The Jewish sabbath is the seventh day of the week. It starts at sunset on Friday and goes until sunset on Saturday and is every week. The word sabbath means rest. The sabbath points to Jesus just as other Jewish holy days do for the Jews. The sabbath was ordained by God for the Israelites and not Gentiles and was given to Moses. It was for a sign between God and Israel for ever. The sabbath was to be a perpetual [forever] covenant between God and the children of Israel and to be observed every Saturday. (Exodus 31:12-17 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
13 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.
14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.) The Israelites were not to do any work on the sabbath and were to keep it holy and rest. The day was holy as all Jewish feasts since it pointed to Jesus. Anyone who desecrated the day to try and destroy the holiness was to be put to death. The soul that did work would be cut off from among the people. The words “cut off” are a source of disagreement. Some say it means they were killed, others say it means they would end up in hell, and others say they were removed from the camp and not allowed to associate with the Israelite people. I believe the last choice is the correct one in that the people were no longer allowed in the camp. Verses such as Zechariah 11:9 and 11:16 seem to support this view as God said he would not feed those who were cut off or send a shepherd to them. If they were already dead these verses would not make sense. The second view that they would end up in hell possibly fits as God will not send anyone to preach to people who are already sentenced to hell such as those who in the tribulation take the mark of the beast, but I still believe the third view is most likely the meaning of this phrase. (Zechariah 11:9 Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.) (Zechariah 11:16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.) It is possible that “cut off” means killed as Jesus was cut off according to Daniel 9:26 and this is in reference to his death on the cross by crucifixion or maybe has both meanings depending on the context. (Daniel 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.)
The Israelite leaders over the years were so afraid to violate working on the sabbath that they started adding manmade laws to what God said. Man is good at that. By the time of Jesus the Pharisees had so many added rules that it was impossible to not break one. The sabbath had become a burden rather than a day of rest. Modern Jews who observe the sabbath such as the ultraorthodox have this same foolishness. They are not even allowed to turn on or off a light switch as that is considered work or carry a handkerchief in their pocket as that is considered a burden. Today there are 1521 laws for the sabbath. The law says that they were to make sacrifices on the sabbath so how can they make a sacrifice and it not be work, but they cannot even turn on a light switch? Foolishness. Jesus often times performed miracles on the sabbath on purpose so it would cause a discussion among the Pharisees. They accused Jesus of working, yet Jesus said do you not give water to your animals or the sabbath or would you not pull your child out of a hole on the sabbath? (Luke 13:14-15 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.
15 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?) Jesus said he was Lord of the sabbath and that the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath. (Matthew 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.) (Mark 2:27-28 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.) Jesus was trying to point out to the Jews that the sabbath was a day of rest, not a day of burden as they made it and was meant as a day set aside to worship God. Jesus just meant that the Jews could not go about working on the sabbath as if it was business as usual such as those who traded on the sabbath. The law was never meant to keep people from doing the necessities of life such as eating or saving a life. (Mark 3:4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.) A person can cook or flip a light switch on the sabbath and not be in violation. The disciples of Jesus were accused of working on the sabbath when they plucked some ears of corn to eat. Jesus told them how David and his men ate of the shewbread which was only for the priests, but they were not punished as they were hungry. (Mark 2:23-26 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.
24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
25 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?
26 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?)
The Israelites were to make a sacrifice on the sabbath. (Numbers 28:9-10 ¶ And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof:
10 This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.) The lamb pointed to the future sacrifice of Jesus as the passover lamb for our sins and our redemption. (I Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:)
The sabbath represents the rest God had on the seventh day of the creation week after creating or working on the first six days of the week. (Exodus 20:11 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.) God also had other times of rest such as the land was to rest from farming every seventh year. (Leviticus 25:3-4 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.) A Christian has rest in Jesus due to his work on the cross for us and his redemption for us. This was what the sabbath truly pointed out as the Israelites were to see Jesus was their true sabbath or rest. (Matthew 11:28-30 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 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.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.) True rest can only come from Jesus as the sabbath was to have pointed out to the Israelites. Notice in verse 30 that Jesus said his burden is light. The sabbath was never meant to be a burden to the Israelites as it became and still is today. The day has become a day of dread I am sure for some instead of a day of rest. The reason people were not allowed to work on the sabbath was because it pointed to the rest of Jesus for all those who receive him.
