COME AS A CHILD LESSON 142 - THE SEAL OF GOD FOUND IN THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

SET ME AS A SEAL UPON YOUR HEART

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Moses and God are still out there on the mountain talking about the ten best ways to live.  There is a lot to say, and it is taking quite a while to discuss things!  Amidst the thunder and lightning and smoke God is now bellowing out the fourth commandment:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all of 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 male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.  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.”  (Exodus 20:8-11)

Do you realize that the Sabbath commandment is a commandment that confirms God’s mark and seal upon His people?

A “seal” is an official stamp that claims something for a specifically described owner.  In ancient times whenever a ruler made a law it was written down by an official on paper, and it was placed inside an envelope with the seal of the ruler melted and waxed over the edge of the envelope.  The seal would usually be made by the use of a signet ring dipped in hot wax and stamped over the flap sealing the envelope.  It would dry and harden and that way no one but the intended person would be able to open the message.  The wax would make a distinctive impression on the outside of the envelope that portrayed something unique to the owner of the message in the envelope.  Seals were completely original and they were always unique and very descriptive of their owners so there was no doubt who wrote the message within the envelope.

 

When the wax dried it sealed the message up until it was put safely into the hands of the proper receiver.  The seal was then broken and opened and read aloud to the person or people who would be listening for instructions from their king and/or ruler.  The ruler’s seal was the way that everyone had of knowing that these words within the envelope were the EXACT words and wishes of their leader.  The seal assured that the words belonged to no one else, but came directly from the ruler in charge of the kingdom.

The seal (made from a signet ring) usually contained three things:  The name of the owner of the seal, the title or description of the owner of the seal, and a description of the domain of the Owner of the seal.    

As one begins to read the exact words God gave to Moses, you begin to see that it is a clear statement containing the name of God, His official title, and a description of His dominion over the universe.  All of these things are spelled out in the words of Exodus 20: 10-11.  We hear His name; “The LORD.” (Yahweh)  We hear his title:  The Maker of The Heavens and The Earth, The Sea and All That Is In it.  (Creator.)  We hear of the description of God’s domain in the same words that describe who He is as Creator.  He is LORD over the Heavens and earth, the sea and all that is in it.  These are the three things we need to know that describe the fact that God has put His seal and signet upon the words of the fourth commandment.  It is as if He is highlighting this commandment saying; “draw close to me and listen to this; it is VERY important!”

 Why not pull out your own bible and read Exodus 20:10-11 with your own eyes.  Is this not plain to you?

Think about the exact words of the holy scriptures that are given to us by God as He speaks to us about keeping Sabbath.

 

Someone’s “seal” could also be called their “mark.”  The “seal” worked about the same way as a legal signature that we might use on important documents today.  It legally set the terms that made certain things official.

 

It is said in the scriptures that during end times people will be “marked” either for God or for the enemy of God.  The Antichrist will have an identifying mark placed on his people; and God too will have an identifying mark placed over His people.  The way you live out your life will determine the mark that is placed over your heart.

This brings to mind the words of The Song of Solomon, verse 6:8 that says: “Place me like  a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm, for love is a strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.  It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.”  These words of a passionate lover describe God’s love for Israel.  It is a jealous love; and He has come to tell Israel how to live before Him. 

 God used the nation of Israel to show people how to live before Him and how best to love Him.  If you belong to God you will honor him by keeping the fourth commandment and observing Sabbath faithfully.  That was God’s passionate commandment sealed with his signet to Israel.

Keeping Sabbath on the 7^th Day was important to God.  It was sacred time that He made holy and set aside for His people.  The act of Israel keeping Sabbath meant the faithfulness of His bride to Him.

 

Please don’t misunderstand or misinterpret any of my further comments and personal thoughts regarding the aspects of keeping Sabbath.  Keeping Sabbath is not something to be done “legally” but something to be done out of love and faithfulness.

