Topical Bible: The Sabbath: The Wicked: Work On

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The Sabbath, a day of rest and worship, is a central theme in the Judeo-Christian tradition, established by God as a day of cessation from labor. The commandment to observe the Sabbath is rooted in the creation narrative, where God rested on the seventh day after creating the heavens and the earth (Genesis 2:2-3). The Sabbath is further codified in the Ten Commandments, where it is stated, "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" (Exodus 20:8-10).

Despite the clear command to rest on the Sabbath, Scripture provides numerous examples of the wicked who disregard this divine ordinance and continue their work. This disobedience is often portrayed as a sign of rebellion against God and a lack of reverence for His commandments.

In the prophetic writings, the violation of the Sabbath is frequently highlighted as a symptom of Israel's broader unfaithfulness. The prophet Jeremiah admonishes the people of Jerusalem, saying, "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" (Jeremiah 17:27). Here, the continuation of work on the Sabbath is directly linked to impending judgment.

Nehemiah, during the post-exilic period, also confronts the issue of Sabbath desecration. He observes the people of Judah treading winepresses, bringing in grain, and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. Nehemiah rebukes the nobles of Judah, saying, "What is this wicked thing you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day?" (Nehemiah 13:17). His actions underscore the seriousness with which the Sabbath was to be observed and the wickedness associated with its violation.

The prophet Ezekiel also speaks against those who profane the Sabbath, equating it with idolatry and other abominations. He records God's lament: "Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them" (Ezekiel 22:26). The failure to keep the Sabbath is seen as part of a broader pattern of moral and spiritual corruption.

In the New Testament, the Pharisees often accuse Jesus and His disciples of breaking the Sabbath, though their accusations are based on their own legalistic interpretations rather than the spirit of the law. Jesus challenges these interpretations, emphasizing mercy and the Sabbath's purpose for human benefit: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

The wicked, in their disregard for the Sabbath, demonstrate a heart hardened against God's commands. Their actions serve as a cautionary tale, illustrating the consequences of neglecting the divine order established by God for rest, worship, and reflection.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Nehemiah 13:15
In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

A Work of Reform.
... The work of Sabbath reform to be accomplished in the last ... upon to restore it, by
exalting the Sabbath of the ... Jacob their sins." It is not the wicked world, but ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /26 a work of reform.htm

A Work of Reform
... The work of Sabbath reform to be accomplished in the last ... upon to restore it by exalting
the Sabbath of the ... Jacob their sins." It is not the wicked world, but ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 26 a work of.htm

The False and the True Sabbath.
... mercy to rest upon them." [1656] The Sabbath is mentioned ... again], shall destroy the
time of the wicked man, [1662 ... the Lord, shall be able to work righteousness. ...
/.../barnabas/the epistle of barnabas /chapter xv the false and the.htm

Thou Shalt Sanctify the Holy Day. [Remember the Sabbath Day to ...
... to cease working], or heiligen Abend geben [sanctify the Sabbath]. ... in your heart
unbelief and wicked thoughts against ... pleasing to God than any work of hypocrisy ...
/.../luther/the large catechism/thou shalt sanctify the holy.htm

The Sabbath
... on the Sabbath in the accomplishment of this work is in ... question whether it was lawful
on the Sabbath day to ... He confronted them with their own wicked purposes. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 29 the sabbath.htm

John Chapter ix
... art already in the night, in which no man can work. ... makes confession, and the heart
of the wicked was troubled ... And it was the Sabbath when Jesus made the clay ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xliv john chapter ix.htm

Example.
... the Pharisees, "My Father worketh good on the Sabbath, and therefore I work." Our
Lord ... is because when a father and mother are wicked, their children ...
/.../baring-gould/the village pulpit volume ii trinity to advent/lviii example.htm

The Wicked Man's Life, Funeral, and Epitaph
... till he was past feeling, given up "to work all manner of ... opportunities, and let
the golden hours of their Sabbath-day roll ... "I have seen the wicked buried who ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the wicked mans life funeral.htm

John ix. 6, 7
... the Evangelist remarks, that it was "the Sabbath" ( ver.14 ... in order to point out
their wicked thoughts, and ... and the Jews had said, "Behold what work Jesus doth ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily lvii john ix 6.htm

The Wicked Husbandmen.
... shall it be meet yet for any work, when the ... the vineyard cometh he will destroy those
wicked men, and ... religious liberty, the Bible and the Sabbath, the Church ...
/.../arnot/the parables of our lord/xi the wicked husbandmen.htm