Tablets of Stone

Chapter Six
The Seventh Day Sabbath Was
The Sign Of The Mosaic Covenant!

Because the Tablets of Stone were a distinct covenant, they were accompanied with a specific "covenant sign." We are aware that very few writers or preachers ever think of the Sabbath as the sign of the covenant written on the Tablets of Stone. However, this is not because the Word of God was not both clear and emphatic on this point. One of the questions that is nearly always asked when the Sabbath is discussed goes something like this:

"If the Sabbath was not part of the 'moral law,' then why was it included on the Tablets of Stone as one of the Ten Commandments?"

We could only wish that every question that we are asked was as easy to answer as this one. The Sabbath was the sign of the covenant and therefore it had to be part of the covenant document of which it was the sign. The answer is just that simple.

The following texts not only show us that the Sabbath was the sign of the covenant given at Sinai, they also show the great importance of the Sabbath sign:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. Ex 31:12-18

This text establishes these facts:

1.The Ten Commandments are synonymous with "Tables of Stone" and the two "tables of testimony" in this passage. They are the actual covenant document that established Israel's special national status with God. "two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God."

2.The Sabbath, or Fourth Commandment, was the sign of the covenant. "the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath . . . for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever."

3.The sign of the covenant, or Sabbath, stands for the whole covenant. To break the sign is to despise the entire covenant. "keep the Sabbath . . . for a perpetual covenant."

4.The covenant was made only with the nation of Israel. " ..........the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath .......... It is a sign between me and the children of Israel ........."

5.The essence of the Sabbath commandment was to refrain from all physical work. "whosoever doeth any work . . . Six days may work be done, but the seven is the sabbath of rest . . . whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death."

The following passage from Ezekiel is helpful at this point. It not only shows that the Sabbath was the sign of the covenant written on the Tables of Stone, it also shows that this particular commandment was so important only because it was the covenant's sign. Read the text carefully:

And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man DO, he shall even live in them. 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. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: THEN I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out. Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my SABBATHS: for their heart went after their idols. Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness. But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my SABBATHS; and they shall be a SIGN between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. Ezek 20:12-20

Notice the "then" in verse 13 and its connection to vs 16 and 20. Israel committed many and grievous sins but it was not until they "profaned the sabbath" that they went into captivity. Again, this shows that breaking the "sign" of the covenant was the same as despising the whole covenant. Profaning the Sabbath was the worst possible sin that an Israelite could commit. One of Israel's captivities was measured in terms of how many years they had refused to observe the sabbath year law and leave the land lay idle (Cf Jer 29:10 and II Chron 36:21). It is obvious that the most important of the Ten Commandments, as far as it involved judgment, was the fourth and its importance lay solely in the fact that it was the sign of the covenant. The fact that the judgment of captivity for seventy years was for breaking the Sabbath year law shows that all of the Sabbaths were just as holy as the Seventh Day Sabbath. Perhaps it would be well to look at a few passages that demonstrate the importance of a covenant's sign. It will help us to understand the apparent "out of proportion" punishment in several instances.

Why was picking up some sticks a capital offense?

For a long time we pondered the awful severity of God's judgment on a man for merely picking up some sticks. It was not until we understood the things we are discussing in this book that we realized what a horrible sin the man had committed. Here is passage:

And while the children of israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto moses and aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the lord said unto moses, the man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the lord commanded moses. Num 15:32-36

This was not a "tough on the first case as an example to others" action by God. Picking up sticks was one of the worst possible sins that the man could commit under the Old Covenant because he was breaking the "sign" of the covenant and thereby disavowing the entire covenant. The Sabbath was to Israel's relationship with God exactly what a wedding ring is to a marriage relationship. They are both visible signs of a covenant. The ring is a "sign" of the obligation to keep the covenant vows just taken in the ceremony. To take off the ring, throw it at the other person, and walk away would be to deny the entire marriage relationship. This is exactly what Sabbath breaking was under the Old Covenant since it was the sign of that covenant. Breaking the Sabbath disannulled the whole covenant relationship with God. Profaning the Sabbath was denying all of the vows taken at Mt Sinai. It was the same as deliberately spitting in God's face and then, in defiant self-sufficiency and rebellion, walking away and doing some physical work.

A comparison of the Mosaic covenant with other covenants shows that the seventh day Sabbath was the sign of the Mosaic covenant.

