Topical Bible: The Sabbath: Punishment of Those Who Profane

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Sabbath, a day of rest and worship, is a central tenet in Judeo-Christian tradition, rooted in the creation narrative and the Ten Commandments. The observance of the Sabbath is not only a sign of the covenant between God and His people but also a commandment with serious implications for those who choose to profane it.

Biblical Foundation

The Sabbath is first introduced in Genesis 2:2-3, where God rests on the seventh day after creating the heavens and the earth. This day is sanctified and set apart as holy. The command to observe the Sabbath is later codified in the Ten Commandments, as seen in Exodus 20:8-11: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God."

Punishment for Profaning the Sabbath

The seriousness of Sabbath observance is underscored by the severe penalties prescribed for its violation. In Exodus 31:14-15, the Lord commands, "You must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it must surely be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people. For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death."

This command is not merely theoretical but is demonstrated in the narrative of Numbers 15:32-36. Here, a man found gathering wood on the Sabbath is brought before Moses and Aaron. The Lord instructs Moses that the man must be put to death, and the congregation stones him outside the camp, illustrating the gravity of Sabbath desecration.

Prophetic Warnings

The prophets also emphasize the importance of Sabbath observance and the consequences of its neglect. In Jeremiah 17:27, the Lord warns, "But if you do not listen to Me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in its gates to consume the citadels of Jerusalem."

Ezekiel further highlights the Sabbath as a sign of the covenant and a test of Israel's faithfulness. In Ezekiel 20:13, the Lord laments, "Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes, and they rejected My ordinances, which, if a man does them, he will live by them; and they utterly profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them."

New Testament Context

While the New Testament does not prescribe the same civil penalties for Sabbath-breaking, the principle of honoring the Sabbath remains. Jesus, in His ministry, often confronted the Pharisees over their legalistic interpretation of the Sabbath, emphasizing mercy and the Sabbath's purpose for man's benefit (Mark 2:27). However, the reverence for a day of rest and worship continues to be a significant aspect of Christian practice.

In summary, the biblical narrative consistently underscores the sanctity of the Sabbath and the severe consequences for those who profane it. The Sabbath serves as a perpetual reminder of God's creation, His covenant, and the rest He offers to His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 31:14,15
You shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you: every one that defiles it shall surely be put to death: for whoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 15:32-36
And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks on the sabbath day.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Heinous Sin of Profane Cursing and Swearing
... if he be accustomed to profane the sabbath, he cannot ... weakest of his disciples) how
much sorer punishment will they ... a drop of water to cool those tongues, with ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the heinous sin of profane.htm

Matt. xii. 1
... they profane;") that they not only escape punishment, but are ... this last is both done
every Sabbath, and by ... For when He saith, "those are blameless," He means ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xxxix matt xii 1.htm

God's People Delivered.
... on those who have honored God by keeping His Sabbath holy, there ... will miserably destroy
those wicked men." In the sin and punishment of those unfaithful men ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /40 gods people delivered.htm

God's People Delivered
... on those who have honored God by keeping His Sabbath holy, there ... will miserably destroy
those wicked men." In the sin and punishment of those unfaithful men ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 40 gods people delivered.htm

From the Second to the Fourth Commandment
... Sunday is well spent by those who, after hearing Mass, devote some part of ... say we
must, it would be more of a punishment than a ... 356 Q. Are the Sabbath day and ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 32 from the second.htm

On Assembling in the Church.
... and fortieth, but principally on the Sabbath-day. ... as are able to deliver from eternal
punishment, and has ... to those "dens of thieves," calling those things holy ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec vii on assembling in the.htm

A Sermon on the Parable of a King that Married his Son, Made by ...
... here, or else in the other world, where the punishment shall be ... God threateneth his
fearful wrath and anger unto those which do profane his sabbath-day. ...
/.../latimer/sermons on the card and other discourses/a sermon on the parable.htm

Appendix viii. Rabbinic Traditions About Elijah, the Forerunner of ...
... him as a Benjamite, from Jerusalem, one of those who sat in ... once procured for him
in heaven the punishment of fiery ... come on the eve of either a Sabbath or feast ...
/.../appendix viii rabbinic traditions about.htm

The Curse Removed
... thou mayest never have desecrated his Sabbath; yet, insomuch ... be greater in God's
sight than those which the ... and death for death, and punishment for punishment ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 57 1911/the curse removed.htm

Letter xi. Mental Cultivation. Reading.
... brought forth by itself, than by those produced by ... chiefly, practical subjects; which
your Sabbath-school lessons ... brought upon men for the punishment of their ...
/.../letter xi mental cultivation reading.htm