Introduction
Many believed that the weekly Sabbath is part of the Moses’ law which the Messiah (Christ) has done away with, therefore Christians are not required to observe it. But what does the Bible really teach about the subject of the Sabbath? The purpose of this study is to understand what the Scripture says through the pages of the Old Testament.
This study was prepared in form of questions and comments, it is important to study all the scriptural references, make personal notes from them, and then read the comments that followed the question. All scriptural references are taken from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated. The keyword or words in the reference verses are highlighted for you to have words to think and meditate upon.
To gain the knowledge God intends, asked Him to open your understanding to the scriptures you read. Remove your mind from any preconceived opinion and focus on what the scriptures say. Be like the Bereans Christians who studied the scriptures to be sure what they heard were true. Believe the Word of God, prove it and hold fast to it, because it is true.
May your heart be blessed as you study diligently.
Contents
1. What does the word Sabbath mean?
2. Who made the Sabbath?
3. Why is the seventh day different from other days of the week?
4. How do we know the seventh day is the Sabbath day?
5. At what time does the Sabbath start and end?
6. Who is the Sabbath Commandment for?
7. Why is the Sabbath significant?
8. What is the consequence of not keeping the Sabbath?
9. Which comes first, The Sabbath command or the written Ten Commandments?
10. Did the Jews really understand that Sabbath-breaking was part of the reason they went into captivity?
Questions and Comments
What does the word Sabbath mean?
See Matthew Henry Concordance H7676 and H7673, and in Greek, see G4521.
Comment
Sabbath pronounced as “Shab-bawth” means to cease labor, or stop from creating, or to rest from labor. Sabbath is from Hebrew origin, and it is a day of weekly repose (rest) from secular avocations (regular occupation, calling, or vocation).
Who made the Sabbath?
Read Genesis 2: 1-2
Comment
After God finished the work of creation, with the creation of man on the sixth day, God then made a day of rest, which is the seventh day. The scripture says God ended his work and rested on the seventh day. It is important to know that God has been working until now, and He did not rest because he was tired, because God never gets weary, but showed to us by example his will of man – to walk in his footsteps.
Scriptural References
Genesis 2: 1-2
“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them were finished. And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
John 5:17
“But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
Isaiah 40:28
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.”
Why is the seventh day different from other days of the week?
Read Genesis 1:31 , Genesis 2:3, Exodus 20:11
Comment
Everything God created was very good, including the days those things were created, but God especially blessed the seventh day, and set it apart (sanctified or made it holy). Throughout the Bible, the seventh day is the only day that God set apart and made holy for the purpose of rest and to worship Him. And most importantly, it is the day that identified the God of the Bible as the creator of the universe.
Scriptural References
Genesis 1:31
“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
Genesis 2:3
“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”
Exodus 20:11
“For in six days, the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
How do we know the seventh day is the Sabbath day?
Read Exodus 20:10 , Mark 16:1-2
Comment
The bible says the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord, that is, Saturday. It is the day before the first day of the week, that is, Sunday.
Scriptural References
Exodus 20:10
“But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it, you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.”
Mark 16:1-2
“Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.”
At what time does the Sabbath start and end?
Read Leviticus 23:32, Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31
Comment
Sabbath starts at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday. Friday (before sunset ) is usually referred to as the preparation day.
Scriptural references
Leviticus 23:32
It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”
Who is the Sabbath Commandment for?
Read Genesis 2:15, Mark 2:27, Exodus 20:10, Ephesians 2:12, Exodus 12:49, Leviticus 24:22, Isaiah 56:1-8
Comment
At creation, God made the Sabbath for man for his benefits – to rest from his labor. Adam was to rest from tending and keeping the garden. The children of Israel kept the Sabbath in the wilderness, even before the law was given to them. Others included are your son, your daughter, your male or female servants (workers), and strangers within your gate. The strangers here are the Gentiles or Non-Jews, without Israelite citizenship who settled among the covenant people – Israel. So, both Jews and Gentile believers are expected to keep the Sabbath, as God wants a single law to guide them. The Sabbath was made for man.
Scriptural References
Genesis 2:15 , “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”
Mark 2:27 , “And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”
Exodus 20:10
“But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it, you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.”
Isaiah 56:6-7
“Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant— Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
Ephesians 2:12
“That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
Exodus 12:49
“One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”
Leviticus 24:22
“You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the LORD your God.”
Why is the Sabbath significant?
Read Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 31:12-17
Comment
1. It is a sign of who the true God is – The creator of heaven and earth, and the God who has chosen Israel, Exodus 31:12-17
2. The Sabbath is the means by which man’s way of life imitates God’s. God rested and he wants all men to do the same, Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 23:123.
