Topical Bible: The Sabbath: God: Commanded, to be Kept

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Introduction

The Sabbath is a divinely instituted day of rest and worship, originating from the creation narrative and reiterated throughout the Scriptures. It holds significant theological and practical importance within the Judeo-Christian tradition, serving as a perpetual covenant between God and His people.

Biblical Foundation

The concept of the Sabbath is first introduced in the creation account. Genesis 2:2-3 states, "By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished." This passage establishes the Sabbath as a day set apart by God Himself, marking it as holy.

The Fourth Commandment

The Sabbath commandment is prominently featured in the Decalogue, underscoring its importance. Exodus 20:8-11 commands, "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the foreigner within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy."

Sabbath Observance in Israel

The observance of the Sabbath was a central aspect of Israelite life and identity. It served as a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, as articulated in Exodus 31:16-17 : "The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it as a lasting covenant for the generations to come. It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed."

Prophetic Emphasis

The prophets frequently called the people back to proper Sabbath observance, linking it to social justice and spiritual renewal. Isaiah 58:13-14 exhorts, "If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

New Testament Perspective

In the New Testament, Jesus affirms the Sabbath's value while challenging legalistic interpretations. In Mark 2:27-28 , He declares, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." This statement highlights the Sabbath's purpose as a gift for human benefit and rest, while also asserting Christ's authority over it.

Theological Significance

The Sabbath serves as a reminder of God's creative power, His deliverance, and His provision. It is a day for rest, reflection, and worship, pointing to the ultimate rest found in Christ. Hebrews 4:9-10 reflects this eschatological dimension: "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His."

Conclusion

The Sabbath remains a vital aspect of biblical teaching, emphasizing rest, worship, and the acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. It is a day set apart for spiritual renewal and a foretaste of the eternal rest promised to believers.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 19:3,30
You shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be ...
... holy rest which was commanded and kept before either the Jews were a people, or
those ceremonies annexed to the Sabbath, still continues as God's perpetual law ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/ten reasons demonstrating the commandment.htm

The Sabbath
... The law of Ten Commandments, of which the Sabbath forms a part, God gave to His
people as a blessing. "The Lord commanded us," said Moses, "to do all these ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 29 the sabbath.htm

Christ's Authority Over the Sabbath as Its Lord He Recalled it ...
... was really [3889] God's work, which He commanded Himself, and ... a people full of
iniquities, and loving God "with the ... did not at all rescind the Sabbath: He kept ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xii christs authority over the.htm

Fourth Commandment
... came and took them off into Babylon, and kept them seventy ... I will not do unnecessary
work on the sabbath. ... will do all I can to keep it holy as God commanded.". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/weighed and wanting/fourth commandment.htm

Epistle i. To the Roman Citizens.
... But after that the grace of Almighty God, our Lord Jesus Christ has appeared, the ...
If, then, the very Truth in person commanded that the Sabbath should not ...
/.../gregory/the epistles of saint gregory the great/epistle i to the roman.htm

On the Commandments of God
... Here God commanded Moses to come up into the mountain, and in the ... not take the name
of the Lord thy God in vain.3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath Day. ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 29 on the commandments.htm

Meditations of the True Manner of Practising Piety on the Sabbath ...
... out of Cyprian, says, that circumcision was commanded on the ... prophesied of the keeping
of the Sabbath upon the ... of the Old Testament, surely the god of this ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations of the true manner.htm

Unless the Scriptures be Understood through God's Great Grace, God ...
... through the words of the prophets.) [And, further, God will be slandered unless
you show] that you were commanded to observe the Sabbath, and to ...
/.../chapter xcii unless the scriptures be.htm

From the Second to the Fourth Commandment
... who really love God will endeavor to do more than the bare works commanded. ... A. We
are to worship God on Sundays and holy days of ... 356 Q. Are the Sabbath day and ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 32 from the second.htm

Were Christ and the Apostles Mistaken?
... 7. "They kept the charge of the Lord, at the ... him, being read in the synagogues every
Sabbath." (Acts 15:21 ... of the people for their sins, God commanded Moses to ...
/.../concerning the assumptions of destructive criticism/iv were christ and the.htm