Should Children Play Sports on Sabbath?
The title question above has been a struggle for True Believers. As
we draw closer to Yahshua’s return, our quest for a better way of
praise and worship should be in our thoughts and actions especially
on Yahweh’s Sabbath.
Some, most often those in or just coming out of churchianity may
have a pre-conceived notion on how observing a “holy day” may be
accomplished. The world and mainstream churchianity have melded
their observances of holy days into pleasure fests. Christmas,
Easter, and Thanksgiving are just a few that come to mind. One does
not need to be religious or even a Bible believer to participate in
these worldly/churchianity holidays.
Unfortunately, many of the traditions of Sunday keeping also remain
with some Sabbath-keeping individuals. If we look closely at the
observances of Sunday keeping churchianity and their celebrations of
holy days we see similarities.
Sunday keepers: Church Services, then maybe going out to eat at a
favorite restaurant, football games or other sports watched on TV.
Mowing the lawn or other laborious tasks may be on the agenda for
the nominal Sunday keeper. Kids involved with all of the above
including the addition of playing sports or other activities
unrelated to church or religious Sunday keeping.
Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving: Church Services (for more devout
Sunday Keepers) then maybe a large family meal (sometimes at a
restaurant) followed by sports on TV. Some families have traditions
of playing certain sports on that particular day like a “family
football game”. Some families have a tradition of going to the movie
theatre to see a holy day themed film (for instance ‘Scrooged’ on
Chri-tmas). Interestingly enough most will abstain from working or
shopping on these days, mostly, I think, because the stores have
either limited or no hours on these days.
A question might come to mind; how is the writer of this article
placing well intentioned True Seventh-Day Sabbath keepers in the
classification with Sunday keepers? It seems almost offensive at the
very thought!
To answer this question we must make a comparison to the way some
keep the Seventh-Day Sabbath in our faith to the way the world keeps
Sunday. As a casual observer attending various assemblies and
congregations, I report what I see, as well as what the leadership
proclaims to be “OK”. This is not a blanket comparison. Some groups
do not condone or allow children to play sports on Shabbat.
The Assemblies that do allow their children to play sports seem to
have similar structures for their Sabbath Day events:
First, attending Sabbath Services, then partaking of a meal,
afterwards the
adults sit around and discuss Scripture or other topics, while the
younger children play or talk with their peers. The older children
will most likely go outside and talk, and some will participate in
sports such as throwing a football or even a team event. Some
congregations will even have organized tournaments for basketball or
other sports. Usually after sunset many will go home.
Now we must go to the authority of the Scriptures so we can justify
in Yahweh’s Word the dos and don’ts of our Sabbath keeping events.
First, what does Yahweh command us to do on the Sabbath he created?
We must begin at the “Beginning”, taking us to Genesis (Bereshit) 2:
Gen 2:1
“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their
array.
Gen 2:2
And on the seventh day Elohim completed His work which He had
done, and He rested (H7673) on the seventh day from all His work
which He had made.
Gen 2:3
And Elohim blessed the seventh day and set it apart, because
on it He rested (H7673) from all His work which Elohim in creating
had made.”
The Scriptures 1998
We must focus on the word “rested” to gain the proper understanding
of what Elohim was doing on that day.
Rested H7673
בת
shâbath
shaw-bath'
A primitive root; to repose, that is, desist from
exertion; used in many implied relations (causatively, figuratively
or specifically): - (cause to, let, make to) cease, celebrate, cause
(make) to fail, keep (Sabbath), suffer to be lacking, leave, put
away (down), (make to) rest, rid, still, take away.
Going through these verses might be a review for most of us but it
is important to get a contextual relationship with our definitions
as we use them throughout this study.
Exo 16:22
“And it came to be, on the sixth day, that they gathered
twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of
the congregation came and told Mosheh.
Exo 16:23
And he said to them, “This is what
יהוה
has said, ‘Tomorrow is a rest(H7677), a Sabbath set-apart to
יהוה.
That which you bake, bake; and that which you cook, cook. And lay up
for yourselves all that is left over, to keep it until morning.’ ”
Exo 16:24
And they laid it up till morning, as Mosheh commanded. And it
did not stink, and no worm was in it.
Exo 16:25
And Mosheh said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to
יהוה,
today you do not find it in the field.
Exo 16:26
“Gather it six days, but on the seventh day, which is the
Sabbath, there is none.”
Exo 16:27
And it came to be that some of the people went out on the
seventh day to gather, but they found none.
Exo 16:28
And
יהוה
said to Mosheh, “How long shall you refuse to guard My commands and
My Torot1?
Footnote: 1Torot - plural of Torah, teaching.
Exo 16:29
“See, because
יהוה
has given you the Sabbath, therefore He is giving you bread for two
days on the sixth day. Let each one stay in his place, do not let
anyone go out of his place on the seventh day.”
Exo 16:30
So the people rested (H7673) on the seventh day.”
The above definition in verse 23 for rest is H7677:
H7677
שׁבּתון
shabbâthôn
shab-baw-thone'
From H7676; a sabbatism or special holiday: - rest,
Sabbath.
This is a very interesting set of verses because Yahweh institutes a
punishment on those who chose to go out and look for more manna on
the set-apart day, even though He had already provided a double
portion the day before...
In this short remedial study we can ascertain that it is important
to rest from laborious work, celebrate the Sabbath, and not go
against Yahweh’s command of doing on the set-apart day that we would
on the other six days. Hence the term “Set-Apart Day”.
Now, again, back to the question “How is the writer of this article
placing well intentioned, True Seventh-Day Sabbath keepers in the
classification with Sunday keepers?”
If we choose to look at the Set-Apart day as we would any of the
other six days we have already made a critical mistake.
