Washington NH Seventh-day Adventist^® Church

Narrative for Site 6 on the Sabbath Trail

by Pastor Merlin Knowles

The Sabbath during the time of the kings was a Sabbath of decline for the most part because it was a part of the general apostasy of the people. When the people asked Samuel to "make us a king", Samuel felt rejected by the people, but God told Samuel, "They have not rejected you, they have rejected Me". And the Sabbath was directly connected to God's sovereignty. Because God created, He said as an evidence of My creative power, keep My Sabbath. I have called you out of Egypt, as a way of acknowledging my saving power, keep My Sabbath. And when they said, "We don't want You for our king anymore, we don't want you over us", because the people were actually in what is called a theocracy, they were directly under God, and when they declared that they did not want Him over them anymore, they did not want this close relationship with Him, then they were also pushing away the Sabbath, and it was evidenced by what happened to the Sabbath in the following years.

1998

The Sabbath in Decline - The Time of the Kings

In the time of the kings, God's people tended toward apostasy which of course, included careless Sabbath keeping. Roots of this downward trend are evident as the people told Samuel to "make us a king". This decision was a rejection of the sovereignty of God. Many years later, fruit of this choice can be seen during the lifetime of the prophet Amos when the Sabbath had degenerated into a once-a-week break from cheating each other. I Sam. 8:1-22, Amos 8:4-6

2008

El sábado en declinación - El tiempo de los reyes

En el tiempo de los reyes, el pueblo de Dios tendía hacia la apostasía, la cual por supuesto incluía el descuido de la observancia del sábado. Las raíces de esta época posterior, es la evidencia como el pueblo le dijo a Samuel "Danos rey que nos juzgue." Esta decisión fue el rechazo de la soberanía de Dios. Muchos años atrás los frutos de esta decisión se pueden ver mas tarde durante la vida del profeta Amós cuando el sábado fue degenerado de un día de descanso, a un día mas de fraude los unos con los otros. 1 Samuel 8:1-22, Amós 8:4-6

2016

O Sábado em Declínio - O Tempo dos Reis

No tempo dos reis, o povo de Deus tendeu para a apostasia que, naturalmente, incluiu a negligência da guarda do Sábado. As origens desta tendência de negligência são evidentes quando o povo falou para Samuel: “constitui-nos um rei”. Esta decisão foi uma rejeição da soberania de Deus. Muitos anos depois, o fruto desta escolha pode ser visto durante o período do profeta Amós, quando o Sábado degenerou-se, transformando-se no dia em que uma vez na semana interrompia-se de fraudar um ao outro. I Samuel 8:1-22 e Amós 8:4-6