The Sabbath the key to Receiving the Covenant Promise
Eze 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
"To those who keep holy the Sabbath day it is the sign of sanctification. True sanctification is harmony with God, oneness with Him in character. It is received through obedience to those principles that are the transcript of His character. And the Sabbath is the sign of obedience. He who from the heart obeys the fourth commandment will obey the whole law. He is sanctified through obedience. To us as to Israel the Sabbath is given "for a perpetual covenant." To those who reverence His holy day the Sabbath is a sign that God recognizes them as His chosen people. It is a pledge that He will fulfill to them His covenant. Every soul who accepts the sign of God's government places himself under the divine, everlasting covenant. He fastens himself to the golden chain of obedience, every link of which is a promise." 6T 350
The God of Israel has promised to fulfill the covenant to those who reverence His Sabbath. The promise is found in Heb 8:10
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Our determination to faithfully observe the Sabbath is an act of faith that God will perfect our characters and strengthen us with His power. Those who keep the Sabbath will be strengthened by God to keep the whole law.
The observance of the Sabbath is just like Jesus asking the paralytic man, do you wish to be made whole and then telling him to rise up and walk.
"From the simple Bible account of how Jesus healed the sick, we may learn something about how to believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins. Let us turn to the story of the paralytic at Bethesda. The poor sufferer was helpless; he had not used his limbs for thirty-eight years. Yet Jesus bade him, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." The sick man might have said, "Lord, if Thou wilt make me whole, I will obey Thy word." But, no, he believed Christ's word, believed that he was made whole, and he made the effort at once; he willed to walk, and he did walk. He acted on the word of Christ, and God gave the power. He was made whole." SC 50
We choose to believe that in a determination to keep the Sabbath at any cost, God will both enable us to keep it and thwen keep the whole law. I have not seen the simplicity of this until now. In my earlier years I tried earnestly to keep the Sabbath both in preparation and avoidance of worldly thoughts and activities. I often found myself exhausted and less loving and caring for others and seeking to keep myself pure and holy unto the Lord.
I have experienced both joyful and trying experiences with the Sabbath. I think this is reflective of my halthing between two different Gods. The Father and Son and the Trinity. I can now see there is no power to keep the Sabbath in the a worship of the Trinity. It must either be kept legalistically or lightly regarded.
In the last few weeks, my family and myself have experienced several evidences of God's promised power being granted to those who seek to keep the Sabbath faithfully not as a means of showing God we are faithful but rather to seek the promised blessing of the covenant. We have received clarity of mind, joy of heart and increase in usefulness on many levels as we have chosen to trust that God has indeed blessed the Sabbath and will bless all those who seek Him through His Holy day.
I invite you to prayefully read Testimonies Volume 6 Page 349-368 and ask the Lord to help us all faithfully guard the edges of the Sabbath and be prepared to fully receive the Lord's blessing promised to us.