If we choose to do as the world does on the Sabbath, we would be
watching or playing sports, going to restaurants, going to worldly
events. All of these would be inappropriate. One might ask, WHY?
In Isaiah 58 we find a solid answer:
Isa 58:12
“And those from among you shall build the old waste places.
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations. And you
would be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets
to Dwell In.
Isa 58:13
“If you do turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing
your pleasure on My set-apart
day, and shall call
the Sabbath ‘a delight,’ the set-apart day of
יהוה
‘esteemed,’ and shall esteem it, not doing your own ways,
nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,
Isa 58:14
then you shall delight yourself in
יהוה.
And I shall cause you to ride on the heights of the earth, and feed
you with the inheritance of Yaʽaqoḇ your father. For the mouth of
יהוה
has spoken!”
We find that the world and churchianity are striving to do their
own pleasure on their Sunday and holy days. Should True
Believers do this as well? Absolutely not! We need to strive to
follow the example of Scripture and do as Yahweh would have us do,
and it will be a delight.
Our children playing on the Sabbath is the main topic of this study,
so how do we involve the above passages and commentary for them on
the set-apart day?
Once again, we look towards Scripture to define what is appropriate.
Proverbs 22 is a great place to start:
Pro 22:6
Train up a child (H5288) in the way he should go, Even when
he is old he turns not away from it.
Child H5288
נער
na‛ar
nah'-ar
From H5287; (concretely) a boy (as active), from the
age of infancy to adolescence; by implication a servant; also
(by interchange of sex), a girl (of similar latitude in age):
- babe, boy, child, damsel [from the margin], lad, servant, young
(man).
It is obvious from Proverbs 22:6 that raising our children according to the ways of Yahweh is the way to that child becoming a healthy, Scripture believing, adult. If we are to allow our children to play on Sabbath (some say because they are children and that’s how they communicate and interact) then aren’t we raising them to play as adults on Sabbath? In other words, the good fruit of raising our children to observe Yahweh’s ways while he is young is an adult who does not stray from Yahweh’s ways. So this would mean that if we raise our children to not do as Yahweh commands on the set-apart day, playing or watching sports, playing tag, playing cars etc… In other words doing their own pleasure or ways! Would not the result be that they will do their own pleasure as adults and bear the bad fruit of their upbringing?
Also, allowing our children to have worldly discussions, with
friends or others, would result in them breaking the command to “nor
speaking your own words” found in Isaiah 58?
Isaiah, speaking Yahweh’s truth says this in chapter 56:
Isa 56:1
“Thus said
יהוה,
“Guard right-ruling, and do righteousness, for near is My
deliverance to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.
Isa 56:2
“Blessed is the man who does this, and the son(H1121) of man
who lays hold on it, guarding the Sabbath lest he profane it, and
guarding his hand from doing any evil.
Isa 56:3
“And let not the son (H1121) of the foreigner who has joined
himself to
יהוה
speak, saying, ‘יהוה
has certainly separated me from His people,’ nor let the eunuch say,
‘Look, I am a dry tree.’ ”
Son H1121
בּן
bên
bane
From H1129; a son (as a builder of the family
name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship,
including grandson, subject, nation, quality
or condition, etc., (like H1, H251, etc.): -
+ afflicted, age, [Ahoh-] [Ammon-] [Hachmon-] [Lev-]ite,
[anoint-]ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, [Assyr-] [Babylon-]
[Egypt-] [Grec-]ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young)
bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X
corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, +
postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew,
old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son,
+ spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one,
+ valiant[-est], whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
According to these verses above it refers to a (blessed) man, and
the son of man, who are keeping/guarding the Sabbath and not letting
his hand do evil. There is nothing in the verse that allows the
reader to assume that the son is keeping Sabbath differently than
the father.
Some would have you believe that it is a burden or grievous for a
child to not play on Sabbath. They will give all sorts of excuses
for the child. However, as we find in some New Testament passages
nothing could be further than the truth.
1 Jn 2:4
“The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His
commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1 Jn 2:5
But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has
been perfected1 in him.”
Even more fitting:
1 Jn 5:2
By this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love
Elohim, and keep his commandments.
1 Jn 5:3
For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep his commandments: and
his commandments are not grievous.
Observing/guarding, thinking about, and doing Yahweh’s commands are
not burdensome or grievous. Why then do some teach their children
that they are? There is nothing in Yahweh’s word that would point to
supporting playing on Sabbath for adults or children. Just making
this claim reminds me of Exo. 32, focus on verse 6:
Exo 32:3
“And all the people
took off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought
them to Aharon.
Exo 32:4
And he took
this from their
hand, and he formed it with an engraving tool, and made a molded
calf. And they said, “This is your mighty one, O Yisra’ĕl, that
brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim!”
Exo 32:5
And Aharon saw and
built an altar before it. And Aharon called out and said, “Tomorrow
is a festival to
יהוה.”
Exo 32:6
And they rose early on
the next day, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace
offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to
play.
Exo 32:7
And
יהוה
said to Mosheh, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out
of the land of Mitsrayim have corrupted themselves.
Play H6711
צחק
tsâchaq
tsaw-khak'
A primitive root; to laugh outright (in merriment or scorn);
by implication to sport: - laugh, mock, play, make sport.
Brethren, I urge you to
search out this matter in more detail, as these are your children
that will be affected into their adulthood.
I urge you to pray and fast over these so that your understanding
will be clear and unobstructed. Please bring forth the question to
your leadership to why they might allow the children or adults
attending to play sports on Yahweh’s set-apart day. If their answer
is one from psychology or from their own will it will not reflect
Yahweh’s Word. If their answer isn’t based on Scripture then pray
and fast and ask Yahweh for His direction on the subject. Yahweh
will prayerfully help you and guide you to a better situation.
May You Be Blessed in Yahweh’s Truth,