I have heard that the ten commandments, and only the ten commandments describe the essence of love, which is the fulfillment of the love commandment taught by Christ Jesus. I would never say that this is far from the truth. Nevertheless, that isn't the complete picture, taking into account the chronology of how God gave the law to Moses. It is very true that the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy is a substantial necessity for us to appreciate the bigger picture of our God's beauty. The Bible says that the law will be written on our hearts instead of tablets of stone, so let's look at the love commandments, and the commandments written on stones as seen in the Bible.
1. Moses wrote the Ten Commandments. They were not written on stone. The stones were offered later.
Exodus 20:8 (KJV)
[SUP]8 [/SUP]Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exodus 24:4 (KJV)
[SUP]4 [/SUP]And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
2. The Commandments written by God on stone pertained to the building of the Temple, and the duties of the Priesthood. This is after the Ten Commandments, plus much more as you will read in chapters 20 through 23. The first things written in stone were directions for the making of the ark of the covenant.
Exodus 24:12 (KJV)
[SUP]12 [/SUP]And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
Exodus 25:10 (KJV)
[SUP]10 [/SUP]And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
Shittim wood is the wood that was used to build Noah's ark. The word "gopher" in the Hebrew language means the directions of what wood is to be used and how to cut it for the purpose of constructing the boat enabling it to be worthy and fit for what its purpose was. You might want to use the time off that God gave us to meditate on that concept. That's what the Sabbath is for.
2 Corinthians 3:3 (KJV)
[SUP]3 [/SUP]Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
Jeremiah 31:33 (KJV)
[SUP]33 [/SUP]But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
3. The heartfelt love for God and our brothers and sisters in Christ is defined in principle in the Old Testament.
Matthew 22:37-40 (KJV)
[SUP]37 [/SUP]Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[SUP]38 [/SUP]This is the first and great commandment.
[SUP]39 [/SUP]And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[SUP]40 [/SUP]On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Deuteronomy 6:1-5 (KJV)
[SUP]1 [/SUP]Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
[SUP]2 [/SUP]That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
[SUP]3 [/SUP]Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
[SUP]5 [/SUP]And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Luke 10:26-28 (KJV)
[SUP]26 [/SUP]He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
[SUP]27 [/SUP]And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
[SUP]28 [/SUP]And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Leviticus 19:15-18 (KJV)
[SUP]15 [/SUP]Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
[SUP]16 [/SUP]Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
[SUP]17 [/SUP]Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
[SUP]18 [/SUP]Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
4. So why is the seventh day of the week, or the Sabbath so important for us, and why would we want to neglect what God made for us?
Mark 2:27-28 (KJV)
[SUP]27 [/SUP]And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
[SUP]28 [/SUP]Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (KJV)
[SUP]2 [/SUP]We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
[SUP]3 [/SUP]Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
At the end of the week, or the end of God seeing us through a difficult circumstance, to glorify God by sharing what we see in the grandeur of our Creator is the substantial purpose of setting all other things aside, and remembering the grace of God, and loving our brothers and sisters enough to share this truth in our lives with them.
Romans 10:4 (KJV)
[SUP]4 [/SUP]For Christ is the end of the law [Sabbath] for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Why did God rest on the seventh day? Because all that He had done the previous 6 days were perfect and good. He wanted to witness His works, and He wants us to witness His works with Him. So He made the seventh day for us to see the same things, and even more, by His Spirit of truth, and security. Let us not degrade this day, for the gift of the Sabbath day is very important for the gift of faith. Is Saturday always the Sabbath? Not really, and neither is Sunday, but we can use either day to do the same thing. Seven is the key number, and it claims the finishing of good things from God. The end.
2 Corinthians 10:15-18 (KJV)
[SUP]15 [/SUP]Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,
[SUP]16 [/SUP]To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.
[SUP]17 [/SUP]But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
[SUP]18 [/SUP]For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.