There are relationships that thrive out of duty, and there are relationships that thrive out of a deep, passionate love.  God’s love is not out of duty; it comes from a passionate, heart-felt love.  He expects the same passion and love in return.  A passionate lover always knows how to communicate what it takes to make them feel happy and well loved.  God is communicating something to Israel that truly matters, to the depths of His heart.  He wants Israel to know His deepest desire from them.  He desires that they keep Sabbath with Him.

    

As I have already expressed; don’t misunderstand.  I’m not implying you must always go to a certain building and worship a certain way, like other certain groups of people are worshiping (though sometimes this is the thing you SHOULD do.)  The ancients often kept Sabbath right inside their own homes with their own immediate families.  They could not always get to the Temple.  They went to the temple on sacred holy days and whenever else it was possible, several times a year; but not every Sabbath.  Still, they kept Sabbath wherever they were at the time.   

For today’s people, I am saying in order to observe this commandment, you should be keeping the seventh day Sabbath that God has commanded inside your heart in a respectful way that will honor and worship God wherever you are.  God DOES state in these scriptures that this worship should be done in a holy convocation; which would mean that you should be open to worshiping with other believers.  This could happen right inside your own home, with your own family; or inside a church full of a million people.  A convocation is simply a group of people; not a specific number – it could be a number of between two to one million or more.  Where ever two or more are gathered in His Name; God is always there.

You can form a convocation anywhere; in a house, in a prison, in a hotel, in a crowd walking down the street – it doesn’t HAVE to be inside any building; but it is also JUST as appropriate to do this worship inside a building with many other believers.  God will be looking at the intentions of your heart, your honest desire to worship and serve Him, and your love for your fellowman that reflects this.

It is the addition of God into the crowd that makes the convocation real and holy.  God inhabits the prayers and praises of His people; so I would say anywhere there is prayer and praise to God being lifted up, that is a holy convocation.

 

The place isn’t important; but the day IS important.  The scriptures clearly say the “seventh” day.  Following the ancient calendar back to the days of Moses; the seventh day was always on the day we now call Saturday.  It was the day after the sixth day that the manna rained down from heaven in which NO manna could be gathered.  God had already shown this day to the people, even before he called Moses up to the mountain.  He was already raining down the manna and expecting them to gather up enough to last through the seventh day in which God rested and expected the people to rest also.  They were to gather ahead of this time before the Sabbath so that they would not be working on the Sabbath.

God set the calendar by the way the manna fell from heaven.  The people always knew the day in which they gathered twice as much was their “preparation day” for the Sabbath, and the next day, the 7^th day, was the Sabbath.

 

This “seventh day” was the day of worship that was observed by the early churches even during a long period of time after the death and resurrection of Christ.  The observance wasn’t changed by the actions of people, or in the writings of the church congregations until A.D. 321 when an edict from the ruler known as Constantine was declared and this edict was accepted 16 years later by the Catholic Church through the Council of Laodicea.

 

Here; I have to argue with the right of the Catholic Church to change the decree of God.  It doesn’t matter to me how many councils meet.  This signed, sealed and delivered commandment was still the recorded words of God to His people as He drew up their wedding vows.  God never changes.  He is the same today as He was yesterday and He will be the same forever into the future.  I have to question an emperor’s right or a council’s right to change the word of God, especially after all of the Apostles who walked and talked with Jesus were dead and gone and not there to defend the scriptures that proclaimed otherwise.

 

Think about this:  why would God go down to a mountain top to proclaim the best ways for us to live before Him and then change the wording later?  I think not.

There were no changes made to the understanding of this commandment during the lives and times that Jesus walked the earth, or even during the time and the lives of the Apostles.  It was after the death of every Apostle that this day’s observance evolved into the time of another day called Sunday.   I think that is because the Apostles would not have approved.  I highly suspect this change was more about the government of mankind than the spiritual growth of mankind.  I also think it was made in order to change the thinking of the people from their very Jewish roots into a more Roman/Greek way of thinking.  It seemed to also be very helpful in uniting people and forming a world empire from which Constantine would rule the world.  On hindsight; it seems very self serving for the still highly revered ruler.

