|
|
I. The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and does good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.[1] But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.[2]
II. Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and to him alone;[3] not to angels, saints, or any other creature:[4] and, since the fall, not without a Mediator; nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone.[5]
III. Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one special part of religious worship,[6] is by God required of all men:[7] and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son,[8] by the help of his Spirit,[9] according to his will,[10] with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance;[11] and, if vocal, in a known tongue.[12]
IV. Prayer is to be made for things lawful;[13] and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter:[14] but not for the dead,[15] nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death.[16]
V. The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear,[17] the sound preaching[18] and conscionable hearing of the Word, in obedience unto God, with understanding, faith, and reverence,[19] singing of psalms with grace in the heart;[20] as also, the due administration and worthy receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ, are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God:[21] beside religious oaths,[22] vows,[23] solemn fastings,[24] and thanksgivings upon special occasions,[25] which are, in their several times and seasons, to be used in an holy and religious manner.[26]
VI. Neither prayer, nor any other part of religious worship, is now, under the gospel, either tied unto, or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed, or towards which it is directed:[27] but God is to be worshiped everywhere,[28] in spirit and truth;[29] as, in private families[30] daily,[31] and in secret, each one by himself;[32] so, more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly or willfully to be neglected, or forsaken, when God, by his Word or providence, calls thereunto.[33]
VII. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, he has particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:[34] which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,[35] which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s day,[36] and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.[37]
VIII. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations,[38] but also are taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.[39]
[1]
Romans 1:20. For since the creation of the world His invisible
attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being
understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Acts 17:24. "The God who made the
world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell
in temples made with hands;
Psalm 119:68. You are good and do good; Teach me Your statutes.
Jeremiah 10:7. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations ? Indeed it
is Your due ! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their
kingdoms, There is none like You.
Psalm 31:23. O love the LORD, all you His godly ones ! The LORD
preserves the faithful And fully recompenses the proud doer . Psalm 18:3. I call upon the LORD,
who is worthy to be praised , And I am saved from my enemies. Romans 10:12. For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding
in riches for all who call on Him; Psalm 62:8. Trust in Him at all times,
O people ; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us Joshua
24:14. "Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth;
and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt,
and serve the LORD. Mark 12:33. And to love Him with all the heart and
with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor
as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and
sacrifices."
[2]
Deuteronomy 12:32. Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do ;
you shall not add to nor take away from it. Matthew 15:9. But in vain
do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Acts
17:25. …nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since
He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; Matthew 4:9-10. and he said to
Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan ! For
it is written, 'you shall worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' " Deuteronomy 4:15-20."So watch
yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke
to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, so that you do not act corruptly and
make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of
male or female, the likeness of any
animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the
sky, the likeness of anything that
creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the
earth. "And beware not to lift up
your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of
heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD
your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. "But the LORD has taken you and brought
you out of the iron furnace , from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession,
as today. Exodus 20:4-6."You
shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above
or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. "You shall not worship
them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations
of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love
Me and keep My commandments.
[3]
Matthew 4:10. Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan ! For it is written,
'you shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.' John 5:22,23. "For not even the Father judges anyone,
but He has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does
not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 2 Corinthians 13:14. The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit, be with you all.
[4]
Colossians 2:18. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by
delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels , taking his stand on
visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, Revelation 19:10.
Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am
a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus;
worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Romans 1:25. For they
exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature
rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
[5]
John 14:6. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me. 1 Timothy 2:5. For there is
one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:18. for through
Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. Colossians 3:17. Whatever
you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
through Him to God the Father.
[6]
Philippians 4:6. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God.
[7]
Psalm 65:2. O You who hear prayer, To You all men come.
[8]
John 14:13-14. "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will
do it. 1 Peter 2:4,5.
And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is
choice and precious in the sight of God,
you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ.
[9]
Romans 8:26. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we
do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us
with groanings too deep for words;
[10]
1 John 5:14. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we
ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
[11]
Psalm 47:7. For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a
skillful psalm .
