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Was the Sabbath kept before God gave the Ten Commandments?

reddogs

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Now here is something I came across, lets over some key points from it..Was the Sabbath kept before God gave the Ten Commandments?

The Sabbath was created at the very beginning of human history. In Genesis 2:1-3 we read that God blessed and sanctified the seventh day:

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

The Hebrew word translated "sanctified" in Genesis 2:3 and "hallowed" in Exodus 20:11 is qadash, a word meaning "to hallow, to pronounce holy, to consecrate, to set apart for holy use."

There is no denying that God was here setting aside the Sabbath as holy time. Is it logical to believe that God first created man, then the Sabbath, and then failed to mention to man that the seventh day was holy time? Certainly not! God must have immediately explained to Adam all about His sacred seventh day. We might say that God preached a sermon to Adam and Eve on the first Sabbath of human history, telling them how to observe His day as He wanted it to be observed.


Jonathan Edwards says in one of his sermons:

"What could be the meaning of God's resting the seventh day, and hallowing and blessing it, which He did, before the giving of the fourth commandment, unless He hallowed and blessed it with respect to mankind? . . . And it is unreasonable to suppose that He hallowed it only with respect to the Jews, a particular nation, which rose up above 2000 years after."

In Mark 2:27, Jesus says: "The Sabbath was made for man." The Greek has an article before "man," so the phrase could be rendered, "The Sabbath was made for the man." This is a likely reference to Adam, the first man and representative of the whole race that descended from him. This reasonable conclusion "that Adam kept the Sabbath" is held by Jewish writers.

These are sensible and logical conclusions. It is just not reasonable to think that God would make the Sabbath for man and then keep it from him for over 2000 years until Moses. So the only fair conclusion is that Adam and Even were keeping the Sabbath from the very beginning.

The very fact that the seven-day week existed, is good evidence the Sabbath also existed.


Genesis 4:2-4 King James Version (KJV)
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

The words "in process of time" are translated from the Hebrew mikkets yamim, meaning "at the end of the days." This can only be telling us that on the Sabbath, Cain and Abel, with the rest of Adam's family, gathered to worship God. Adam Clarke says,

"it is more probable that it means the Sabbath, on which Adam and his family undoubtedly offered oblations to God, as the divine worship was certainly instituted, and no doubt the Sabbath properly observed in that family."

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown say it was "probably on the Sabbath."

Another commentary has this to say:

"More likely this phrase denotes the Sabbath ... the end of the weekdays. And as it is plain that the Sabbath was observed as holy time since its formal institution by God in Paradise, it was doubtless kept holy by such appointments of worship as would distinguish the day."

There is nothing in nature that can be pointed to as measuring the week; only the Sabbath marks it. And only the Sabbath could come "at the end of days." Clearly, the family of Adam and Eve kept every Sabbath sacred.
 
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reddogs

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A week of seven days is frequently met with in Scripture. In Genesis 7:4 and 8:10 and 12 we see that Noah was acquainted with a seven-day week. Unless the Sabbath was their pivot of time, people then could not have used such a measure of days. In fact, the marginal rendering of Genesis 7:10 is "on the seventh day," a reference to nothing but the Sabbath. We may be sure that Noah, a just man who walked with God (Genesis 6:9), knew about and kept God's seventh-day Sabbath.

In Genesis 29:27-28, we read that Jacob fulfilled a week for Rachel. The week here is not synonymous with the seven years Jacob served Laban for Rachel, nor does it mean seven years passed before Jacob married Rachel. The language shows Jacob married Rachel one week after he had married Leah, and then he served Laban another seven years, as explained in verses 29-30.

In Genesis 50:10, we find that Joseph mourned for his father Jacob seven days, that is, one week. So Joseph knew about the seven-day week.

Exodus 7:25 mentions a seven-day period in the time of Moses just before the Exodus. This is certainly an exact week, for we read, "seven days were fulfilled." In addition, Numbers 12:14-15 mentions a seven-day period following Israel's departure from Egypt and before they arrived at Mt. Sinai.
 
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jaysj84

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I tell you something friends, John of Revelation fame only received all he did from Jesus because it was the Sabbath day (that being Holy opened the door of this great 'Revelation'.)
I personally can say that God does wonderful things in accordance with His Holiness. I had slipped away some what from Him and I knew it but my heart was such that I didn't feel to repent but followed what I knew mentally to be true, and that was I needed to repent. I even told the Lord that I didn't feel like repenting but if He was still willing to forgive me that He would send me a revelation ! Long story short, 8 months down the track He sent me one while I was driving !! Unbelievable !!! I experienced a profound revelation while driving to Sabbath school about His very scriptures themselves. I'd like to share what it was like but I think some people may think I'm ranting so I share it only if people want to hear it or read it for that matter. So I'm saying that God's Sabbath would have been kept by the forefathers most definitely. Adam included. Ohh give Him wonderful praise, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Glory to His name.
 
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JohnMarsten

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The first word of the Sabbath commandment is "Remember." You don't "remember" something new - you introduce it.

"Remember" Of all the commandments, for some reason this one seems most subject to being forgotten. Interesting the first word is "..."

Let's be honest, did you realize that by yourself, or did somebody else drew your attention to it?
 
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stinsonmarri

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Matter of fact the Sabbath and all the Holy Convocations were kept before the earth was created. Job tell you that the sons of ELOHIM came on certain days to worship. Satan tried to sneak in, he disguise himself, but YAHWEH JR. was at the Gate. It could not be THE FATHER, because Satan would have been destroyed having sin. EGW stated that after Satan sin YAHWEH told HIS SON that they will go on with the plans to create the earth. So that mean the Greek word ge actually mean a place that has land mass or soil. The earth is not the only planet or place that have land mass or soil. EGW also said words had been changed in the Bible. EW p. 220, 221 The Bible also said that the angels keep ELOHIM'S Commandments.
Blessings and happy Sabbath! I am back!
 
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doc8645

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I think part of the problem or confusion is the Ten Commandments from Moses and the Sabbath for Adam and Eve. Why don't people realize the Ten Commandments were with Adam and Eve. It is said "when sin entered the world", well how can their be sin if their are no Commandments or Laws, Cain killed Abel, so what? If he didn't violate any Commandment then what was the problem? See, you can't separate them, they were made for mankind, all 10.
 
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reddogs

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The first word of the Sabbath commandment is "Remember." You don't "remember" something new - you introduce it.

"Remember" Of all the commandments, for some reason this one seems most subject to being forgotten. Interesting the first word is "..."
And its the first thing Satan tries to make man forget and worship other things such as idols..
 
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