Who can “profane” the Sabbath and be blameless?



Remember, I am not a prophet, nor am I the Lawgiver, so the following is just my opinion based on the scriptures. Unlike the truth, my opinions have and do change. When you read this, let the spirit be your guide. Remember, it is you that will answer to the Lawgiver for your actions. If you believe I am wrong, please feel free to write me and show me (by the scriptures) why I am wrong (Do not waste your time with answers such as "God told me personally", or "God told my preacher" or "My preacher said...").

From Matthew 12:5, we see that at least sometimes the priests could “profane the Sabbath” and still be blameless.

Matthew 12:5
Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

We also know that the Messiah healed on the Sabbath day:

Matthew 12:10-12
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

Also read: Mark 3:1-5; Luke 6:6-10; Luke 13:10-16; Luke 14:1-6; John 5:5-9; John 9:1-7

We also know that circumcision was allowed on the Sabbath – John 7:22-23

We also know that soldiers could perform war duties on the Sabbath – Joshua chapter 6 and Hebrews 11:30

From the above scriptures I conclude that the following jobs may be blameless “profaning the Sabbath” (under certain circumstances). This list is not designed to list every job, but to let you an idea of what types of jobs are acceptable (in my opinion).

1.Medical workers (hospital workers, veterinarians for emergency calls, etc.) I do not think doctors should schedule routine appointments on the sabbath day (except for circumcisions- John 7:22-23 and/or some other thing that absolutely can not be put off another day).

2.Firefighters (when fighting fires, performing other emergency services, or waiting for emergency calls)

3.Soldiers (I do not believe they should be training on this day. I believe they should only be performing war duties, such as guarding a camp or fighting an enemy, or assisting troops such as communication and air-traffic control, etc.). Joshua chapter 6 and Hebrews 11:30 show that soldiers can have war duties on the Sabbath day.

4.Minimal Energy personnel (people at nuclear plants should not leave the nuclear plants for 24 hours for obvious reasons. Also, energy is necessary to run hospitals and other emergency services and for national defense).

5.Minimal Law enforcement personnel (this includes many security guards...but keep in mind that some security guards would not be needed if places like Wal-Mart and malls were not in operation on the Sabbath) for the following reasons:

a. Even though we should not have prison sentences for anyone, there was a holding facility even in the OT to hold a person for trial. (Leviticus 24:10-12; Numbers 15:32-36) Obviously, this facility needs to be guarded.

b. Many murderers, rapists, and thieves would just wait until the Sabbath day to commit a crime if they knew no law enforcement personnel were working. Also, law enforcement personnel are the same as high priests (judges) and high priests servants (police officers).

6.Any other emergency personnel, such as FEMA, 911 operators, and sometimes even truck drivers (that might be delivering needed supplies to a flooded city) but all emergency personnel should be kept to a minimum on that day.

7.Preachers and people forming activities that would be considered a religious function such as a sound-man for a church or a Sabbath schoolteacher.


It is also my opinion that we can perform certain works around the house if they are an emergency. If a tree hit the roof of my house during a storm and caused a huge leak, I would go stop the leak so all my property would not be destroyed. I put this in the ox in the ditch (scenario where someone’s property being suddenly became threatened with damage or destruction).

I have met some people that believe that even medical personnel should not work on the Sabbath. I have little doubt though that if their son, daughter, wife, or husband needed emergency medical care on that day that they would go to the hospital and expect the hospital staff to treat their family member. These people are hypocrites. Before you make up your mind on this subject, ask yourself, would you call 911 on the sabbath if your friend had a heart attack, or if your house was burning down, or if your daughter was just raped? Or would you wait until sabbath was past before calling 911?

Again, we should meditate on the law let the spirit guide us in each case. One case that came up with me is that my dad (who does not keep the Sabbath) was bringing large furniture objects from a trailer to the house on the Sabbath. The furniture was protected from the elements in this trailer. This work could have been put off until the next day. I happened to be over at my dad’s house and saw him working. He knew that I did not agree with working on the Sabbath so he didn’t ask me. I knew that his back was not healthy enough to move some of the furniture by himself and I knew that he would try. I therefore helped him move the furniture. I believe I would be considered “blameless” for this activity. Some would probably say that I should let him do it himself, and if he was injured, it was God’s punishment. I guess, one day, we will find out who is right, but ultimately I will have to answer for my sins and you will have to answer for yours. This is why you should study the scriptures for yourself and let the spirit guide you and not rely on what another person says what is right or wrong.