[grip_daddy]

Ndigila,

The commandments you gave were not written by God Himself but by Moses (see vs 27 onwards). God Himself was to write the words that were in the first tables (see vs 1) which act is NOT recorded in this chapter.

So, my question still remains, why were the ten commandments recorded in chapter 20 treated with specialty?

Those who teach people to keep the Sabbath base their argument like this:

1. Sabbath is part of the ten commandments which God spoke, or said, and wrote. Whoever breaks any of these commandments that James called the royal law, breaks all of the ten laws (see James 2).

2. The Sabbath commandment starts with the word Remember. This word used was the Hebrew word which means to bring into memory that which was in existent and should always be recalled. So Sabbath was existent for man before this day of Sinai.

3. The above is emphasized by the fact that in Exodus 16 those who broke the Sabbath were condemned even before the law was given. The condemnation contain wordings to imply that God's laws were already established which they ought to have kept. The same can be said to be true when God said of Abraham that Abraham kept His laws, commandments, and statutes. So the laws of God goes back to the period of Abraham and even Noah's.

4. Jesus said that the Sabbath was made (the word rendered "made" here should be translated "created") for man, and not man for the Sabbath. It means that the making of the Sabbath day was done for the sake of man.

5. The Sabbath day was added after six days of creation. The word rest found Genesis 2:1-3 comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat from where both Seventh and Rest came from to make the word Sabbath. Here we find God adding a Sabbath (Seventh day rest) to the week to create a weekly circle of seven days. Jesus said that this Seventh day rest was made or created for man.

6. Jesus said that the wordings of Isaiah 58:13-14 applied to Him. "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honourable". The verse identifies the Sabbath as the LORD's holy day, of which Jesus claimed the He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

7. Isaiah 40-66 basically deal with New Covenant Prophecies including the birth of Christ, His ministry, the work of John the baptist, the death of Christ, the spread of the gospel to other nations, and second coming of Christ. In these prophecies we specifically read, "This is what the LORD says, 'Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.'" Isaiah 56:1-2. Reading from chapter 40 will help to keep the words in their prophetic context.

To show that the promise is for all, God continued to state, "these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" vs 7. Please note that since this is a new covenant prophecy after the righteousness of God shall have been revealed (the first coming, ministry and death of Christ), the burnt offerings and sacrifices are what Paul called the prayers of the saints. The same is emphasized in this chapter by God calling his house of prayer to be a house of prayer for all nations. See vs 8.

In summation, the Sabbath was made for man, given for him to REMEMBER that God is the Creator (compare Gen 2:1-3 with Exodus 20:8-11), breaking it is breaking the laws (note the plural) of God, it is part of new covenant prophecy, was said to be made by Jesus (He is the LORD of the Sabbath), was kept by Him (see Luke 4:16), and will be kept in the new earth and the new heavens (see Isaiah 66:22, 23).