Part VIII
T he following is the eighth of nine arguments advanced by David C. Pack of the Restored Church of God when refuting A Sabbath Test. Each argument is responded to by Blow the Trumpet.
Argument VIII:
A Little Pleasure on the Sabbath
At one point Mr. Pack accuses the authors of A Sabbath Test of painting a very dark, almost sinister, picture of Sabbath observance. He even attempts to employ the author’s own words when doing so. Notice what he writes.
God does not forbid pleasure that is appropriate for the Sabbath. It is not profaning the Sabbath to listen to pleasing classical music. Neither is it sinful to appreciate a beautiful landscape or to walk out into God’s creation to better enjoy His Sabbath. Certainly smelling the fragrance of flowers or taking in fresh mountain air is pleasurable—would God have us abstain from enjoying these things on the Sabbath? Does enjoying a delicious, wholesome meal profane the Sabbath? Of course not! Even in I Corinthians 7:5, in which Paul instructs husbands and wives to abstain from the pleasure of marital relations while fasting, he does not command them to refrain from this on the Sabbath. Clearly, God does not condemn pleasure that is within reason and within His Law.
Yet, statements from the book A Sabbath Test paint a much different picture. After quoting Isaiah 58:13, the authors write, “By this statement, God makes it abundantly clear that we are not to seek personal enjoyment on His Sabbath. It is true that the Sabbath was made for man (Mk. 2:26) [sic – actually Mk. 2:27], but it is God’s day (Ex. 31:13-17). Therefore, His people are to honor His instructions regarding how it is to be kept” (p. 34).
They then conclude, “Therefore, God was instructing His people to avoid physical activities which cater primarily to personal pleasure. Tragically, this is exactly what dining out on the Sabbath is. It is something that is geared toward personal pleasure. It is what millions of Americans and Europeans do for entertainment and recreation every single day and especially on the Sabbath.”
Do you grasp what these authors are saying? They are equating the physical necessity of eating—ingesting food in order to obtain necessary nutrients for life—as entertainment and recreation. Who is missing something here? Should such a rift in logic or judgment not serve as a warning flag?
As with all the other “proofs” used to support their unstable hypotheses, this “proof” is tailored to fit the authors’ predetermined conclusion.
Our Response:
Here Mr. Pack is advancing an argument that employs an extraordinary level of deception. Consider what he has done. He suggests that the authors of A Sabbath Test are opposed to participating in such Sabbath activities as taking walks and enjoying the beauty of creation. He then suggests that music is also on their list of Sabbath taboos. With this accomplished, Mr. Pack unleashes his “unrighteous indignation” with the following accusation.
“Do you grasp what these authors are saying? They are equating the physical necessity of eating—ingesting food in order to obtain necessary nutrients for life—as entertainment and recreation.”
Here Mr. Pack employs stealth and guile in this argument and when doing so he is counting on his audience to take his word regarding the message of A Sabbath Test. However, he knows that his representation of this book is brazenly false. Furthermore, he understands all too well that if God’s people read this vital truth they would find that it actually endorses the very activities Mr. Pack claims it condemns, with one exception: it renounces the practice of God’s people seeking out unbelievers who desecrate this day and availing themselves of this SIN.
Perhaps the most cynical point made by Mr. Pack in this section of his essay is suggesting that the authors of A Sabbath Test equate physical nourishment with “entertainment and recreation.” Therefore, he implies that the authors are opposed to eating on the Sabbath altogether, not just eating at restaurants. Instead of mentioning dining out at restaurants on the Sabbath as the issue, Mr. Pack cleverly attempts to con his audience into believing that the monsters who wrote A Sabbath Test are actually opposed to the physical necessity of food for God’s children on His day of rest.
This argument is not only dishonest it’s a joke. Mr. Pack knows full well that both the authors and the scriptures are in total agreement with the role of food on the Sabbath—they are both in favor of it. This is why God rained a double portion of manna on the sixth day. However, both God and the authors of A Sabbath Test are equally opposed to going out to restaurants to acquire the nourishment Mr. Pack speaks of. Once again, this is why the Eternal rained a double portion of manna on the sixth day. What Mr. Pack is suggesting is that restaurants are more considerate of the physical needs of God’s people than the authors of A Sabbath Test.
The point here is that Mr. Pack is clearly attempting to twist words to buttress his case. He is committed to demonizing the authors by using “sleight of hand” to distort what they are conveying. Fortunately, we have their words to ascertain what they are really claiming. Here is what they say about delighting in God’s Sabbath.