Ecclesiastes 5:1-2. Guard your steps as you go to the house of God
and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do
not know they are doing evil . Do
not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the
presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let
your words be few.
Hebrews 12:28. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot
be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable
service with reverence and awe ;
Genesis 17:27. All the men of his household, who were born in the
house or bought with money from a foreigner were circumcised with him. James 5:16. Therefore,
confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be
healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 1:6-7. But he must ask in faith without any
doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed
by the wind. For that man ought not
to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, Mark 11:24.
"Therefore I say to you, all things
for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will
be granted you. Matthew 6:12,
14-15. 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 14 "For if you forgive others for their
transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 "But if you do not forgive others,
then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Colossians 4:2.
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of
thanksgiving; Ephesians
6:18. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with
this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the
saints,
[12]
1 Corinthians 14:11,14.
11: If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the
one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me.
14:For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is
unfruitful.
[13]
1 John 5:14. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we
ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
[14]
1 Timothy 2:1-2. First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers,
petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority,
so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. John 17:20. "I do not
ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their
word; 2 Samuel 7:29.
"Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it
may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken; and with Your
blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever." Ruth 4:12. "Moreover, may
your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the
offspring which the LORD will give you by this young
woman."
[15]
2 Samuel 12:21-23. Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing
that you have done ? While the child was alive , you fasted and wept; but when
the child died, you arose and ate food."
He said, "While the child was still alive , I fasted and wept; for I
said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live
.' "But now he has died; why should
I fast ? Can I bring him back again ? I will go to him, but he will not return
to me." Luke
16:25-26."But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you
received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being
comforted here, and you are in agony. 'And besides all this, between us and you
there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to
you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' Revelation 14:13. And
I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in
the Lord from now on!' " "Yes ," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from
their labors, for their deeds follow with them."
[16]
1 John 5:16. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to
death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not
leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should
make request for this.
[17]
Acts 15:21. For Moses of old time has in every city them that preach him,
being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. Revelation 1:3. Blessed is
he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things
which are written in it; for the time is near.
[18]
2 Timothy 4:2. preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and
instruction.
[19]
James 1:22. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely
hearers who delude themselves.
Acts 10:33. "So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind
enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that
you have been commanded by the Lord." Matthew 13:19. "When anyone
hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and
snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was
sown beside the road.
Hebrews 4:2. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just
as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not
united by faith in those who heard.
Isaiah 66:2. "For My hand made all these things, Thus all these
things came into being," declares the LORD. "But to this one I will look, To him
who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My
word.
[20]
Colossians 3:16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19. Speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your heart to the Lord.
James 5:13. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any
merry? let him sing psalms.
[21]
Matthew 28:19. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 1
Corinthians 11:23-28. For I received from the Lord that which I also
delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took
bread; and when He had given
thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in
remembrance of Me." In the same way
He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My
blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and
drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or
drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body
and the blood of the Lord. But a
man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of
the cup. Acts
2:42. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching
and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
[22]
Deuteronomy 6:13. "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall
worship Him and swear by His name.
Nehemiah 10:29. are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and
are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God's law, which was
given through Moses, God's servant, and to keep and to observe all the
commandments of GOD our Lord, and His ordinances and His
statutes;
[23]
Isaiah 19:21. And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians
shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they
shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. Ecclesiastes 5:4-5. When
you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in
fools. Pay what you vow ! It is
better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay
.
[24]
Joel 2:12. "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your
heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; Esther 4:16. "Go, assemble
all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for
three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And
thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I
perish, I perish." Matthew
9:15. And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when
the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 1 Corinthians 7:5. Stop
depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to
prayer, and come together again
so that Satan will not tempt you
because of your lack of self-control.
[25]
Psalm 107, Esther 9:22.
because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a
month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into
a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending
portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
[26]
Hebrews 12:28. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be
shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable
service with reverence and awe ;
[27]
John 4:21. Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when
neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the
Father.
