Response to Schreiner on the Sabbath: #3

by Richard Barcellos | Nov 10, 2010 | Biblical Theology, Current Events

I closed my first response to Dr. Schreiner with these words: “In my thinking, there is more to the Sabbath than a temporary function under the old or Mosaic covenant and a foreshadow of eschatological rest that “will be fulfilled on the final day when believers rest from earthly labors” (These are Dr. Schreiner’s words.). In order to see what this “more to the Sabbath” is, a wider, biblical-theological lens must be utilized. I hope to begin to explore the functions of the Sabbath with this wider lens in the next post.”

I closed my second response with these words: “When did the eschatological function of the Sabbath begin? I hope to offer an answer to that question (and others) in my next post.”

Now on to response #3.

When did the eschatological function of the Sabbath begin? Did it begin with the promulgation of the Decalogue? Did it begin with Hebrews 4:1-10? When did the Sabbath begin pointing “to the final rest of the people of God” (Dr. Schreiner’s words)? These are important questions.

Other related questions include these: When did the Sabbath begin? And when it began, what was its basis? And does that basis transcend covenants? Did the Sabbath function eschatologically at its origin? Asking and answering these types of questions with the entire Bible before us will tend to give us a more canonical answer to the Sabbath and its relation to the Christian. Was it an ancient ordinance of old covenant Israel alone? Or does it transcend the covenants and follow the people of God, as Geerhardus Vos says, “…on their march through the ages”? [1]

Like other of the ten commandments, the Sabbath command gets some press prior to Exodus 20. For instance, in Exodus 16:22-30, Israel, prior to the promulgation of the Decalogue and the inauguration of the old covenant, obeyed the Sabbath law by resting “on the seventh day” (Exod. 16:30). God even indicts some Israelites for not keeping the Sabbath commandment (or law) with these words, “How long do you [plural] refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions [or laws; Heb. torah]? See, the LORD has given you the sabbath…” (Exod. 16:28-29). The pronoun “you” is plural. At some point prior to this, God had spoken to Moses or Israel (or someone, we are not told who) and, at least, instituted a wilderness Sabbath for ancient Israel prior to the old covenant (cf. Exod. 16:23). So the Sabbath commandment or law is not uniquely and exclusively an old covenant ordinance. Also note that “Sabbath” [singular] is one of the Lord’s “commandments” [plural] and “laws” [plural].

But is there evidence of a Sabbath prior to the Sabbath of Exodus 16? For the answer to this question we have to go back to the beginning (Genesis) and then to subsequent texts that give us divine comment upon the beginning. What we will see is, not only a Sabbath at the beginning, but an eschatological function of the Sabbath as well that both predates and transcends the old covenant.

More on this in my next post (though I feel like I’m getting myself into writing a blook).

Richard Barcellos

Dr. Richard Barcellos is associate professor of New Testament Studies. He received a B.S. from California State University, Fresno, an M.Div. from The Master’s Seminary, and a Th.M. and Ph.D. from Whitefield Theological Seminary. Dr. Barcellos is pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Palmdale, CA. He is author of Trinity & Creation, The Covenant of Works, and Getting the Garden Right. He has contributed articles to various journals and is a member of ETS.

Courses taught for CBTS: New Testament Introduction, Biblical Hermeneutics, Biblical Theology I, Biblical Theology II.