Perhaps the most important instruction recorded by Isaiah concerning the Sabbath is that God wants His people to call this day a “delight.” Regrettably, some have put a unique twist on these words. Many have interpreted them to mean that we are to do things to make the Sabbath a delight. In other words, find something that gives pleasure and do it on the Sabbath. After constructing such a premise, many in God’s church contend that going out to eat causes them to do less work, and thus makes the Sabbath more enjoyable. Therefore, going to a restaurant on God’s Sabbath is a delight and is in keeping with the words recorded by Isaiah.
Such an interpretation is a HORRIBLE DISTORTION of the scriptures! God did not create the Sabbath to insure that man would have one day of personal enjoyment every week. He created this day so that our natural pursuit of personal desires would not so consume our lives that they would estrange us from the very God who made us. In other words, the Sabbath is not a day to seek personal pleasures, but rather to reject them. It is a day dedicated to embracing that which is holy.
But what does it mean to call the Sabbath a delight? What is the delight? To better understand what God was conveying with this instruction, consider what He specifically said: If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words... (Isa. 58:13)
Here God is not telling His people to make the Sabbath a delight. He is instructing them to call it a delight. God’s people should delight in the great Kingdom the Sabbath pictures. That Kingdom will be a time of unimaginable abundance. The Sabbath is evidence that God will deliver that Kingdom and establish it when Jesus Christ returns in power and glory. In that hope is the delight He spoke of.
Those who believe they need to go to a restaurant on the Sabbath to “delight” in this day fail to grasp the great joy of this sacred time. Consequently, they feel a need to do something “worldly” on this day to make it more joyous. What a terrible mistake.
God created the delight that fills each Sabbath. His instruction to His children is to recognize that joy and celebrate it in their worship of Him. The Sabbath is a day to look forward to with great anticipation. It is not a day of inconvenience. It is a day of joy and hope when God’s children assemble together and appear before their King. (A Sabbath Test pp 36-37)
The authors then offer a splendid explanation of how our behavior should reflect the God ordained purpose of the Sabbath.
The Sabbath pictures liberation and freedom from bondage. It pictures the great hope of God’s Kingdom. It is a unique day in which we can finally stop doing the labor, chores, and mundane activities of life. On the Sabbath we can come out of this world for one day, and picture a time when this world will be delivered into the hands of the King of kings.
The Sabbath is a delight, not because we are out having fun, amusing ourselves and being entertained. It is a delight because we have a special time set aside to seek our Maker. In a very real sense, the Sabbath is a time when the bride shares moments with the Bridegroom. (A Sabbath Test p 38)
The authors also outline Sabbath appropriate activities that embrace God’s purpose for His holy time. Mr. Pack may find these activities burdensome but we certainly do not.
Although God’s law outlines certain prohibitions concerning the Sabbath, it also outlines numerous activities that enhance the honoring of this great commandment. In reality, the command to honor God’s Sabbath is among the most affirmative in the Decalogue. Here are just some of the things you can engage in on that day:
Rest from your labor.
Fellowship with God’s people.
Study His word.
Pray to Him.
Refrain from worry.
Meditate on His way.
Sing praises to Him.
Be nourished by His servants.
Anticipate His Kingdom.
Celebrate God’s way with family.
Teach your children.
Delight in the great hope He has given you.
Serve God’s people.
Comfort the weak.
Encourage the strong.
Embrace the lonely.
And in all of this, God’s word instructs His people to DELIGHT in this day, knowing that the Sabbath stands as evidence that God’s hope for all mankind will one day be accomplished! (A Sabbath Test pp 109-110)
The Sabbath pictures God’s great millennial Kingdom. It is a day filled with hope and rich in meaning. God’s people should see it as nothing less. The Sabbath is a day that provides a glimpse into a Kingdom that will be absent of suffering. That Kingdom will be a time of great peace, great prosperity, great health, and great hope. It will be a time when ignorance and superstition will be replaced with the knowledge of a loving God and Father. Honoring the Sabbath that pictures that Kingdom is nothing less than a tremendous privilege and blessing. It should fill all of God’s people with a sense of purpose and hope, and most of all, it should fill them with THANKSGIVING. (A Sabbath Test p. 111)
Argument IX
Yeah Buts & What Ifs
Return to Directory
|
