The Sabbath
When we get to the Sabbath we instantly feel on more familiar territory and these verses give us plenty to think about. The Christian Sunday is not the Sabbath but the Sabbath underlies the Sunday tradition and embraces elements much broader than simply 11 and 6.30 versus 24/7 shopping. It is also a good example of how a Focal Point of Faith can embody different facets and reflect different attitudes over a period time.
Harper’s Bible Dictionary describes it as ‘a cornerstone of Israelite religious practice from earliest times’ but what was it about? Some evidence suggests its origins were more humanitarian than religious. Something similar for example can be found in Babylonia and possibly even in Canaan when the Israelites arrived, but whatever its origins the whole of the Old Testament presupposes it as a Focal Point going back to Moses and the wilderness experience. The precise emphases however are wide ranging.
Verse 13 sees it is a day to remember what God has done for Israel. Verse 17, casting a wider net, sees it as commemoration of creation and a recognition of the link between God and his world. Two other principal features are that it is a day of rest and a day set apart for God, which is probably how most of us think of it but that should not blind us to the other facets. The root of ‘Sabbath’ is the same as the root of ‘seventh’ and most English translations of the earlier sources recognise that (Exodus 23:12 and 34: 21), in at least one case (Lev 25:4) relating it to a year rather than a day.
Radical change, however, came with post-exilic Judaism, when the earlier ideas were incorporated into the texts, with the addition of the humanitarian concept (Exodus 20:8 and Deut 5:12) highlighting the day of rest which then became paramount as a way for Israelites in a foreign land to mark their separation from the others. Not exactly a new Focal Point but maybe a reworking of an old one with a fresh emphasis.