What is the Sabbath Day?
The Sabbath is made of time. It is observed on the seventh-day of the week, sunset to sunset. God is worthy of all adoration. While we spend time during the week in study and prayer, this commandment directs us to go beyond the daily devotional time and honor a dedicated day of time to God. It takes time to develop and maintain a loving and faithful relationship with our heavenly Father. We serve a wonderful God who wants us to remain acquainted with him! (Ezekiel 20:12)
Of all the commandments, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” remains the most controversial of them all. This commandment test the faith and obedience of believers. The Sabbath is a part of the eternal, changeless, Ten Commandment Law of God. It originated in the Garden of Eden during the week of creation. It did not originate at Mt. Sinai with Israel. (Genesis 2:2, 3; Exodus 20:8-11)
God numbered each day of the week when he made his creations. The seventh-day is the Sabbath that is referenced in the law of God. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Genesis 2:3; Mark 2:27)
God did his wondrous work of creation in six days. On the sixth day, he created man and woman. His plan for the earth was magnificent and divinely done, as only he could have done it. Everything was made for the benefit and appreciation of man, including the seventh-day. The recognition of God as our Creator becomes automatic when we believe and observe His Sabbath. (Jeremiah 17:21, 22)
“And God blessed the seventh day…” When God pronounces a blessing he puts his divine approval on it. His blessings are forever. When we accept and honor the Sabbath, we enter into his many blessings. One of the many blessings is that we become closer to him. The Sabbath is a sign between God and his people. To observe the Sabbath is act of obedience. (I Chronicles 17:27; Hebrews 4:4)
“And God sanctified it…” The word sanctify means to set aside for a sacred use. When something is sanctified it is held in high regard because it is set aside for the honor of God. The Sabbath is meant to be holy in every way possible. We want to embrace his anointing that he has given us. God did not sanctify no other day of the week. (Genesis 2:3)
“And he rested from all his work which God created and made…” Sabbath means to rest. The Sabbath was given to us that we may rest our bodies from work and movement that we do for six days. When we rest on this day, we are revived mentally, physically, and spiritually by taking the time to remember our Creator and his redemptive power. (Exodus 2:3; Mark 6:31)
How do we delight in the blessings, the sanctification and the rest on the Sabbath? The scriptures are very clear as to what not to do, “in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son or thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates…” For us to understand how the church or how the people observed the Sabbath, we must study line upon line, precept upon precept, here and there a little and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus kept the Sabbath, teachings were held in the temple, and the people of God did rest. (Exodus 20:10; Luke 4:16; Acts 17:2)
We attend church worship because this is how to keep the Sabbath. But attending church worship is how we acknowledge the Sabbath, not how we keep it. Church provides a central meeting place for the saints to worship. The deeper response as to how we keep the Sabbath begins in our hearts. Jesus said “if ye love me keep my commandments”. The Sabbath is kept by faith and the power of God. Ministries must trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the gift of administration on how to conduct services in an orderly way. (John 14:15)
The Apostle wrote of “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another…” Forsake means to renounce or turn away from entirely. This passage of scripture refers to church members who have discontent among themselves to the point that they put in jeopardy coming to together for church fellowship and the exhortation for each other. This scripture does not apply to saints who remain faithful believers in the commandments and who are supportive of the will of God. (John 14:15; Hebrews 10:23-27)
Honoring the Sabbath Day does not save us. Only Jesus saves. But because we love him, we want to please him. When we observe the Sabbath Day, we show that we love him and that we choose to obey all that he commands. The Sabbath is a weekly unchangeable appointment that God commands that we keep with him. When we obey this command, we will experience the deepness of his love for us and we will continue grow in love and faith in our Father. (Deuteronomy 6:5; Revelation 12:17; 14:12)
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