Stephen Haskell and the Observance of the Sabbath
Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD); Visiting Professor, Department of Liberal Education, Kyungpook National University, Sangju Campus, South Korea, Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia.
100 BIBLE-READING GAZETTE.
BIBLE-READING.-No. 47.
PROPER OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH.
1. WHEN was the Sabbath created? Ex. 20:11.
2. For whom was it made? Mark 2 : 27.
3. How did God regard the seventh day at the time of creation?
Gen. 2 :2.
4. Did the Creator himself need rest? Isa. 40 : 28.
5. What was the second act in making the Sabbath? Gen. 2:3.
6. What is it to sanctify? Joel 1 :14. (See Ex. 19, where the
mount was sanctified.)
7. What shows that " to appoint" is the same as " to sanctify" ?
Josh. 20 :7, margin.
8. What shows that "to proclaim" is the same as "to sanctify"?
2 Kings 10 :20, margin.
9. To whom, then, must the seventh day have been made known
as God's rest-day?
10. What was the final act in making the Sabbath? Ex. 20: 11,
last clause.
11. Why were these last two acts performed? Gen. 2:3.
12. Then was the Sabbath ever given to man as a laboring day?
13. In what sense was the seventh day given to man?
14. How much of the human race was represented by Adam and
Eve?
15. Then when the Saviour said " the Sabbath was made for man,"
how much did it embrace?
Time length of the Sabbath:
16. How much of the twenty-four hours constituted a day? Gen.
1:5, 19, 23, 31.
17. How much of the time, then, is to be recognized in the Sabbath?
18. When does the Sabbath commence? Lev. 23 : 32.
19. At what point does evening commence? Deut. 16 :6.
20. What shows that the New Testament recognizes the same
principle? Mark 1 :32.
21. What kind of labor is to be performed on the six days? Ex.
23:12. (Thy work.)
Lawful labor on Sabbath
22. What kind of labor was it not lawful to perform on the Sabbath?
23. Was any kind of labor lawful on the Sabbath? Matt. 12 :5.
24. What kind of labor was lawful? Verses 3, 4, 7.
25. What is the difference between "thy work" and the Lord's
work?
26. Was the work necessary for offerings in the sanctuary man's
PROPER OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH. 101
work or God's work?-Ans. God's work ; for it constituted his worship.
27. What shows that a work of mercy, however laborious, is right
to perform on the Sabbath? Matt. 12 :10-12.
Business:
28. Is it right to transact any kind of business on the Sabbath?
Neh. 13 :15-18.
29. What were the first causes that led to this state of things?
Amos 8 :5.
30. How long before Nehemiah did Amos prophesy?-Ans.
About 350 years.
31. By what prophet did God warn them concerning this? Jer.
17:27.
32. Was this prediction fulfilled? 2 Chron. 36 :19-21.
Prepare for work on the Sabbath:
33. Is it right for men to prepare for their own work on the hours
of the Sabbath? Neh. 13 : 20-22.
35. When should they be prepared to commence the Sabbath?
Verse 19.
35. If God was thus particular about the commencement of the
Sabbath, would he be less so in regard to its close?
36. Upon what day did the Israelites receive a double portion of
manna? Ex. 16:22.
37. Why was this? Verse 29.
38. Upon what day did they receive none? Verse 27.
39. What other miracle was performed to show the sacredness of
the seventh day? Verse 24.
Cooking on Sabbath:
40. What special command did the Lord give in regard to cooking
the manna? Verse 23.
41. Upon what day was this to be done?
42. Then was it wrong to prepare their food on the Sabbath?
43. Was it wrong to take food where they were on the Sabbath,
providing they could not prepare it the day before? Matt. 12:1;
Deut. 23 :24, 25.
44. How long were these miracles wrought to show the sanctity of
the seventh day? Ex. 16 :35.
45. Were they permitted to go out to gather their food on the
Sabbath?
46. Were they allowed even to cook it on that day?
Is the Sabbath just for certain seasons?
47. Did the Lord require a strict observance of the Sabbath in all
seasons of the year after Israel entered Canaan? Ex. 34:21.
48. What expression does Jeremiah ,,see to show that men should
do no labor to get gain on that day? Jer. 17 :21, 22.
49. What special promise did he make if men would thus observe
the Sabbath? Verses 24, 25.
Secular work on Sabbath:
50. What statement does Isaiah make showing that we should perform
no secular labor on the Sabbath? Isa. 58:13, first clause.
51. What should we call the Sabbath?
102 BIBLE-READING GAZETTE.
Conversations on Sabbath:
52. Should our conversation be different on the Sabbath from what
it is on other days?
53. With what should our words be in harmony?
54. What shows that it is not so much the amount of labor performed
on the Sabbath that is wrong as it is the character of the labor?
Matt. 12 :10-12.
55. What requirement did God make of his people on the Sabbath?
Lev. 23:3.
56. What shows this to have been a general practice? 2 Kings
4:22, 23.
57. What promise did God make to Israel if they would attend the
regular seasons of worship? Ex. 34 : 24.
58. What shows that the early church in the gospel age was also
instructed to assemble together? Heb. 10 : 25.
59. What proof is there that they did this on the Sabbath? Acts
16:13.
60. Who had given them this custom? Luke 4:16.
Disciples and the Sabbath:
61. Did the disciples recognize the command for the observance of
the Sabbath? Luke 23 :56.
62. Did the great apostle to the Gentiles recognize this custom?
Acts 17:2.
63. What shows there were to be special offerings on the Sabbath?
Num. 28:9, 10.
64. At what time did Cain and Abel meet to make their offerings?
Gen. 4 :3, 4, margin.
65. Was there any reckoning of time except the weekly cycle at
this period?
66. What provision did Moses make to meet the expense and for
the service of the sanctuary? Ex. 30 :11-15.
67. At what time did God originally design this to be paid ?-Ans.
Yearly, when they numbered Israel. 2 Chron. 24:5.
68. When the temple was repaired in the days of Jehoash, did
they use their trespass or sin money? 2 Kings 12:16.
69. What money did they use? 2 Chron. 24 : 6.
70. When were they to bring their trespass money? Lev. 5:15, 16.
71. Did they bring sanctuary money at the regular time in the
days of Jehoash? 2 Chron. 24:5.
72. What expression shows that this was a regular offering?
Verse 11.
73. Where did they place the money? 2 Kings 12:9, 10.
74. If this was not their sin and trespass money, nor the tithes,
and it was not brought on the atonement day, and they had regular
worship, and made special offerings on the Sabbath, what may we reasonably
conclude is the meaning of the expression, "day by day"?
75. Would it be any more of a sin to make offerings on the Sabbath
for the Sabbath-school now, than it was to offer two extra lambs
and two tenth deals of flour on the Sabbath when it was forbidden to
boil or bake on that day? S[tephen]. N. H[askell]
Source:
S.N. Haskell, “Proper Observance of the Sabbath” Bible Reading No. 47. 1888: 100-103 in Bible-Reading Gazette. http://www.documents.adventistarchives.org/Books/BR1888.pdf