 

In other words, I suspect this changing of the day of worship was more about Constantine’s rule than God’s direction for the church.  However, it did happen and the seventh day Sabbath has not been observed by many of the faithful since that time.  Perhaps God will consider those who changed his dates on judgment day instead of blaming the blind sheep who followed them without question.  I would rather not have to find out.

Over the years I have listened patiently to many who believe other than what I am stating here, and I have heard them defend Sunday worship in a million different ways.  Satan has used this tool over and over for dividing and conquering God’s faithful.  I have tried to keep an open mind; but my heart and spirit will not let me accept that what God uttered on the mountain to Moses wasn’t the whole truth that will last throughout eternity.  All of the other laws seem to be playing out to be true in the universe.  Why would this one be different?

I do not feel that Sunday worship is wrong; quite the contrary.  EVERY day is fine and acceptable for worship.  We must worship with every breath we take.  That doesn’t change the fact that God set aside one special day of the week and called it the Sabbath.  This day was the seventh day.

None of the other commandments were changed over time; why would we think it would be acceptable for this one to change?

Please don’t think I’m a Seventh Day Adventist.  I disagree with many of their teachings as being not scriptural; but the keeping of the Sabbath day is one point in which I DO agree with them.  There is no denying the scriptural evidence portrayed both in the new and the old testaments for this argument.

 

As in all things, I look to Jesus for an example of accuracy.  All of his life Jesus kept the seventh day Sabbath.  If he intended for this to change after his resurrection; don’t you think He would have discussed it with at least one Apostle?  There is no evidence of this ever happening.

I have many friends which I highly respect that are Catholic and Presbyterian and other forms of Protestant.  They strongly disagree with me.  I can agree with them on almost every other issue but this one.  This saddens me; but my first allegiance is to God.  It would be even sadder for me to find that I deliberately and defiantly disobeyed God knowing what He has taught me personally and through the scriptures.   Perhaps that is why I do not believe in denominations any more.  Every little splintered group, including even the Catholics who splintered off from the original church (though they don’t seem to recall this) have some issue with which I cannot claim complete loyalty because I find scriptural discrepancies. 

However; I do accept that we are now living under grace, and I do believe these people all to be faithful and sincere Christians and I realize it is not my place to judge them anymore than it is their place to judge me.

 

On the other hand; it is my job to proclaim what I consider to be the unflawed theology of the scriptures as humbly as possible, never thinking for one moment that I too cannot fall into the traps of the enemy of God.  I too am human and very capable of making huge mistakes.  Hence; it all boils down to the fact that we all have to answer for our own decisions. 

No thing, interpretation or organization will ever be completely perfect until Christ returns; but as for me; I chose to stand outside of most of these highly structured organizations and simply claim to be a Christian following God’s word as closely as I know how from the power and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit living within me.  That is why I often proclaim that I belong to no other group other than those who are saved by Christ and covered in His blood.  This would include people from all denominations and all walks of life; and it would also release me from any doctrines that I consider wrong in practice.  It would make me simply an imperfect sinner within a sea of other imperfect sinners who have faith in the perfect blood of Jesus to save them from their sins.  We all live humbly under the grace of God.  It is the blood of Jesus that makes us all brothers, and it is out of love for him that I speak out of what I know as truth. 

Getting back to the subject; some hold that Sunday is The Lord’s Day and the first day of the week and the day of the Resurrection of Christ; so they find Sunday an acceptable day of worship for those reasons.  With reverence and respect to them as brothers and followers of Christ, I have to speak the truth in love and say that I think every point in that statement is flawed. 

I will start by saying I don’t think the resurrection was on Sunday, but late on Saturday evening.  Do the research; I dare you.  I’m not going too far into that here – but I will try to give a brief description of what I have come to believe:

After growing up in the Baptist church and observing and loving the celebration of Good Friday, and Easter Sunday for years; I discovered the significance of the Jewish Holy Days in relation to Messiah.  In my early twenties I began celebrating Passover and Unleavened Bread and Early First Fruits, which relates to the Jewish festivals and Holy Day celebrations; but with the significance of Christ being our Messiah.  I have done this now for forty years of my life. 

