My perspective on the Sabbath shifted when I first encountered a 7-day Adventist. I was still a Roman Catholic at the time and had never heard of that denomination. So, I questioned him about his practices and beliefs. When he explained his faith, one thing caught my attention: he thought the Sabbath was on a Saturday. I argued a little, and asserted the Sabbath falls on Sunday, the day we worship. But he pulled out his Bible and showed me various Scriptures that proved the Sabbath is indeed on a Saturday. Additionally, he claimed believers should not only worship on Saturday but also refrain from working.
His arguments were so convincing they made me doubt the validity of worshipping on Sundays and working on Saturdays. And even after eight years of being saved and studying Scripture, I still have doubts about the Sabbath. Is the Sabbath even for Christians? Should we observe it on Sunday, Saturday, or any convenient day? Is it sinful to work on the Sabbath? Is any work allowed?
When I approached my current pastor with my questions and doubts, he suggested I read Call the Sabbath a Delight by Walter Chantry. It turned out to be an excellent recommendation!
Call the Sabbath a Delight is a short treatise on the Sabbath that explores the biblical meaning of the Sabbath, its relevance for Christians, and how to observe and keep it holy.
The book has eight chapters. In the first three chapters, Chantry explains three crucial characteristics of the Sabbath: it is holy (Exodus 20:8-11), spiritual (Isaiah 58:13-14), and good (Matthew 12:1-4). Chapters four and five delve into the connection between the New Testament and the fourth commandment and also analyze the disparities in practice between mosaic and Christian Sabbath. Chapter six of the book discusses Chantry’s biblical arguments for Christians to honor the Sabbath. An in the last two chapters, Chantry discusses why Sunday is the Sabbath and offers rebuttals to frequently raised objections against Sabbath observance.
Reading this book was a delightful experience that deepened my understanding of the Sabbath. I love the depth with which Chantry explains the origins of the Sabbath and the robust case he makes for its relevance to Christians. I also liked how he used Jesus’s teachings to provide context and clarify the meaning of the Sabbath. Here are three main takeaways I gained from reading the book.
First, keeping the Sabbath is a moral and spiritual law. Both the Old and New Testaments regard it this way. The Sabbath is not a judicial or ceremonial law that New Testament believers should discard. It is as relevant as the nine other commandments.
Second, the primary purpose of the Sabbath is to devote one full day of the week to worship. Observing the Sabbath is not just dedicating a few hours to the Lord and then focusing on ourselves for the rest of the day. The whole day belongs to the Lord. The main reason for ceasing our labor is to devote time to worshipping God rather than solely for rest and family.
Third, despite the prohibition of work on the Sabbath, Jesus showed three types of works allowed: works of piety, necessity, and mercy. This clarifies whether pastors sin by working on Sunday or if they should observe a different sabbath day.
The part of the book that interested me most was the discussion about which day of the week to observe the Sabbath. And I appreciate Chantry’s dedication of an entire chapter to it. He proposes a compelling case for keeping the Sabbath on Sunday using Hebrews 3-4. His exegesis and explanation made sense, though they were a bit complex. I also like that he addresses apparent contradictions in the Bible about the Sabbath and counterarguments for the Sabbath being on a Sunday.
Overall, Call the Sabbath a Delight was a joyful read that resolved many Sabbath-related doubts. I highly recommend it to any Christian who wants to grow in knowledge and obedience to the fourth commandment.
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 58:13-14
