Matthew 12:11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
Mark 3:1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
Luke 6: 6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and aught: and there was a man whose right hand was
withered.
7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.
8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
These particular passages have been interpreted or in some cases, misinterpreted to mean that which God never intended, and now is the time that the truth in the matter has to be made plain, because the Sabbath will be the great point of controversy, during the final conflict.
As we stated in two previous studies, the prince of darkness is currently preparing a major assault on the Remnant people of God, using those opening passages to confuse many minds, and minimize or eliminate the sacredness of the Sabbath.
And, if persons are not rooted, and grounded in the Living Word, and the written word, they could, and would be swept off their feet with those logical and user-friendly misinterpretations the devil specializes in. In our day as in the days of Christ he employs the Bible to bring in his fanciful misinterpretations.
We haven’t begun the Bible study as yet, and we are already in trouble. According to the various secular and Greek renditions, the words Good/Well can be interpreted to mean almost anything. Something that is beneficial to the human family will fall under the banner of Good/Well.
So, because of this, the study for today will be clear cut, as to what The Lord requires of us, as it pertains to the keeping of the Sabbath. Because the theory of evolution, and science in general have dismissed God from the human equation, it is of very critical importance, that the Remnant get this one right.
And, because of this those who are now tasked with repairing the breach of the 4th commandment, must not themselves be found making new breaches. And they must have an intelligent knowledge of what is at stake, while at the same time, practicing the truth given as the last call to earth’s inhabitants.
The words Well/Good can mean a number of things depending on whether the persons in question are sincerely seeking to please the Lord or whether they are looking for loopholes to avoid rendering to God, the things which are God’s.
God is a Spirit, and the motives and deep purposes of the heart are brought into the equation when He has to evaluate our actions. In the very same Bible, you will read of apparently conflicting passages, but when they are studied line upon line, precept upon precept, the beauty, and harmony of the Bible will be made manifest.
We are not to bring any private interpretation to the study of God’s word, instead, we are to let the Bible speak authoritatively for itself, correcting instructing and guiding us as the case may warrant.
Even if you may not like the Biblical interpretation or it might rub you the wrong way, it’s better to leave it alone intact, instead of twisting and turning it to suit our various preferences. Let’s read:
2nd Peter 1:19 We have also a more-sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the day star arises in your hearts.
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
To Do Well / To Do Good, come from the root word: ἀγαθοποιέω (agathopoieó): It is a compound word meaning "to do good", or "to show oneself as beneficent", or "to do well and do right"
Strong’s commentary gives this rendition of Good/ Well: (Rightly): καλῶς (kalos / kalōs) – Strong's G2573. An adverb meaning "well," "rightly," "honorably," or "in a fine or noble manner" (It is often paired with the word poiein or used to describe doing good deeds).
So, what falls under the umbrella of being good and well? A cursory reading of the passages could lead a person to go away thinking that those words could be interpreted to mean just about anything that is good. Think about it for a moment! There are a lot of things that can converge under those two words, Good and Well.
Let’s take a few “Goods” and a few “Wells” from the Bible as we begin a deep dive into the passages. Let’s read:
Ruth 2: 21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, you shall keep close by my young men until they have ended all my harvest.
22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.
23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother-in law.
This was something good, noble and necessary that Ruth was doing, because herself and her mother-in law, Naomi had fallen on hard times, so she went to the harvests of Boaz to find some food. Should she, in her desperation continue to reap over the sacred hours of the Sabbath seeing that she was doing that which is inherently good?
Would the saying of Christ, about doing well on the Sabbath, make allowance for her? All she was doing was trying to work for her daily bread, something that is good, and actually enjoined in the Scriptures. Let’s read:
2nd Thessalonians 3: 10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Ruth was not walking disorderly at all. She did not stay at home, praying for some miracle to bring her food out of the thin air. Instead, she manifested the diligence and industry enjoined in Thessalonians 3 by making well directed efforts to provide for their needs.
Now, seeing that the Bible says that working for our daily bread is good, would that then fall under the umbrella of doing Good/Well on the Sabbath day. If for instance your job may require you to work extra hours, because of staffing shortages, is that good or well according to our opening passages?