Through celebrating the holy days, careful and prayerful reading of the scriptures and thinking about how God laid out the Holy Days and considering the various ways mankind has changed the Sabbath from Saturdays to Sundays on their own accord after the Apostles and Christ walked the earth, I have come to accept the following scenario as to how the resurrection must have really happened:

I believe that on the year Christ was crucified for my sins and yours, the Passover occurred on a Tuesday evening through a Wednesday evening.  On Tuesday evening Jesus celebrated the Passover Seder meal with his disciples.  This was on a Tuesday night.  He then prayed at Gethsemane, and was later arrested and led away to be crucified.  He was crucified at 9 a.m. on Wednesday (the traditional time of the Passover lambs being slain) and died at 3 p.m. that same day and was hastily buried at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening (Nissan 14 on the Hebrew calendar.)  At sunset (after 6 p.m.) on Wednesday began the high Sabbath of Passover which lasted until sunset (after 6 p.m. on Thursday).  Wednesday night and Wednesday day would have been the first night and day in which Jesus lay in the tomb.  (Nissan 15.)  From sunset on Wednesday to sunset on Thursday was also the First Day of the Seven days of Unleavened Bread.  The First Day of Unleavened Bread is considered a holy day on God’s calendar.  The Second Day of Unleavened Bread would have been from sunset Thursday till sunset Friday.  This would have been Jesus’ second night and day in the tomb. (Nissan 16.)      From Friday at sunset till Saturday at sunset would have been Jesus’ third night and day in the tomb.  (Nissan 17)  This day, as well as being the WEEKLY SABBATH, is known also in the seven days of Unleavened Bread as the day of Early First Fruits.  It is the THIRD DAY OF UNLEAVENED BREAD DURING PASSOVER WEEK.  It was the day Jesus rose from the tomb.  Three nights and three days in the tomb on that particular week would have ended at 3 p.m. on Saturday evening, so I believe Jesus rose from the dead between 3 p.m. and sunset on that Saturday (the 7^th Day Sabbath and the Third Day of Unleavened Bread – often called The Day of Early First Fruits, which is symbolic of the first fruits of the harvest, both physically and spiritually.  Jesus is the First Fruit of the harvest of God’s Kingdom.  He was the first One to rise from the dead in Resurrection.    

I’ve looked carefully through the scriptures with this scenario in mind, and I do not find any contradictions, especially if you look at things from a Messianic/Hebraic perspective.  So I do not believe that the “First Day of the Week” or “Sunday” could be considered the day of the Resurrection, which takes away all logic for calling Sunday the Day of The Lord.

 

The Day of The Lord is actually described in Revelation 1:10 in a vision of John, and it is far from a Sabbath.  It actually relates to the Apocalypse and it is a day of God’s wrath, not a weekly day of worship.  It is one day at the end of time that should be seen for, what it truly stands for.   Calling Sunday The Day of The Lord seems to create confusion here; which again; I attribute to being a major trick of Satan.

 

I’m sure I’ve lost many of you at this point; it always happens.

 

We are all like little robots programmed to believe whatever others have fed us all of our lives.  All I can ask is that you sincerely pray and study the scriptures and ask God to reveal the truth of His Sabbath to you, because the experience of keeping Sabbath is one that is unbelievably awesome and one of the best practices you will ever put into your days. 

Search the scriptures and see if you can make Friday evening through Sunday morning into three 24 hour periods; or if you can take the Holy Days of Passover and Unleavened Bread into consideration where these days are also called “Sabbaths” in the scriptures and not make another assumption about when the resurrection actually took place.  There are about a million arguments for the late Saturday resurrection; but I will not belabor the point; I’ll just say in relation to it making Sunday become The Lord’s Day; that it doesn’t hold water with me.

