Sabbath Keeping
Discover biblical guidance on keeping God’s seventh-day Sabbath the way He intended it.
What does Isaiah say about those who keep the Sabbath?
Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
Is this confirmed elsewhere?
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.
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. ... But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.
The Sabbath was not made to be a burden, but a blessing to the human race, and those who keep it partake in the blessing on a weekly basis. In Deuteronomy 28 God also pronounces other blessings on those who keep His commandments, including the fourth.
How is the Sabbath to be kept?
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.
The Sabbath was instituted to provide rest and refuge in and through Christ. It’s a special weekly blessing to everyone who chooses to rest from their works by trusting in Him. We may have a long list of things to do, but we can still put them aside in order to have time to connect with God and acknowledge His supremacy in our lives. This rest from work extends to everyone “within our gates” or under our authority.
How did Jesus keep it?
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.
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.
Looking to Jesus as our example in all things, we learn that Sabbath keeping is also about gathering together with other believers for worship, spiritual nourishment, and fellowship.
Was this the case in the Old Testament too?
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.
Not only is the Sabbath a time to convene together with other believers, but this convening is called holy.
When does the Sabbath start and end?
It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening, you shall keep your Sabbath.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
In the Bible, the day does not actually start and end at midnight; it starts from sunset and lasts until the next day’s sunset. In the Genesis account each day includes the prior evening as well, so since the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, it would start from sunset on Friday and last until sunset on Saturday.
What insight does Isaiah give?
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.
The Sabbath becomes a delight when it is centered around Jesus—when we put away our own pursuits and rest from the cares of life in order to focus on the eternal things of God. It’s a special day to reflect on, honor, and connect with Him. Simply put, it’s a day to delight in Him.
What can we learn from the experience of Nehemiah?
In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day.
We can clearly see that buying, selling, and conducting business to generate income are activities that profane the Sabbath day. Now this can pose a challenge for some professions; it wouldn’t be right to abandon people requiring medical care on the Sabbath, for example, but as far as it is possible, we should seek to rest from income-generating work in order to honor our Creator.
What activities are encouraged on the Sabbath?
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.
Jesus continued to heal people on the Sabbath, contrary to the tradition of the religious leaders of that day. Ministering to the sick, the needy, and the discouraged by relieving their suffering, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, is what makes the Sabbath a delight.
For whom was the Sabbath instituted?
And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
The Pharisees had so many additional man-made rules to ensure the Sabbath was kept holy that they turned it into a burden, but Jesus did not follow these rules. He only followed God’s rules, which are there to ensure the Sabbath is a delight. In fact, He made it quite clear that the Sabbath was made for us, and not the other way around.
Will God provide for my needs?
And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day.
Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
It may be tempting to worry about lost income on the Sabbath, but just as God miraculously provided a double portion of bread for the Israelites on Friday to ensure they had enough for Saturday, He will also provide for our needs today when we choose to honor Him by resting on His holy day.
What promise does Jesus give me?
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.