SCRIPTURE REFERENCES » Exodus 20

Mar 13
25

This Week’s Catechism – WSC #62

Doctrinal Standard #62

  • Q. What are the reasons for the fourth commandment?
  • A. The reasons for the fourth commandment are these: God allows us six days of the week to take care of our own affairs; He claims the seventh day as His own; He set the example; and He blesses the Sabbath.

Memory Verses

  • “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9,ESV).

Scripture

  • Study Passage: Exodus 20:8-11
  • Support Passages: Deuteronomy -15, Genesis 2:2-3; John 20-21; Hebrews 4
  • Bible Story: John 20:11-18

Thoughts

  • Prior to the giving of the Law, we find the first Sabbath established by God. In six days God created and on the seventh day he rested. God had provided an example and established a pattern of life that mankind should follow.
  • Not only did God model the Sabbath principal for mankind to live out each week, he also uses the Sabbath as tactile lesson that teaches us about Christ, eternity, and the great love he has for us. For six days we are to toil, sweat, and battle with the temporal, mundane, sinful thing of this world.  God has given us one day to free and release us of these obligations. In other words, the Sabbath is to give us a “taste” of eternity in paradise. It’s that sense of joy and freedom at the end of the work week that Sabbath serves as a reminder of what eternity awaits but much more magnificent. If we are not intentional we can easily miss this great blessing and miss the opportunity to teach our children through the very day that the Lord provided.
  • Another unique aspect about the Sabbath is that the Lord has only partially fulfilled this feast of the Lord. The atonement of Jesus Christ fulfilled the Sabbath in that we have rest from our work to gain righteousness before God but we have not fully entered into his eternal rest. While we are righteous and forgiven of our sins we still have a sin nature. We are still called to put away the sin in our lives. We still have work to be done in our sanctification. Therefore, we have not fully entered into the Sabbath rest which Jesus has paid in full. Once the new kingdom of our Lord is consummated, we will then enter into the full Sabbath rest that Jesus has provided.
  • Hebrews chapter 4 is a good chapter on this topic.

Discussion Questions

  • How many days did God give us to do work? How many days to rest and worship?
  • When was the first Sabbath practiced?
  • What does the Sabbath give us a glimpse of?
  • How has Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath?
  • How has the Sabbath not been fulfilled?  When will it all be fulfilled?
  • Read Hebrews 4 and discuss what you observe.
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Posted in Devotional Thoughts, Law, Lord's Day, Sabbath, Westminster Shorter Catechism, Family Devotional Guidelines, Phil Anady, Exodus 20, Hebrews 4, John 20, Posted by Phil. No Comments

Mar 13
4

Catechism Insight – Doctrinal Standard WSC #57

Doctrinal Standard #57

  • Q. What is the fourth commandment?
  • A. The fourth commandment is: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Memory Verses

  • “And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27–28,ESV).

Scripture

  • Study Passage: Exodus 31:12-18
  • Support Passages: Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Hebrews 4:1-10; Ezekiel 20:10-13; Genesis 2:1-3; Isaiah 58:13-14; Jeremiah 17:19-27; Matthew 12:1-14
  • Bible Story: Matthew 12:1-14

Thoughts

  • There is some debate and confusion over the Sabbath and its place in the Christian’s life. Lord willing, within the next couple months, there will be a couple sermons dedicated to studying and presenting the biblical view of the Sabbath and how it applies to Christians.
  • The catechism insists and the scriptures support that the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath is a moral law. There are a couple reasons for this conclusion. “(1) The first reason is that the Sabbath is a creation ordinance. This means that this commandment did not come in at some later time in history, after many people had already lived and died. (We note that this was the case with the civil and ceremonial laws of Israel.) We know this because Genesis 2:2-3 clearly states the fact that God created the world in the space of six days, and then rested. Since man was made in God’s image, it was for man’s benefit that God ‘blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it’ (Gen. 2:3). It is sometimes said that the Sabbath commandment does not go back to the time of creation. Yet the commandment itself (Ex. 20:11) says that we are to remember the Sabbath because ‘in six days the Lord made heaven and earth… and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.’ The commandment itself claims a creation origin. Therefore, we hold that it is binding for all men in all ages. (2) The second reason for saying that this commandment is moral is the fact that God wrote all Ten Commandments on two tables of stone (Ex. 31:18). God gave all the other laws and commandments to Israel through the hand of Moses. But these ten were given by His own hand. So God himself made a distinction between these Ten Commandments and all other laws. He showed us that these ten belong in a class by themselves. Since few will deny that most of these laws are moral (Binding everyone everywhere), it would require very strong evidence to prove that this commandment is not moral. This we do not have. (3) The third reason for saying that this commandment is moral is the fact that the New Testament nowhere teaches us that this commandment is abrogated. Or, in other words, the New Testament does not say that we have no Sabbath today. Jesus, speaking of the Ten Commandments, said, ‘Think not that I am come to destroy [or abrogate] the law… I am not’ (Matt. 5:17). Paul says, ‘Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law’ (Rom. 3:31). This is the constant teaching of the New Testament: the Ten Commandments of God do remain in effect. No doubt this is the reason why the early Christians Church kept a day holy to the Lord. It was the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2) which was observed as the Sabbath.” [1]