3. The Sabbath is a sign between God and the Children of Israel (God’s people), Exodus 31:12-17
4. The Sabbath belongs to God. He says my Sabbath, not Mosses’, Exodus 31:12-17
5. The Sabbath sanctifies (set apart as holy) those who keep it, making them distinct from others, Exodus 31:12-17
6. The Sabbath is a day of delight, to think and enjoy the accomplishments of God. Psalms 92, Isaiah 58:13, Hosea 2:11
7. The Sabbath shows the goodness of God as one who delights in the freedom from bondage of the people he has created. It shows the ultimate plan of Salvation for man, and a gift from God for people to practice and celebrate rest, that is salvation. Deuteronomy 5:13-15
8. It is a time of public convocation. The time to gather and worship the God who created all things. Which include a time of prayer, meditation, and hearing the law, Leviticus 23:3, Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:12, Leviticus 10:11, Deuteronomy 14:29, 33:10
9. Obeying the law brings God’s blessings and keep those who keep it. Deuteronomy 28, Ezekiel 20:11, 13
10. The Sabbath is a memorial of God’s creation, Exodus 20:11, Genesis 2:1,2
11. The Sabbath was made for the good of humanity, Mark 2:27
12. Sabbath is the test commandment of our allegiance and loyalty to God, Exodus 16:4
13. It is a commandment to be kept forever, Exodus 31:16
Scriptural References
Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it, you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
Exodus 31:12-17
“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”
Exodus 23:12
Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
What is the consequence of not keeping the Sabbath?
Read Exodus 31:14-15, James 2:10, Romans 6:23, 1 John 3:4 GNB, Ezekiel 20:11-13
Comment
It is important for any believer to understand God’s definition of sin as the breaking of the Ten Commandments. The consequence of breaking any of the Ten Commandments, the unchanging, moral law of God is death (eternal destruction in the lake of fire). For the children of Israel in those days, physical death was the result of breaking the Sabbath. And for the nation of Israel, the disobedience to the laws of God, especially idolatry and Sabbath-breaking, always lead to the loss of their freedom and going into captivity.
Scriptural References
Exodus 31:14-15
“You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.”
James 2:10
“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”
1 John 3:4 GNB
“Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God’s law, because sin is a breaking of the law.”
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Ezekiel 20:23
Also, I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.
Which comes first, The Sabbath command or the written Ten Commandments?
Read Genesis 2:1-2, Exodus 16: 4,23, 25,28, Exodus 19, Exodus 20: 8, Deuteronomy 9:10, Genesis 26:5
Comment
Many believed that the Sabbath command is part of the ceremonial law and therefore it has been done away or nailed to the cross by the Messiah, but the followings are the conclusions we can arrive from the scripture.
A. The Sabbath was part of the creation, God made it on the seventh day. The Sabbath is the day of delight, no wonder God put Adam and Eve in a garden he called delight (Eden). Sabbath rest was not an afterthought, God knew from the beginning what is good for humans when he created them. The Sabbath was before the written Ten commandments. And it is made for the benefit of humanity.
B. After the children of Israel left Egypt, in the wilderness, they kept the Sabbath before God spoke the Ten Commandments to them at Sinai. It is important to read the whole chapter of Exodus 16 for a full account. In the chapter, two vital points can be drawn-
1. When God first commanded the children of Israel to observe the Sabbath in Exodus 16:23,25 the Ten Commandments has not been spoken or written for them, but God’s law exists, Exodus 16:4,28
2. God mentioned it twice that the instruction to observe the seventh day was his law and his commandment, not Moses law.
C. Because of the importance of the law, God first spoke it in their hearing at Sinai as part of the Ten Commandments and then wrote it with his finger on the tablets of stone. On a stone to show his permanence, with the other nine commandments. Together the Ten Commandments formed the moral code of God. The other laws, be it the ceremonial or the civil laws are based on the principles of the Ten Commandments. Read Exodus chapter 19 and 20
D. Note that the fourth commandment starts with “remember”, and to remember something means it is a law that the people have been practicing before. For example, I can’t tell you to remember something if I have not told you anything about it. To remember is also God’s way of telling them not to forget it because he knew a time will come when people will forget and not obey that commandment anymore.
E. It can also be concluded that Abraham kept the Sabbath because the scripture recorded that he kept all of God’s commandments, statutes, and laws, Genesis 26:5. And Abraham will have commanded his son Isaac to do the same, Genesis 18:19. All true Abraham children follow the path of their father.
The Sabbath command has been before the law was given and is part of the moral law of God to be obeyed forever.
Scriptural References
Genesis 2: 1-2
“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them were finished. And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
Exodus 16:23, 25
“Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning. Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.”
Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it, you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Deuteronomy 9:10
“Then the LORD delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.”
Genesis 26:5
“because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Genesis 18: 19
“For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
Did the Jews really understand that Sabbath-breaking was part of the reason they went into captivity?
Read Ezekiel 20:18-24, Nehemiah: 13:17-18
Comment
The Jews came to the realization that part of the reason they went into captivity was because of Sabbath-breaking. Another reason was idolatry. And if we look at today’s Christianity, the second and the fourth commandment which God gave more explanation to, forbidding Idolatry and Sabbath-breaking are the commandments that are broken ignorantly.
Scriptural references
Ezekiel 20:18-24
“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; 20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’ 21 “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’ but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless, I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also, I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, 24 because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.
Nehemiah: 13:17-18
“Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
Conclusion
The Sabbath was made for the benefit of mankind as a day of rest from our labors. God’s expectation of man is to work six days and stop working on the seventh day. God chose the nation of Israel and gave them His laws so that they can be an example to all nations that God will save in the future, but Israel failed in this assignment. Israel disobeyed the commandments of God, profaned the Sabbath, and joined themselves to idols. And for these reasons, the children of Israel lost their freedom, their land, and are scattered among the nations. Believers are warned to learn from their mistakes so that they don’t make the same error they made. Hebrews 4 verses 10-11 states, “There remains therefore, a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us, therefore, be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” 1 Corinthians 10:11, Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Be sure to study Part 2.
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