When giving a sermon regarding the proper observance of the Sabbath, a prominent minister in the Church of God addressed the issue of going to restaurants on this day. It was clear from his message that he saw nothing wrong with this practice. At one point, this pastor actually suggested that the complex nature of our world today makes it impossible to keep the Sabbath as prescribed in the scriptures. He specifically noted God’s instructions regarding buying and selling.
    This man did not dispute the fact that in the Old Testament, buying and selling on the Sabbath went contrary to the scriptures. However, based on the nature of our contemporary world, not buying and selling would be so impractical as to actually be a stumbling block to God’s people.
    According to this pastor, God’s people today often buy and sell on the Sabbath without even realizing it. He cited as proof the fact that most homes in the modern world are equipped with utilities such as gas, electricity, and water. This minister contended that as a result of using these services on the Sabbath, God’s people not only pay for them, but also make it necessary for utility companies to support their service with manpower on this day – a practice which technically violates God’s instruction prohibiting others such as “the stranger within thy gates” (Ex. 20:10) from working on behalf of His people on the Sabbath.
    This highly respected minister has advanced a very unusual stream of logic in his argument. His reasoning is based on the premise that because you do not have authority over that which is beyond your control, you do not have to exercise such authority over that which is within your control. Therefore, buying and selling on the Sabbath is permissible in today’s world. It is interesting that this identical argument has been used prolifically by the Protestant world as justification for not keeping the Sabbath at all.

Rationalizing a Tradition

    It is difficult to regard this argument as anything other than a brazen attempt to rationalize a practice that is nowhere supported in scripture. In essence, it is using technology and progress to invalidate God’s word. Following this argument to its logical conclusion, this minister is suggesting that if the world during the days of Nehemiah was as technologically advanced as it is today, Nehemiah would never have prohibited vendors from entering into Jerusalem and selling their goods on the Sabbath. Does anyone really believe this would be the case?
   To illustrate how foolish such an argument is, consider how it could be used with respect to eating unclean foods. The argument would go something like this: Because all foods at restaurants are prepared on common working surfaces, clean foods come in contact with unclean foods. Therefore microscopic particles of unclean meats will attach themselves to the steak you just enjoyed at that five star restaurant. This being the case, you might as well order that lobster because you probably had some of it with the meal you just finished.
   Would such an argument ever persuade you to order a ham sandwich the next time you go to a restaurant? Of course not! Because it is obvious that God expects His people to exercise authority over things they can control, not things they can’t. The choice of what you eat as well as when you eat it falls within that control. If you wouldn’t eat a ham sandwich because God’s law forbids it, why would you buy and sell on His Sabbath – which is forbidden by the same God?
   The plain truth regarding eating out at restaurants on the Sabbath is revealed not only in the words of Nehemiah, but also in the example of God’s people throughout the Bible. There is not a hint that any of the champions of the faith engaged in such a practice.
    It is true that Jesus’ apostles picked corn on the Sabbath (Mt.12:1-8), but noticeably absent from this act was any attempt by Jesus or the apostles to buy it. Furthermore, at no time did they try to hire others to pick it for them and prepare it. What the disciples were doing was tantamount to plucking an apple from a tree and enjoying a piece of fruit during a Sabbath walk. This act may have offended the Pharisees but it did not offend the scriptures. To compare this to going to a restaurant on the Sabbath is like comparing it to harvesting crops on the Sabbath. It simply is not what happened.
   To the minister who advanced the argument of “a complex world,” consider the following questions concerning the millennial Kingdom God’s Sabbath pictures:

Will there be technology in the Kingdom? The scriptures suggest the answer is Yes.

 

Will homes in the Kingdom enjoy advances in technology? Again, the scriptures suggest the answer is Yes.

 

Will restaurants be open on the Sabbath during the Millennium? And will God’s people dine in them on the seventh day? Here, the scriptures are also clear.

    Regardless of how technologically advanced God’s kingdom will be, one thing is for certain: His great moral code, the Ten Commandments, will be in effect, and His people will honor every one of them as He directs – including the fourth.