This text is used often to promote a position that the 7th day Sabbath is only a Shadow. lets see.
lets pick it up in verse 14.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
what is blotted out?
Handwriting of ordinances. To those who know the Old Testament this would straight away lead them to the sacrificial feast days of the law written by Moses own hand passed down by God.
Deu 31:24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
Deu 31:25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
Deu 31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
notice it is a witness against them written by Moses own hand and placed on the side of the ark.
now notice this:
Num 9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.
Num 9:12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.
So we see that the feast days are referred to as Ordinances.
lets take a look at the verse again.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
So the sacrificial feasts which Moses wrote by his own hand were ordinances that were a witness against them. very clear if we study and know the Old Testament in which Paul is clearly referring to. but just in case that is not clear enough.
Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
notice the law had a shadow of good things to come. what law?
Paul says the sacrificial laws. what were they replaced with?
Heb 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Through Jesus death on the cross there is now no need for sacrificial offerings or feast days. they were a shadow says Paul of things to come.
So again Paul is clear that the sacrificial feasts are in view as a shadow that is met in Christ.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
so very clear. So what does Paul say next?
Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
so in His death he defeated Satan and his followers and triumphed over them. then he says the commonly used verses.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
notice verse 17 ends with it was a shadow of things to come but the body is Christ again context shows that Paul is speaking of this shadow as he did in Hebrews, so then verse 16 would refer to the sacrificial feast days. lets take a look.
Lev 23:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
Ok this is concerning the feasts of the Lord which are Holy Convocations also known as Holy Days.
then notice what happens in the next verse,
Lev 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
notice God speaks of the 7th day Sabbath and refers to it as "the" Sabbath of rest twice which in Hebrew means emphasis on the fact. It is not a Sabbath its "the" Sabbath. when the word "the" is used it means this Sabbath is a specific Sabbath, not just any Sabbath. why because while the feast were on they had their own Sabbath days but "the" weekly Sabbath stood apart from these and was to still be kept even when the Feast was on.
Feast Sabbaths happened on dates while the weekly Sabbath fell every 7th day. Feast Sabbaths could be on whatever day the date of the Feast fell. it was connected to the Feast itself while the 7th day Sabbath was considered "the" Sabbath of the Lord. thus it was both in the book of the law and also in the 10 Commandments in the ark.
Lev 23:4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Then God goes back to the feasts. this shows that God gave particular importance to the 7th day Sabbath which was not to be set aside during Feast times.
Notice what is involved in feast times.
Lev 23:37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
notice meat offerings and drink offerings
Lev 23:38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
notice there were also Sabbaths involved in the feast days and the holy days. For example
Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Lev 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
the first day was to be a Sabbath as well as the seventh day of the feast of unleavened bread. Two Sabbaths that were not the 7th day Sabbath. anyway I could go on, this is enough to do ones own study from here.
Clearly Paul was speaking of the feast days every description Paul gives fits the sacrificial Feast days.
On top of that point one only has to make the realization that the 7th day Sabbath looks back as a memorial not forward as a shadow.
case in point
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
God blesses 7th day and sets it apart from other days and rests.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 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:
remember to "keep" we do not make anything Holy but we are asked to remember the day God made holy. why?
Exo 20:11 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.
God points us back "memorial" to creation when He rested and blessed the Sabbath and made it Holy.
So there is no way one can apply the 7th day Sabbath in Colossians 2.
May God bless us all in Jesus name.
lets pick it up in verse 14.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
what is blotted out?
Handwriting of ordinances. To those who know the Old Testament this would straight away lead them to the sacrificial feast days of the law written by Moses own hand passed down by God.
Deu 31:24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
Deu 31:25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,
Deu 31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
notice it is a witness against them written by Moses own hand and placed on the side of the ark.
now notice this:
Num 9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.
Num 9:12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.
So we see that the feast days are referred to as Ordinances.
lets take a look at the verse again.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
So the sacrificial feasts which Moses wrote by his own hand were ordinances that were a witness against them. very clear if we study and know the Old Testament in which Paul is clearly referring to. but just in case that is not clear enough.
Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
notice the law had a shadow of good things to come. what law?
Paul says the sacrificial laws. what were they replaced with?
Heb 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Through Jesus death on the cross there is now no need for sacrificial offerings or feast days. they were a shadow says Paul of things to come.
So again Paul is clear that the sacrificial feasts are in view as a shadow that is met in Christ.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
so very clear. So what does Paul say next?
Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
so in His death he defeated Satan and his followers and triumphed over them. then he says the commonly used verses.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
notice verse 17 ends with it was a shadow of things to come but the body is Christ again context shows that Paul is speaking of this shadow as he did in Hebrews, so then verse 16 would refer to the sacrificial feast days. lets take a look.
Lev 23:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
Ok this is concerning the feasts of the Lord which are Holy Convocations also known as Holy Days.
then notice what happens in the next verse,
Lev 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
notice God speaks of the 7th day Sabbath and refers to it as "the" Sabbath of rest twice which in Hebrew means emphasis on the fact. It is not a Sabbath its "the" Sabbath. when the word "the" is used it means this Sabbath is a specific Sabbath, not just any Sabbath. why because while the feast were on they had their own Sabbath days but "the" weekly Sabbath stood apart from these and was to still be kept even when the Feast was on.
Feast Sabbaths happened on dates while the weekly Sabbath fell every 7th day. Feast Sabbaths could be on whatever day the date of the Feast fell. it was connected to the Feast itself while the 7th day Sabbath was considered "the" Sabbath of the Lord. thus it was both in the book of the law and also in the 10 Commandments in the ark.
Lev 23:4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Then God goes back to the feasts. this shows that God gave particular importance to the 7th day Sabbath which was not to be set aside during Feast times.
Notice what is involved in feast times.
Lev 23:37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
notice meat offerings and drink offerings
Lev 23:38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
notice there were also Sabbaths involved in the feast days and the holy days. For example
Lev 23:7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Lev 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
the first day was to be a Sabbath as well as the seventh day of the feast of unleavened bread. Two Sabbaths that were not the 7th day Sabbath. anyway I could go on, this is enough to do ones own study from here.
Clearly Paul was speaking of the feast days every description Paul gives fits the sacrificial Feast days.
On top of that point one only has to make the realization that the 7th day Sabbath looks back as a memorial not forward as a shadow.
case in point
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
God blesses 7th day and sets it apart from other days and rests.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 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:
remember to "keep" we do not make anything Holy but we are asked to remember the day God made holy. why?
Exo 20:11 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.
God points us back "memorial" to creation when He rested and blessed the Sabbath and made it Holy.
So there is no way one can apply the 7th day Sabbath in Colossians 2.
May God bless us all in Jesus name.
