How and When Should We Keep the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is a day of rest and some Christians and non Christians consider the Sabbath to be the seventh day of the week. There are also some Christians that believe the Sabbath is the first day of the week. Still, there are some Christians that don't place much emphasis on any Sabbath at all. But should we keep the Sabbath? If so, when is the Sabbath and how do we keep it? Let's delve deeper.
Should I Keep the Sabbath?
Hebrews 4:4,10-11 reiterates that God rested on the seventh day and that we should enter into that same rest. Hebrews 4:8-9 says that if Jesus gave another day of rest, He would have spoken it and that the rest God ordained still remains. Jesus and His disciples refer to God as the Lord of the Sabbath and uses the Sabbath to define and sometimes differentiate the God of the Bible (James 5:4, Matthew 12:8, Mark 2:8, Isaiah 58:13-14, Exodus 31:13). In addition, the Sabbath is for our good and our well-being (Mark 2:27). It ensures we receive much needed stewardship of our relationships with God and others. Jesus says that if we love Him we will keep His commandments (John 14:15, John 15:10). Although some Christians believe this does not include the 10 commandments, Scripture clarifies that the commandments are what we have heard from "the beginning" (2 John 1:6). God is delighted when we keep His commandments and requires it in Scripture (Exodus 20:8, Matthew 5:17-19). As Hebrews 4:6-7 states, some do not enter into God's rest, God's Sabbath, because of unbelief, and calls people to not harden their heart.
For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. ~ Hebrews 4:4,10-11
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. ~ Hebrews 4:8-9
Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. ~ James 5:4
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. ~ Matthew 12:8
And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? ~ Mark 2:8
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. ~ Isaiah 58:13-14
Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. ~ Exodus 31:13
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: ~ Mark 2:27
If ye love me, keep my commandments. ~ John 14:15
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. ~ John 15:10
And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. ~ 2 John 1:6
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ~ Exodus 20:8
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ~ Matthew 5:17-19
And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. ~ Hebrews 4:6-7
When is the Sabbath?
Before clocks were invented and AM/PM was used, people determined days from sunset to sunset (Leviticus 23:32, Isaiah 66:23). When the sun sets, a new day begins (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). According to Scripture, the Sabbath is on the seventh day which begins every Friday at sunset and ends every Saturday at sunset (Genesis 2:3). Scripture specifically states that the day of gathering is not the first day of the week which is Sunday (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Scripture also specifically states that if Jesus intended to change the day of rest, He would have spoken it (Hebrews 4:8). Last, Scripture specifically states that God's Sabbath remains (Hebrews 4:9).
It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. ~ Leviticus 23:32
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another. ~ Isaiah 66:23
And the evening and the morning were the first day. ~ Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. ~ Genesis 2:3
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:1-2
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. ~ Hebrews 4:8
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. ~ Hebrews 4:9
Why Does the Sabbath Matter?
Scripture says we have six days to do our own pleasure and on the Sabbath we should do things that please God (Isaiah 56:4, Isaiah 58:13). For six days we do what pleases us (in the boundaries of God's Word) and enjoy creating whatever we want to create (Genesis 2:2-3), but on the Sabbath we should rest from our own work, our own creation, and our own pleasure. It’s a day where we should be selfless, focused on giving, thinking about others, and especially about God. There should be a formal assembly of His people and reading and reflecting on God's Word (Leviticus 23:3, Luke 4:16, Acts 15:21). It’s a time to turn our thoughts away from creating and simply enjoy the creation (Hebrews 4:10). It's a time to care for the needs of others (Luke 13:14-16, Luke 14:1-5, Matthew 12:10-13, John 5:5-9). This day is so special because its the one day that embodies the full commandments of loving God and loving others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).
For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; ~ Isaiah 56:4
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: ~ Isaiah 58:13
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. ~ Genesis 2:2-3
Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. ~ Leviticus 23:3
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. ~ Luke 4:16
For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. ~ Acts 15:21
For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. ~ Hebrews 4:10
And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? ~ Luke 13:14-16
And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? ~ Luke 14:1-5
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. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. ~ Matthew 12:10-13
And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. ~ John 5:5-9
Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. ~ Matthew 22:36-40
What Should We Do On the Sabbath?
Some people have extreme stipulations on what can and cannot be done during the Sabbath. However, the best way to know how to do anything is to look at a good example. Whether it’s a math problem, a marriage, or a business, and for Christians our example is Jesus. Jesus received a lot of persecution because He did things on the Sabbath that people felt should not be done. Like healing people (Luke 6:6-10) and getting food to eat (Mark 2:23-26). Jesus showed us that it is okay to preserve life on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11). God is a God of life, not death and God is in favor of promoting life, healing, and well-being. The type of things that should not be done on the Sabbath is anything that disrupts connection with God and people (Exodus 20:9-10, Exodus 12:16, Nehemiah 13:16-17). Anything that is laborious should be completed the day before (Mark 15:42).
Ideas of things to do during the Sabbath to be more God and people centered include: attend church service, participate in or host a Bible study, serve at a homeless shelter, go out into nature, serve food to those that are hungry, intentionally encourage others by giving kind messages to strangers, sing or play games at a senior living facility, invite widows or someone who may be lonely for lunch or dinner, write thank you cards to teachers, pastors, or people that we receive so much from then give them to them, write encouraging letters to people in prison then mail them to them.
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.~ Matthew 12:11-12
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. ~ Exodus 20:9-10
…no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. ~ Exodus 12:16
...and sold on the Sabbath...and I said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day? ~ Nehemiah 13:16-17
And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath. ~ Mark 15:42
Interestingly, it was the seventh day, the Sabbath, that Adam and Eve was separated from God. They were supposed to be connecting with each other and with God, but instead of keeping that day sacred they were being tempted. Christians still do this to this day. God's standards are not rigid rules that were put in place without reason. Just as a parent tells a child not to touch a hot stove, God's expectations are to keep us safe and well. The Sabbath was designed for just that.
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. ~ Matthew 19:16-22
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