Today there is dispute on whether Christians should worship on the sabbath (Saturday) or the Lord’s Day (Sunday). They say the fourth commandment says to remember the sabbath. (Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.) This is correct, but this is the only commandment never repeated in the new testament. This is because under Jesus we now remember his resurrection. The sabbath as I mentioned earlier remembers God resting on the seventh day of the creation week and completing the week. Jesus rose from the grave on the first day of the week so we remember his resurrection and his completion of redemption. The sabbath as we saw was for a covenant or sign between God and Israel, not Christians. The first day of the week signifies the fellowship between the church and Jesus. The sabbath was to be observed as a commandment from God whereas the Lord’s day is voluntary worship done by Christians. The sabbath represented the old works and sacrifice whereas the Lord’s day represents the grace we have received from Jesus. We are saved by grace. (II Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,) Christians are under a new covenant and not under the covenant of the Jews. The sabbath provided the much needed rest the Israelites needed after working hard all week. The Lord’s day emphasizes what Jesus has done for man. Jesus is the sabbath and therefore Christians do not observe the Biblical sabbath of Saturday. The apostles met on the first day of the week and set the example for us. (John 20:19 ¶ Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.) Paul also preached on Sunday and taught Christians to meet on the Lord’s day. (Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.) (I Corinthians 16:2 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.) The early Christians worshipped on either the sabbath or Sunday. It was the Roman Catholic Church that officially changed it to Sunday in A.D. 336 at the Council of Laodicea. I personally believe they did it more to honor the sun god and then change it to a Christian day and theme just as they did with most heathen things, but I do believe Sunday is the correct day to worship regardless. I believe that Christians should gather for worship on Sunday whenever possible so that we may remember the resurrection of Jesus and the redemption it brought us. Some Christians such as in Israel have to work since Saturday is the day off there so they normally worship on Saturday just as the Jews do, but for Christians who are not burdened that way I do not believe they should worship on Saturday. Many churches are now having Saturday night services so Christians can go out for pleasure on Sunday just like the unsaved and the backslidden Christians who do not attend church. I do not believe this honors God. Some denominations such as the Seventh Day Adventists and the Seventh Day Baptists say that worship must be done on Saturday to obey the sabbath, but as I have shown the sabbath was a sign between God and Israel not between God and Christians so it does not apply to us and I also have shown that is why the commandment is never repeated in the new testament since we are now in a new covenant with Jesus. I believe these denominations misinterpret scripture. Christians also pretend as if the Lord’s day is the sabbath and say they cannot cook on it or do any kind of work. This is again wrong as those same Christians who will not cook will go out to eat and make those people work. Just as the Jews never truly observed the sabbath for most of their history neither do Christians who add this burden to the Lord’s day. I do believe that Christians should not intentionally work on Sunday and should spend the day in worship to God, but some people do have to work such as policemen, firemen, EMS, physicians, nurses, prison workers and others as even Jesus said it was ok to save a life on the sabbath and Sunday is not the true sabbath. They need to bring back the old Blue Laws so that only essential businesses are opened on Sunday’s. Christians need a day of rest and worship just as God commanded for the Israelites and our day is Sunday. God designed our bodies to rest every seventh day. Studies have shown that the heart rate decreases on the seventh day. For those Christians who go on Saturday night so they can have fun on Sunday shame on you. Put God first and have a day of rest. Do not squeeze God in on a Saturday night. Rest on Sunday, but do not become like the Pharisees and add all kinds of burdens. We should have physical rest on Sunday, but more importantly it is a day of spiritual rest as we worship Jesus and place our burdens from the week on him. This is also why it is important for a church to have a midweek service on Wednesday or another night so that Christians can have worship with Jesus and lift some of the burdens during the week so they are not so heavy on Sunday. Sadly most churches have done away with Sunday night services and the Wednesday night midweek service and Christians wonder why they are so stressed.
The sabbath also points to the millennium to some of the everlasting rest we as Christians will have with the ultimate rest coming in eternity.
In conclusion the sabbath was a reminder to Israel of God’s rest on the seventh day to complete the creation week. It was also to point the Israelites to the future redemption of man by Jesus and the true rest that only he gives. This full rest will be seen in the millennium and eternity and that is why God said the sabbath was for a perpetual covenant as God keeps his promises. This also shows God is not done with Israel. The creation rest was just to set the example of the true rest of Jesus. Just as God redeem Israel from slavery in Egypt, he offered redemption for all, Jew and Gentile to those who call upon Jesus. (Deuteronomy 5:15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.) The sabbath was a reminder that it was God who did the work both at creation and on the cross that we might be redeemed (saved) and to show that our works will not save us, only the work of God. We are to trust God for our salvation by placing our faith in Jesus. (Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.)
