doing dishes on the sabbath

[kiddo]

hello, can anyone tell me - do you think it's lawful to do the washing up on the sabbath? I've always wondered! I tend not to but my Mum thinks I'm going overboard - I think she believes that doing a small amount of tidying and the dishes is just about keeping a nice clean environment and that leaving it to pile up just causes stress.

thanks!

 

[maco]

hello, can anyone tell me - do you think it's lawful to do the washing up on the sabbath? I've always wondered! I tend not to but my Mum thinks I'm going overboard - I think she believes that doing a small amount of tidying and the dishes is just about keeping a nice clean environment and that leaving it to pile up just causes stress.

thanks!

I believe the value that you personally give to the Sabbath will set the standard for what you will allow yourself to do or not to do on the Sabbath.

Here is the guild line that Jesus gave for Sabbath keeping.

Luke 6:9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?”

Is washing dishes in itself evil? No. So is it wrong to wash dishes on the Sabbath? No. Would you want to wash dishes on the Sabbath? Well, that is determined by how much value you place on the Sabbath. There may be a time when you will need to wash dishes on the Sabbath and there may be a time when you won't really need to wash them on the Sabbath.

Hope this helps.

 

[Castaway57]

hello, can anyone tell me - do you think it's lawful to do the washing up on the sabbath? I've always wondered! I tend not to but my Mum thinks I'm going overboard - I think she believes that doing a small amount of tidying and the dishes is just about keeping a nice clean environment and that leaving it to pile up just causes stress.

thanks!

I knew a couple once who thought it was OK to wash dishes on Sabbath; but not to dry them. LOL. I think we can go way over board with "sabbath-keeping," and make it a burden, rather than the delight it is supposed to be. I personally would not worry about such questions, but I understand that some people need to. In such a case as with doing the dishes; I would just come to a civilized agreement with anyone involved, just to show respect for other people's customs, and practices. It shouldn't really be a big deal.

 

[WindHund]

Is washing dishes in itself evil? No. So is it wrong to wash dishes on the Sabbath? No. Would you want to wash dishes on the Sabbath? Well, that is determined by how much value you place on the Sabbath. There may be a time when you will need to wash dishes on the Sabbath and there may be a time when you won't really need to wash them on the Sabbath. Hope this helps.

i believe that all work should be done on the day of preparation. Then what is dirtied on the Sabbath is cleaned on the Sabbath. I haven't come across anything that suggests it is OK to be slovenly on the Sabbath. Allowing dirty dishes to pile up is unhealthy. You also in some situations can use paper and it would also be OK to pick them up and throw them away during the Sabbath!

 

[Castaway57]

Ahem! Lots of people don't do their dishes for two or three days in a row - or longer. Just sayin. lol

 

[kiddo]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your replies I think I'll continue to leave the dishes because the sabbath gives me a break from thinking that it has to be done every day in order to maintain a certain standard. However if my husband has just done them, I don't then dirty a dish and leave it in the sink because I'd feel as though I was treating him like my slave for the day because I'm a sabbath keeper and he's not.

I think it addresses a bigger question for me which is the practice of putting God first by spending time with him instead of getting caught up in the day to day tasks that are never ending. I do like the idea of preparing everything in advance and then cleaning up what is dirtied on that day, I'll give that some thought - thanks again

I think

 

[Castaway57]

I think I'll continue to leave the dishes because the sabbath gives me a break from thinking that it has to be done every day in order to maintain a certain standard.

I think it addresses a bigger question for me which is the practice of putting God first by spending time with him instead of getting caught up in the day to day tasks that are never ending. I do like the idea of preparing everything in advance and then cleaning up what is dirtied on that day, I'll give that some thought - thanks again

I think

Sounds really good to me. Happy Sabbath!

 

[ricker]

hello, can anyone tell me - do you think it's lawful to do the washing up on the sabbath? I've always wondered! I tend not to but my Mum thinks I'm going overboard - I think she believes that doing a small amount of tidying and the dishes is just about keeping a nice clean environment and that leaving it to pile up just causes stress.

thanks!

What does the Pen of Inspiration say?

" We would charge all not to wash their dishes on the Sabbath if this can possibly be avoided. God is dishonored by any unnecessary work done on His holy day. It is not inconsistent, but proper, that the dishes should be left unwashed till the close of the Sabbath if this can be managed."

Ellen White ... 21MR 134 (Written August 4, 1901, from St. Helena, California, to Mr. and Mrs. E. K. Beaman.)

 

[WindHund]

What does the Pen of Inspiration say? "We would charge all not to wash their dishes on the Sabbath if this can possibly be avoided. God is dishonored by any unnecessary work done on His holy day. It is not inconsistent, but proper, that the dishes should be left unwashed till the close of the Sabbath if this can be managed." Ellen White ... 21MR 134 (Written August 4, 1901, from St. Helena, California, to Mr. and Mrs. E. K. Beaman.)

Thanks for the quote. Very helpful.

 

[Kira Light]

What does the Pen of Inspiration say?

" We would charge all not to wash their dishes on the Sabbath if this can possibly be avoided. God is dishonored by any unnecessary work done on His holy day. It is not inconsistent, but proper, that the dishes should be left unwashed till the close of the Sabbath if this can be managed."

Ellen White ... 21MR 134 (Written August 4, 1901, from St. Helena, California, to Mr. and Mrs. E. K. Beaman.)

Makes me wonder under what circumstances doing the dishes would be unavoidable.

 

[ricker]

Makes me wonder under what circumstances doing the dishes would be unavoidable.

Good question.

