The Sabbath Day

A Word of Truth #112  

Stoned to death for picking up sticks? Yes, God commanded death to those who broke His Old Testament Sabbath Day law.

“Sabbath” is Hebrew for “rest.” The Sabbath had its beginnings at creation. “In six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth…and rested (stopped creating) on the seventh day”—Saturday. Therefore, God said, “Six days you shall labor and do all work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work.”

The Sabbath Day provided physical rest, but it wasn’t just about taking “time off.” The Sabbath Day was the “Rest of the Lord your God.” The Sabbath Day was to be a day set apart to give special attention to the soul’s needs, and to give glory to God in worship and praise.

The Sabbath Day was, above all, a picture of Jesus. A day set apart for physical rest was a picture of the rest our souls enjoy when our sins are forgiven. Jesus says, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you REST.” He is the full and true Sabbath!

God’s New Testament Sabbath Expectations

A Word of Truth #113  

It means, “You shouldn’t work on Sundays!” No, it means, “You must worship on Saturdays!” What exactly does God expect when He says, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy”? The Bible reveals that God intended the Old Testament Sabbath Day to be a picture of the spiritual rest we receive by faith in the promised Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled that picture through His work of redemption, so that God’s Old Testament Sabbath Day restrictions no longer apply to New Testament believers. In fact, the apostle Paul urges us not to allow anyone to judge us in these matters (cf. Colossians 2:16-17).

How then do we keep the Sabbath Day holy? We do so by regarding God’s word as holy and by gladly hearing and learning it. Let us therefore worship God regularly and live our entire lives with due reverence for that word.