Another big argument  presented for Sunday Sabbath is that the resurrection of Christ was the beginning of all new things.  Long before the death, burial and resurrection of Christ we hear him say:  “I make all things new.”  I ‘ve always loved that truth.  He DOES make us new.  He transforms us into something better.  I have to say I think of this and the Resurrection as the “fulfillment” of all things, not the “changing” of the old but the “transformation” of the old.  We do not actually have an old thing changed to a completely new thing, but an old thing transformed, improved and made better.

 

Even with this point given, it isn’t the DAY that is changed, or fulfilled; it is the PEOPLE that Jesus died for that are changed.  The day is still the same sacred, holy point of time that God created from the beginning of creation.  From the beginning God set aside the seventh day. 

So not only do I think the Resurrection of Christ happened on the Sabbath (the 7^th day) but I also think it brought about a “transformation” of God’s people’s hearts; not a change of a date on the calendar.      

One commentary I read gave words like this as logic for Sunday Sabbath: 

“In this light we can see the significance of the practice of the New Testament church in its meeting on the first day of the week, beginning with the disciples and Jesus (John 20:1,19,26) and continuing on in the life of the church (Acts 2:1, 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). The first day of the week is observed as the continuing Sabbath because it is, by virtue of the Lord's rising on that day, "the Lord's Day."

I have already addressed my thoughts on the resurrection on Sunday theory being wrong.  Now I will examine the above scriptures quoted as logical reasons for Sunday worship:

(John 20:1)  Early on the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

  

It is highly possible and probable that Jesus could have risen from the grave and left the tomb late on Saturday (the 7^th day of the week) right before Mary rose early and went to the tomb on Sunday (the 1^st day of the week).  Exactly what is the argument here for the resurrection being on Sunday?  The tomb could have been just as empty toward the end of the Sabbath as it was on Sunday morning.  It is simply not good logic to use this scripture as a reason for Sunday.

(Acts 2:1)  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

The Resurrection and Pentecost were two separate occasions.  The Resurrection made Pentecost possible and both days are to be celebrated; but this isn’t comparing apples to apples.  It says nothing about the resurrection of Christ being on a Sunday.  It is saying that PENTECOST occured on a Sunday.  They are two different times and two different subjects, though.   It doesn’t seem logical to use this scripture reference as proof for a Sunday Sabbath either.

(Acts 20:7)  On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.  Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.   This passage is neither about the resurrection nor Sunday or the Sabbath either.  It is simply naming the day of the week that they met with Paul while he was visiting in the area.  It doesn’t seem logical to use this scripture in reference to calling Sunday the Lord’s Day.

(1 Corinthians 16:2)  On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will not have to be made.  Some have suggested this verse was Paul telling the church who had started worshiping on Sunday to take an offering on that day.  I don’t think that is what it means at all.  I simply think Paul was reminding the people to start on the first day of their labor to set aside a portion of money for the offering all during the week.  By the Sabbath (the seventh day) they would have a weeks worth of money set aside and would not have to calculate it or go find it when he arrived.  It seems just that simple; and nothing about this suggests a logical way to say Sunday is the day of worship to me.

We all have our own opinions.  I have given you mine.  I hope and pray that I am right; but that should not matter to you.  Everyone should offer their time up to God and allow God to direct how it is spent.  Pray for God to reveal the truth of the Sabbath to you and follow exactly what God says to you.  Search the scriptures to these things even further.

This lesson has been the basic foundation for thoughts on keeping Sabbath according to God's commandments.  Next week we will dig deeper into this and expand these thoughts into two parts.  The next part will explore all the joy that comes to one who decides to follow God's specific instructions and set aside the seventh day to keep it holy.  This can truly change your life in an amazing and powerful way.

The Church is the Bride of Christ.  We should be found keeping Sabbath when He returns.  This is the very thing that God has put His seal upon for us to know to do.  Let us be found worthy; and let us be following this commandment straight from the passion of our hearts.