I remember once when I was a kid our family was driving to visit someone and our car was sprayed with tar. My father stopped and had it cleaned right away so it wouldn't ruin the finish. I suppose that was a necessary thing.

 

[tnp2140]

Good question.

I remember once when I was a kid our family was driving to visit someone and our car was sprayed with tar. My father stopped and had it cleaned right away so it wouldn't ruin the finish. I suppose that was a necessary thing.

I'm guessing he also did laundry on Sabbath afternoons?

 

[Remant]

I think I'll continue to leave the dishes because the sabbath

This and only this.

Obedience is the only justification you need. Nothing else.

 

[ricker]

I'm guessing he also did laundry on Sabbath afternoons?

I'm thinking putting off laundry for a few hours wouldn't render the clothes damaged and devalued.

These legalistic SDA discussions are so much fun!

 

[maco]

God's people are to be led by the Spirit in all matters of faith and works. This is also true for Sabbath keeping. If what you are doing on the Sabbath is not evil in of itself and for some reason you need to do it then it's really no one's business.

Luke 6:9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?”

Jesus didn't give us freedom from the Sabbath, He gave us freedom in the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not to be kept ritualistically or with a legalistic mindset. Both these attitudes kill the Spirit and hurt relationships with God and neighbor.

 

[taikachanz]

Consider this;

Does your church hold potlucks on Sabbath?
If yes, do they clean up after the Potluck is finished or do they wait until the Sabbath is over?
And what about the set up, wouldn’t this be considered work?
Is a potluck absolutely necessary for fellowship?

Now to answer from my standpoint:

Yes, we have potlucks on Sabbath.
Yes, we cleanup immediately after it is over.
Some set up is necessary, but then when you eat at home on Sabbath the food may already be prepared but you still have some setting up to do in preparation to eat.
For our members it is sometimes the only time members get together for real fellowship. Many of them live miles away and visiting during the week is not possible. Jobs and commitments keep others away, even from weekly Bible studies and prayer meetings. So, is it necessary? For some yes, for others no, but for all it is a time for the Church family to get together.

Now, if it is ok to do the cleaning up after a potluck it certainly should be ok on a personal basis. As for me and mine, we rinse the dishes, put them in the dishwasher and wait for the Sabbath to end. The pots and pans are soaked until that time as well.

 

[maco]

Whatever we do on the Sabbath in order to make the Sabbath a delight is all part of not forgetting the Sabbath. Whether setting up for Sabbath fellowship or breaking down after Sabbath fellowship is all part of fellowship and making the Sabbath a delight. Whether it is right or wrong to do these things should not even enter the mind because it's all part of serving, fellowship and delighting in the Sabbath. Just the fact that, as God's family, we do all things things on the Sabbath and no other day of the week testifies that we keep the Sabbath special. As soon as you begin to question whether you should or shouldn't do something to make the Sabbath a delight you begin to fall under ritualism and even legalism. Jesus gives us some great insight into the fourth commandment as it pertains to law.

Matthew 12:1-5 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the show bread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?

Anything we do on the Sabbath in service to make the Sabbath a delight or caring for needs we are blameless and pleasing to God. So we must stop thinking that by washing only half the dish we are somehow more holy or less sinful if we don't wash the whole dish or if we make a mess on the Sabbath but don't clean it up until after the Sabbath. These thoughts destroy the spirit of the Law and rob us of the Sabbath blessing. Don't miss the forest because of the trees.

 

[Castaway57]

As soon as you begin to question whether you should or shouldn't do something to make the Sabbath a delight you begin to fall under ritualism and even legalism.

So we must stop thinking that by washing only half the dish we are somehow more holy or less sinful if we don't wash the whole dish or if we make a mess on the Sabbath but don't clean it up until after the Sabbath.

Good points. Even though some have the right day; they ruin it anyway with the wrong spirit. I like the way our fundamental belief talks about the Sabbath:

20. The Sabbath

The beneficent Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God's unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath.

The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God's kingdom. The Sabbath is God's perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God's creative and redemptive acts.

(Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isa. 56:5, 6; 58:13, 14; Matt. 12:1-12; Ex. 31:13-17; Eze. 20:12, 20; Deut. 5:12-15; Heb. 4:1-11; Lev. 23:32; Mark 1:32.)

 

[maco]

Good points. Even though some have the right day; they ruin it anyway with the wrong spirit. I like the way our fundamental belief talks about the Sabbath:

Amen!

 

[Kira Light]

Whatever we do on the Sabbath in order to make the Sabbath a delight is all part of not forgetting the Sabbath. Whether setting up for Sabbath fellowship or breaking down after Sabbath fellowship is all part of fellowship and making the Sabbath a delight. Whether it is right or wrong to do these things should not even enter the mind because it's all part of serving, fellowship and delighting in the Sabbath. Just the fact that, as God's family, we do all things things on the Sabbath and no other day of the week testifies that we keep the Sabbath special. As soon as you begin to question whether you should or shouldn't do something to make the Sabbath a delight you begin to fall under ritualism and even legalism. Jesus gives us some great insight into the fourth commandment as it pertains to law.

Matthew 12:1-5 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the show bread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?

Anything we do on the Sabbath in service to make the Sabbath a delight or caring for needs we are blameless and pleasing to God. So we must stop thinking that by washing only half the dish we are somehow more holy or less sinful if we don't wash the whole dish or if we make a mess on the Sabbath but don't clean it up until after the Sabbath. These thoughts destroy the spirit of the Law and rob us of the Sabbath blessing. Don't miss the forest because of the trees.

This view seems to be completely at odds with what EGW wrote. Do you acknowledge that? How do you explain it?