[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Nicodemus1968

I'm studying both sides of the argument of traditional Sabbath Keeping or a Modern Sabbath Keeping. As you obviously hold the belief of the Traditional Sabbath Keeper, Im interested in knowing, what is your understanding what "work" is considered sabbath breaking?

Let me explain a little further, we read in the Exodus 16 about how they were to say home, and as you explained was based on the reason on not to gather manna on the Sabbath. Yet, like in the highlighted section, it gives us an insight as to what the Lord considered to be work. Just simply picking up enough manna for the size of family you had was considered work.

With that in mind, in our modern time, what is work? To the extent of breaking the Sabbath.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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: 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.
(Exo 20:8-11)

Your ordinary labor, for one thing. The thing a man does to earn a living, or the management of cattle, crops, a business, etc. Also, since the whole family as well as servants are included in the command, the regular household chores are also included.

If a person's occupation includes being a student, then it would make sense that one's studies, assignments, etc would be included as "work".

If a person were for example a musician, then practicing one's scales or trying to learn a new song or doing "exercises" would probably be included. I wouldn't however think that just playing a song would be considered "work".

And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
(Exo 16:22-23)

From this we see a principle of preparing one's meals for the Sabbath on the day before, so as to avoid having to do a bunch of kitchen work on the Sabbath. (Hence, the day before the Sabbath is often called "the Preparation" - see Mark 15:42 for example.)

Now, it is obvious that the Bible does not give a detailed list of every single activity that is prohibited or allowed on the Sabbath, and indeed we should not expect such as the possibilities are essentially endless. But what we do see is a general prohibition of "work" (labor, deputyship, business). So what about specific situations that might not be so clear?

And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
(Num 15:32-36)

Here the people didn't quite know what to do, so they took the matter to the LORD. This is essentially the same thing we see in Acts 15: there was a dispute that the congregation wasn't clear on, so they had a prayer meeting and prayerfully discussed the issue and finally came to a conclusion. This is what "theocratic church government" looks like and is the way the church is supposed to handle disputes, much like what was established in the wilderness:

Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
(Exo 18:19-26)

This was further established as part of the Law:

Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
(Deu 16:18-20)

If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose; And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
(Deu 17:8-13)

Here we see the establishment of a judicial system which allowed for judicial oversight and interpretation to apply the Law of God to situations not specifically spelled out in the Law code. In other words, the congregation would establish an understanding of the situation and an acceptable application of the Law to the situation. Again, this is what we see in Acts 15, and is what Jesus is referring to here especially the bolded part:

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
(Mat 18:15-20)

The judicial power was given to the church via the apostles and elders, and their decisions are generally speaking binding. That is, a church may not enact a rule or custom or decision that is contrary to the Word, of course, but when the church is in the will of God and seeks the guidance of the Spirit then the church will make the right decisions.

So in other words, if there is an issue that cannot be resolved individually, then the church must needs come together and hear all the sides, and go to God in prayer to discern the will of God on the matter.

As for "modern times" I am not sure that really makes much of a difference. Work is generally work, is it not? Whether one works in the fields raising sheep and goats or whether one works for Microsoft in a cubicle in an office building staring at a computer screen.