The Sabbath

28. October 2008 by Bernice Davis.

Hello: 

Here is our text. 

Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” 3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread–which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. 

Today in our text, Jesus uses two Old Testament references to show the religious leaders that he is not the first to do things on the Sabbath if needed.  The examples include an incidence with David and the priests and they were viewed as innocent.  

Let’s look at the story of David concerning the Sabbath and tomorrow we will do the one with the priests. 

Here is the text: 

I Samuel 21:1 David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” 2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, “The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.” 4 But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here–provided the men have kept themselves from women.” 5 David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!” 6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.  

In this particular context, David was running from Saul.   Saul was trying to kill him so technically David wasn’t on a mission from the King, he was actually running for his life and was hungry.  As you can see in the text, it was not lawful for any man to have this bread; it was to be used only by the priests. 

Okay, when I do historical context, I try not to give you too much information because I want you to remember everything because we will tie it all together at the end. 

Tomorrow, we will continue with the references that Jesus made from the Old Testament and then we will learn about what where the laws of the Sabbath so we can understand the claims that the religious leaders made towards Jesus. 

Stay encouraged!!! 

God Bless!!!!!!! 

Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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