[28]
Malachi 1:11. "For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My
name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be
offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great
among the nations," says the LORD of hosts. 1 Timothy 2:8. "But an hour is
coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit
and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. "God is spirit, and those who worship
Him must worship in spirit and truth."
[29]
John 4:23-24. "But an hour is coming, and now is, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people
the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth."
[30]
Jeremiah 10:25. Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You
And on the families that do not call Your name; For they have devoured Jacob;
They have devoured him and consumed him And have laid waste his habitation. Deuteronomy 6:6-7. "These
words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your
sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the
way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Job 1:5. When the days of
feasting had completed their cycle , Job would send and consecrate them, rising
up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of
them all; for Job said, "Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their
hearts." Thus Job did continually.
2 Samuel 6:18, 20.
When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace
offering, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. But when David returned to bless his
household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the
king of Israel distinguished himself today ! He uncovered himself today in the
eyes of his servants' maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers
himself!" 1 Peter
3:7. You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding
way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a
fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be
hindered. Acts 10:2. A
devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to
the people, and prayed to God alway.
[31]
Matthew 6:11. Give us this day our daily bread.
[32]
Matthew 6:6. "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your
door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is
done in secret will reward you.
Ephesians 6:18. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in
the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and
petition for all the saints,
[33]
Isaiah 56:6-7. "Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To
minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one
who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy
mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and
their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a
house of prayer for all the peoples." Hebrews 10:25. not
forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging
one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Proverbs 1:20-21, 24.
Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; At the head of the noisy streets she
cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: "Because I called and you refused, I
stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; Proverbs 8:34.
"Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my
doorposts. Acts 13:42.
As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things
might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Luke 4:16. And he came to
Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the
synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Acts 2:42. They were
continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer.
[34]
Exodus 20:8, 10-11. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. but the seventh day is a sabbath of the
LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your
daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who
stays with you. "For in six days
the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and
rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made
it holy. Isaiah 56:2, 4,
6-7. "How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes
hold of it; Who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing
any evil ." For thus says the LORD,
"To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast
My covenant, "Also the foreigners
who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the
LORD, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And
holds fast My covenant; Even those
I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For
My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples ."
[35]
Genesis 2:2-3. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had
done , and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done
. Then God blessed the seventh day
and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had
created and made. 1
Corinthians 16:1-2. Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I
directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one
of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be
made when I come.
Acts 20:7. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered
together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next
day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.
[36]
Revelation 1:10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind
me a great voice, as of a trumpet.
[37]
Exodus 20:8, 10. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. but the seventh day is a sabbath of the
LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your
daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who
stays with you.
Matthew 5:17-18."Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or
the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. "For truly I say to you, until heaven
and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law
until all is accomplished.
[38]
Exodus 20:8. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 16:23, 25-26, 29-30.
then he said to them, "This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath
observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what
you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until
morning." Moses said, "Eat it
today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the
field. "Six days you shall gather
it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none." "See, the LORD has given you the
sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain
every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh
day. Exodus
31:15-17. 'For six days work may be done , but on the seventh day there is a
sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath
day shall surely be put to death. 'So the sons of Israel shall observe the
sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual
covenant.' "It is a sign between Me
and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,
but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed." Isaiah 58:13. "If
because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My
holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And
speaking your own word, Nehemiah
13:15-19. In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses
on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as
well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads , and they brought them into
Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food .
Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of
merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in
Jerusalem. Then I reprimanded the
nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing you are doing , by
profaning the sabbath day ? "Did
not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all
this trouble ? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the
sabbath." It came about that just
as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that
the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the
sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would
enter on the sabbath day.
Nehemiah 13:21-22. Then I warned them and said to them, "Why do
you spend the night in front of the wall ? If you do so again, I will use force
against you." From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they
should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day.
For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the
greatness of Your lovingkindness .
[39] Isaiah 58:13. "If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, Matthew 12:1-13. At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath." But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? "Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? "But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath ?"--so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep , and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep ! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand !" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.