Now brethren, it is very important that we observe the context carefully before we proceed, because in two of the opening passages, Jesus used the phrase: “To save life”. Thus, the logical question is what type of jobs fall into that category? Let’s read:
Mark 3: 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
Some may argue that Christ was referring to things which are essential to the well-being of man, and that might be true to a certain extent, but the truth is that almost every job we know of can be made to fall into that category, some more, some less.
For instance, those who work in the medical field are directly involved in saving life, but there many other lines of work which are associated with the administration of medicines, either directly, or in some cases indirectly. We are referring directly to the support systems that are related to the medical field. Let’s read:
Mark 2:3 And they came unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
In our day, it’s very unlikely that you would ever see something like this, because persons who are tasked with bringing the sick usually use ambulances.
There are pharmacies, the ambulance drivers, the billing department, the ones who take care of the garbage, because all medical facilities must be kept clean at all times. Then there are the security guards who protect the facilities, and the mechanics who repair the elevators and ambulances.
Now, if for some unknown reason, one of those old ambulances were to shut down on the road the tow truck driver would also have to be called out to do a good work, and when Tripple AAA finally brings it back to the shop, those folks who work at Car Shield may have to come out to inspect the damage before they order the repairs.
And if they do, the salespersons at Advance Auto Parts or Napa, would also be doing a good work, by providing the needed parts for the repair, since the ambulance has to be back on the road as soon as possible, in order to save life.
Remember, the four men who brought the sick man are being replaced with what is considered normal, and necessary, to bring sick persons to the medical facility. I guess the gas stations may get a pass too, if the ambulances use diesel, because the supporting systems for “Bringing” could be indirectly tied to the Good/Well we read of in our opening passages.
And we are just touching the tip of the iceberg, for there are lots of other essential services, and jobs just waiting in the wings to join the line, under the umbrella of Good/Well. There are cooks, caterers, janitors, and laundry personnel.
There are electricians who may be called out to do a good work, for individuals and facilities which have lost power, there are mechanics who might also be called upon to do a good work over the Sabbath, to help fix a car that has shut down on the I95.
Then there are pilots and flight attendants and folks who refuel the jets, and other persons, whose job description is to make sure that passengers are safe to travel, such as your air traffic controllers, who by extension are indirectly involved in saving life.
Then there are TSA workers, who do screening, to prevent another 9/11 and there are roofers who may be called out to fix a leaking roof at a Nursing Home or an assisted living facility.
Then there is law enforcement, and firefighters and water purification specialists who monitor the water we drink, to make sure it is not contaminated with algae and sewage, as is so often the case in Broward County. All of these are good, and they contribute in some measure to the well-being of man.
And we haven’t even touched on the issue of your education, because it is good for persons to get an education no doubt, therefore, if you are doing your Bachelor’s, or your Master’s, and your classes were to fall over the sacred hours, will you also get a pass, under the words Good/Well, and if so, should folks attend?
Some years ago, we forgot to pay our electric bill on time, and we only remembered afterward that the cutoff date was on the Sabbath since the final notice had gone out. Should we then pay it on the Sabbath to avoid being disconnected, knowing that if we did not, the air conditioning would not work.
In addition, we would have to pay a reconnection fee? After all, I think we could also force it into the category of doing something good or well.
One passage in the Scripture goes like this: Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper, and be in health, even as your soul prospers.
Therefore, the Christian being in good health is a good thing no doubt, so, could I then book a Zumba class at L.A Fitness, with a clear conscience or can I go train at some gym before I come to church? After all, it’s something Good/Well.
Thus, if we were to paint those words, Good/ Well with a broad brush, we will encompass almost every known job on the planet, that is inherently good, or that is directly, or indirectly tethered to saving life. The question is, where will it end?
Therefore, without the word of God, and the Holy Ghost to guide us, every person listening today will find an equal place under those cryptic words: It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath.
This is the reason why The Lord is letting us know that the prince of darkness is preparing a massive assault for persons who haven’t understood what Christ is saying when He declares: It is lawful to do Good/Well on the Sabbath day. Let’s read:
[2SP pp 87] Satan is a diligent student of the Bible, and much better acquainted with the prophecies than many religious teachers. He has ever kept well-informed concerning the revealed purposes of God, that he might defeat the plans of the Infinite.
[Testimonies Vol. 5, pp 707] I have been shown that many who profess to have a knowledge of present truth know not what they believe.