Every major covenant will always have a covenant sign. When we compare the language used in the Bible in the establishment of several covenants, it shows us that the Ten Commandments were a distinct and separate covenant. The texts also establish beyond question that the Sabbath was the sign of the covenant given to Israel at Sinai. Look at the following comparisons:

Noahaic covenant - "...this is the sign of the covenant I have established..." Gen 9:8-17 NIV

Abrahamic covenant - "This is my covenant.....you are to undergo circumcision, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and you." Gen 17:11 NIV

Mosaic covenant - "...you must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come....The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath for the generations to come as a lasting covenant." Ex 31:12-18 NIV

We can no more deny that God made a separate covenant with Moses than we can deny that He made a separate covenant with Abraham. Likewise, we can no more deny that the Sabbath was the sign of covenant that was written on the Tables of Stone than we can deny that the rainbow is the sign of the covenant made with Noah or circumcision the sign of the Abrahamic covenant.

A comparison of the two different reasons for keeping the Sabbath day holy helps us to understand the purpose of the "sign" of the covenant.

The phrase "as the Lord thy God commanded thee" following the commandment to keep the seventh day holy is found in Dt 5:12 but the same phrase is not found in Ex 20:8. It is obvious why it is not the other way around. This phrase in Dt 5:12 can not possibly be referring back to Creation. It has to refer to Ex 20:8 since this commandment was not given until Sinai. God did not "command" Adam to keep the Sabbath but He did, at Mt Sinai, command Israel to keep the Sabbath as the sign of the covenant that He had just made with them. Another reason that it is impossible to make the statement "as the Lord thy God commanded thee" in Dt 5:12 refer back to Genesis is the specific reason this particular version of the Ten Commandments gives for keeping the Sabbath. Dt 5:15 does not even mention God resting at Creation. It specifically gives the redemption from Egypt as the reason that Israel was to "remember the Sabbath." How could God possibly have given a commandment in the Garden of Eden to remember Israel's deliverance from Egypt? Imagine either Adam or Abraham being commanded to "Remember the Sabbath day because I delivered you from bondage in Egypt." It would not have a bit of sense.

What do we "remember" at the Lord's Table?

What should we see emphasized in the word's our Lord gave us when He instituted the remembrance sign and service of the New Covenant? How should we feel when we read or hear the following words:

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. I Cor 11:25-26

What should we feel as we "remember" the truth symbolized in the emblems (bread and wine) of the remembrance service celebrating the New Covenant? It would seem that our hearts should feel the liberty and joy of assurance of forgiveness. A feeling of either bondage or fear have no rightful place in our hearts as we rejoice in the memory of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins. When we remember His promise to come again, hope and joy should fill our minds and emotions.

What a different feeling we would get if we were 7th Day Adventists and "remembered" the reason for our worshipping on the Sabbath (Saturday) instead of the Lord's Day? We would think of God our Creator and Law Giver and the law covenant written on the Tablets of the Covenant. Our meeting on Saturday (the Sabbath) would be honoring the sign of the covenant under which we were worshipping. We would remind ourselves of the just covenant claims that He demanded of us. The Tablets of Stone would still be the written code against us because of our sin. As our minds went back to the Old Covenant (Ten Commandments), we would smell the smoke from Sinai and hear its terrible thunder and roar. However, this is the exact experience that Sinai was supposed to produce in the conscience of those who were under it as a covenant! This was the stated purpose for which God gave that law in the first place. And the purpose of the Sabbath sign was to remind of those covenant terms. And the Scripture no where changes the purpose and function of either covenant or its sign.

The God designed function of the Tables of Stone, or Ten Commandments was conviction and fear not joy and hope. The same moral rules that furnish our minds with help in pleasing our heavenly Father functioned in the conscience of an Israelite as the condemning covenant of life and death (II Cor 3:6-18) of their covenant God. However, we must remember that this was God's declared intention in giving the Tablets of Stone in the first place. Perhaps a chart comparing the remembrance signs and services of the two covenants will help make clear what we are saying:

The moment we see the clear contrast that Christ is making when instituting the remembrance service for celebrating the New Covenant, everything falls into place. When Jesus said "THIS do in remembrance of ME" He was contrasting the New Covenant, and its remembrance sign, with the Old Covenant, and its remembrance sign. He was saying, "Instead of keeping the Sabbath in remembrance of the old creation and Israel's redemption, THIS do in remembrance of Me and the deliverance I have accomplished."

The Old Covenant bound men to God as their Creator and Lawgiver and celebrated the work of the old creation. The New Covenant binds us to God as our Redeemer through our Lord Jesus Christ and celebrates the work of the new creation. The one reminds us of sin and the other reminds of forgiveness. Read I Cor 11:25- 27 and emphasize the word "this" and think of the contrast that Christ is making between the Old Covenant that He replaced and the New Covenant that He established.