teaches us every week to put burdens in God’s hands. He is the Master; He has mastery over things that frustrate us.

Through Christ, learn to take authority over the mountain of your burden and tell it that it cannot come with you into the Sabbath.

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (I Peter 5:7, KJV)

“29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30, KJV)

His burden is light. Lay down your burdens and let the Sabbath become a delight!

 

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

BSA President

www.biblesabbath.org