When the time of trial shall come, there are men now preaching to others who will find, upon examining the positions they hold, that there are many things for which they can give no satisfactory reason.
And there are many in the church who take it for granted that they understand what they believe; but, until controversy arises, they do not know their own weakness.
When separated from those of like faith and compelled to stand singly and alone to explain their belief, they will be surprised to see how confused are their ideas of what they had accepted as truth.
As was stated previously in another Bible study, the prince of darkness is preparing a major assault on Sabbath keepers, using our opening passages, for he is coming fully armed with the Scripture as he often does.
And, the issues being presented this evening are not farfetched by any means for they have already taken place, and will resurface with a vengeance when the mark of the beast and the issue of true worship take center stage across the entire globe. Let’s read:
[4LTMS, MS 27, 1885] Elder Matteson has not given to our people a correct example. He has sent his children to school upon the Sabbath, and to justify his course has used the words of Christ, “It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.” [Matthew 12:12.]
He may urge the same reason why men should work on the Sabbath, because they must earn bread to feed their children; and there is no boundary line to tell what should and should not be done upon the Sabbath.
So, what does God say in the matter, and how could we honor Him by an intelligent understanding, and expression of our faith? Remember, Revelation 13 & 14 deal expressly with the issue of worship and thus the Sabbath keeping Christian in our day must have clear, concise views on Sabbath keeping, in order to avoid a Bible wielding devil. Let’s read:
Isaiah 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Exodus 20: 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work.
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
[P&P pp 307] Acts of necessity and mercy are permitted on the Sabbath, the sick and suffering are at all times to be cared for; but unnecessary labor is to be strictly avoided.
Those who discuss business matters or lay plans on the Sabbath are regarded by God as though engaged in the actual transaction of business. To keep the Sabbath holy, we should not even allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character.
Let’s say the dealership called me for work over the Sabbath, because of an emergency with a customer and I answered my phone telling them that I cannot work over the sacred hours, but then I told them I would be there, first thing Monday morning, I would have laid plans during the Sabbath, and according to the prophet of God, I actually did the transaction on the Sabbath. Let’s read:
[Test. Vol. 6 pp 355] On Friday, let preparation for the Sabbath be completed. See that all the clothing is in readiness and that all the cooking is done. Let the boots be blacked and the baths be taken.
The Sabbath is not to be given to the repairing of garments, to the cooking of food, to pleasure seeking, or to any other worldly employment. Before the setting of the sun let all secular work be laid aside and all secular papers be put out of sight.
The following therefore is the unadulterated word of God on the matter, and we should let the Bible speak for itself. As we read, remember that Jesus is The God of both the Old and New Testaments, so if there are any lingering questions, the one will shed light on the other. Let’s read:
Numbers 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 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.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.
Question: Why was this man gathering sticks on the Sabbath? He was doing so to kindle a fire, but it was not necessary because at that time, Christ, the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night took care of regulating the temperature, so that they did not suffer from any extreme cold or heat. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 408] Soon after the return into the wilderness, an instance of Sabbath violation occurred, under circumstances that rendered it a case of peculiar guilt.
One of the people, angry at being excluded from Canaan, and determined to show his defiance of God’s law, ventured upon the open transgression of the fourth commandment by going out to gather sticks upon the Sabbath.
During the sojourn in the wilderness the kindling of fires upon the 7th day had been strictly prohibited. The prohibition was not to extend to the land of Canaan, where the severity of the climate would often render fires a necessity; but in the wilderness, fire was not needed for warmth.
The act of this man was a willful and deliberate violation of the fourth commandment—a sin, not of thoughtlessness or ignorance, but of presumption.
Exodus 16: 22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
23 And he said unto them, this is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which you will bake today, and seethe that you will seethe; and that which remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
[3SG pp 253] Those who neglect to prepare for the Sabbath on the sixth day, and who cook food upon the Sabbath, violate the fourth commandment, and are transgressors of God’s law. All who are really anxious to observe the Sabbath according to the commandment, will not cook any food upon the Sabbath.
God forbade the children of Israel from baking and boiling upon the Sabbath. That prohibition should be regarded by every Sabbath-keeper, as a solemn injunction from Jehovah to them.
Even though there has been a great departure from what The Lord has instructed on the sanctity of the Sabbath, God does not condemn us for our failures. All He is doing is calling us to repentance, and thus, preparing His people for prime time.
