I keep hearing the sabbath was given to the house of Israel, therefore the gentiles need not keep it.
I agree to an extent. I think that kind of response a mistaken contrary. Moral law continues to obligate all.
The question for me is what's moral about the Fourth Commandment. It's not holding one day above others, but worship and declining from our own egotistical works.
The Mosaic Law went further: "
In it do no work". Yet simply ceasing work wasn't God's moral desire, for He condemned people who simply ceased from work, as breaking the Sabbath. The New Testament points to its spiritual purpose: "
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his." That's why the author stated the sabbath was redesignated: because its practical observation changed.
There's also periodic gathering for encouragement and worship, both directed at us by the New Testament and modeled by assemblies on Sabbath.
If you think you can engage in this properly without being regulated by a rule for the community, well, I think that ends in futility. Human corruption being what it is, we often have to be reminded by others. It's part of what the community of faith is for: encouragement isn't simply "being nice". If that gathering happens on Sunday, it's clearly been the habit of Christian churches since the Apostles. Scripture alludes only to the first day of the week as being characteristic of Christian assembly. Other first century documents from Christians also point out Sunday as the day of worship. But if that gathering happens on Saturday or even Friday, it's not a serious breach.
Who was the covenant of Hebrews 8 given to?
For all shall know me. You must live in a real nice town should you believe that everyone from the least to the greatest know the Lord.
Hebrews was written after the crucified Christ. Does this scripture say the 1st is now done away with? No...it says its a gettin old (like me) and is getting ready to vanish.
...POOF....
With that I'd agree. But I'd also point out, Moses is not the law of the land. The Apostle was talking in a context of Judea being governed by this law. The "ready to vanish" probably had a compelling sense of reality for Christians as Rome marched on Judea in the 60's.
The way I see it, we shouldn't cling onto pieces of the law that are clearly going away (cf. Gal 4:9). We're to prepare for the transition. The Mosaic Law is a goldmine of spiritual reality and moral instruction, something I feel we really need to understand as
established (Rom 3:31) for Christians to recognize God's purposes and Spirit in what's right and wrong. But the Mosaic Law is not a "law of the land" type of law for the other nations. It's something to be understood for morality -- but not for legality -- among the Gentiles.
To me that's why the nations don't circumcise; and it's also why the nations aren't required to observe worship and enforced rest on Saturday.