Discussion Questions

  • Read the 4th commandment from both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. What two things does the Sabbath require?
  • Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Jesus seems to suggest that the Sabbath is a gift to mankind. Discuss your thoughts.
  • What are three biblical reasons why the Sabbath still applies to Christians? (Refer to thoughts section).

[1] Williamson, C.I. (2003). The Westminster Shorter Catechism – 2nd Edition. Phillipsburg, New Jersey, USA; P&R Publishing Company.

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Posted in Devotional Thoughts, 4th Commandment, C.I. Williamson, Creation, Law, Lord's Day, Sabbath, Westminster Shorter Catechism, Family Devotional Guidelines, Phil Anady, Exodus 20, Exodus 31, Mark 2, Matthew 12, Posted by Phil. No Comments

Dec 12
31

Catechism Insight – Doctrinal Standard WSC #43 & 44

Doctrinal Standard #43 & 44

  • Q. What introduces the Ten Commandments?
  • A. These words introduce the Ten Commandments: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
  • Q. What does the introduction to the Ten Commandments teach us?
  • A. The introduction to the Ten Commandments teaches us that, because God is Lord and is our God and redeemer, we must keep all His commandments.

Memory Verses

  • “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (Exodus 20:2, ESV).
  • “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities (Amos 3:2, ESV).

Scripture

  • Study Passage: Amos 1-3
  • Support Passages: Isaiah 40:18-31, Malachi 3:6, I Samuel 8:10-22, II Chronicles 7:14
  • Bible Story: 1 Samuel 5

Thoughts

  • The introduction of the Ten Commandments reminds the Israelites and all believers that the Ten Commandments were given to God’s people after they were delivered from bondage in Egypt. Viewing this from a redemptive historical approach, this is rather significant. Prior to the giving of the Ten Commandments, God manifested his attributes and mission as redeemer in a real tangible way by miraculously freeing His people from Egypt. He reminds His people of this before giving them a Law that, in much the same way, will enslave people to sin requiring the redemptive work of God. Not in a physical sense, as in the land of Egypt, but rather in the spiritual realm requiring the blood and perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.
  • Whenever talking about the Law of God, I find it important to clarify the various uses of the Law. God’s Law has a “pedagogical use (usus elenchticus sive paedagogicus), it shows people their sin and points them to mercy and grace outside of themselves” (Lems). It is this use that I’m referring to when I say that God’s law enslaves all mankind. God’s Law also has a “normative use (usus didacticus sive normativus). Which means this use of the law is for those who trust in Christ and have been saved through faith apart from works” (Lems) The law cannot save people because they are unable to keep it. But God’s law does direct the behaviors of those who are part of the family of God. The law is what helps guide believers in becoming holy as God is holy. The commands of the Lord are an essential part in the sanctification process of a believer. The law also has a “civil use (usus polititcus sive civilis). That is, the law serves the commonwealth or body politic as a force to restrain sin. This falls under the general revelation discussion in most of the scholastics as well as natural law (cf. Rom 1-2)” (Lems). [1]
  • God has prefaced His Ten Commandments to remind His people that He is LORD – control and sovereign over all and as redeemer to teach his people that they are completely dependent upon him for everything.

Discussion Questions

  • What major event (story) took place before the Ten Commandments were given.
  • Why did the Israelites need a redeemer from Egypt?
  • Why do we need a redeemer from the commands of God?
  • What are the three nouns used to describe God in doctrinal standard #34?
  • What does it mean that God is LORD? Because of this why should we obey Him?
  • What does it mean that God is God?  Because of this why should we obey Him?

 

 

 

 


[1] Lems, Shane. Three Uses of The Law, Reformedreader.com

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Posted in Devotional Thoughts, Reformed Reader, Ten Commandments, Three Uses of the Law, Westminster Shorter Catechism, Family Devotional Guidelines, Phil Anady, 1 Samuel 5, Amos 1-3, Exodus 20, Posted by Phil. No Comments


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