The days that are ahead, where Revelation 13 & 14 are set to take center stage, cannot and should not find the Remnant in the fuzzies as it pertains to the Sabbath, where persons are not sure whether we’re Sabbath keeping Christians or not.
Now, we all know those favorite arguments against Sabbath observance, such as legalism and works. It is none of the above, for God desires us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Therefore, anything which may distract our attention from keeping the Sabbath in the right spirit, will need to be addressed.
The following therefore are godly counsels, given to us so that we may make the necessary changes that may be warranted. Earnest prayer for God to guide us in this matter, and a sincere desire to do His will is of the utmost importance to coming to the right conclusions and decisions.
[1] Your first interview with a prospective employer.
For individuals who work in other jobs which might not be directly linked to saving life as Jesus specified in our opening passages, be straight, and upfront in your first interview with your prospective employer. Avoid beating around the bush, by leaving the issue of the Sabbath for after you have gotten the job.
Your employer in some instances may not take too kindly to you telling them after the fact, and God is never honored when we hide the truth under a bushel. Be a straight shooter and let the prospective employers know that you will not be available for work under any circumstances, no matter how urgent it is.
Now, you might be wondering why should we be so clear cut, as to leave no wiggle room. The reason is that if you leave any wiggle room, the devil will find a way to wiggle himself into your business, and your employer might mistakenly understand your wiggle room to mean that your Sabbath is up for grabs, if the right set of circumstances or emergencies were to converge.
And if you waver on the issue once, it will be much easier to waver on the same point again and again. Furthermore, whenever Sabbath keeping Christians do not clearly state their case up front, it may inhibit God’s working in a marvelous manner for you, if and when you run into trouble.
Many years ago, I had an interview for a well-paying job, and as the prospective employer went through the various questions, he decided to hire me. I then told him in that first interview that I would never be working on the Sabbath, for any reason, no matter how urgent, because that’s God’s holy day.
His countenance fell, like Cain, and he told me that Saturday was his busiest day of the week, so that I would be required to show up if I wanted the job. I then informed him that there is no wiggle room on the issue, so he bade me farewell, and I left without the job.
That interview took place on Friday. Lo and behold, first thing on Monday morning, he called me back, and told me to come on over for the job, because if a person is willing to lose a good paying job over the Sabbath issue, they wanted such a person on their team.
Then he added, that after thinking about it, he had understood why it was so important to me, because he himself was a Jew, knowing that the Sabbath is God’s holy day. Very often, in those first interviews, persons waver, so that The Lord does not know if we are coming or going. Let’s read:
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he who wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
[2] Wherever possible, ask if a substitute could fill in for you, or if possible, if you could make up your hours on another day.
There are times when someone might be willing to substitute for you, so that you can have the Sabbath day off to worship God. Pray about it, and ask those who are in charge. It may be that they would let you off the hook, or that some other arrangements will be made to accommodate you.
Remember that God looks at your intentions and at your heart, so that if it is sincerely in your mind to serve God, He might just send you a Cherub to turn things in your favor. Let’s read:
Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the river of water he turns it whithersoever he will.
[3] To those who are directly involved in saving life, such as doctors, nurses and everything in between.
If your purpose is to serve God in sincerity and truth as the fourth commandments says, you should do everything possible to minimize unnecessary work so that your mind can be stayed on The Lord, even as you attend to the sick and the suffering.
As is clearly stated by the prophet of God, the sick are to be cared for at all times, but over the Sabbath great care should be taken to avoid conversations, and work that isn’t directly tied to the saving of life or the healing of the sick. If the heart is right, the actions will follow suit. Let’s read:
[17 LTMS, MS 154, 1902, par. 17] Those who act as managers and overseers in our sanitariums are not to make the world’s policy their criterion; for the sign of God, as defined in (Exodus 31:12-18), is to be revealed in all its comprehensive meaning.
The proper observance of the Sabbath day by all connected with our sanitariums will exert an untold influence for good. Every medical institution established by Seventh-day Adventists is to bear God’s sign before the world prominently, without disguising the facts in any way.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that will enable us to face the many headwinds that are scheduled for the last days of earth’s history, and it is the will of God that as His peculiar people, we will stand immovable, as the heat of the furnace would be ratcheted up several notches. Let’s read:
2nd Chronicles 16: 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
God Bless!