What does the Bible say about the Sabbath?
The Bible has a lot to say about the Sabbath and there are well meaning Christians who differ on this subject. I think to answer the question we need to first look at God's intent for the Sabbath and then look at what the Bible says about when that day should be observed.
What is the purpose of the Sabbath?
In Mark Chapter 2 Jesus says that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”. The words were the conclusion of Jesus’ reply to those who criticized his disciples for plucking ears of grain as they walked through the fields one sabbath and then (according to Lk 6:1) eating the grain when they had rubbed the ears in their hands to separate the kernel from the husk. Harmless enough actions, it might be supposed today (unless the owner of the crop complained that he was being robbed), but plucking the ears was technically regarded by the interpreters of the law as a form of reaping, and rubbing them to extract the kernel as a form of grinding, and reaping and grinding were two kinds of work that were forbidden on the sabbath. Probably, in addition to the expressed criticism of the disciples, there was an implied criticism of Jesus for allowing them to break the law in this way.
Jesus first invoked a precedent: in an emergency David had been permitted by the priest in charge of the sanctuary at Nob (perhaps on Mount Scopus; near Jerusalem) to have some of the holy bread (the “shewbread” or “bread of the [divine] presence”) for himself and his followers to eat, although it was laid down in the law that none but priests should eat it (1 Sam 21:1-6). The point of Jesus’ argument here seems to be that human need takes priority over ceremonial law; it is relevant to recall that in traditional interpretation (though not in the Old Testament text) the incident from the life of David took place on a sabbath (the day when, according to Lev 24:8-9, the old bread was to be removed, to be eaten by “Aaron and his sons . . . in a holy place,” and replaced by new bread, “set in order before the Lord”).
But Jesus went on to invoke an earlier and higher precedent. The sabbath was instituted by God; what was God’s purpose in instituting it? If that can be discovered, then the sabbath law is best kept when God’s purpose in giving it is best fulfilled. In Genesis 2:2-3, God is said to have “rested” on the seventh day when he had finished the creative work of the six preceding days, so he “blessed the seventh day and hallowed it.” The Hebrew verb translated “rest” is shab and is the root of the word Sabbath. Neither Jesus nor his critics thought that God needed to rest on the seventh day because he was tired after a hard week’s work. He “ceased” or “desisted” from his work. Why, then, did he “bless” the sabbath day and “hallow” it? Not for his own sake, but for the sake of his creatures, who, he knew, would certainly need to rest after a hard week’s work. This is implied in the Genesis narrative itself. The fourth commandment, in the form which it is given in Exodus 20:8-11, bids the Israelites sanctify the seventh day by refraining from work, because God sanctified it by ceasing from his work after the six days of creation. But in the form which this commandment is given in Deuteronomy 5:12-15, it is made explicitly clear that the sabbath was given for the sake of those who need to rest after hard work: “that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you” (RSV).
The sabbath day was instituted, then, to meet a human need, and the day is best sanctified when human need is met on it. Expositors regularly quote as a parallel the words of Rabbi Simeon ben Menasya preserved in a rabbinical commentary on Exodus 31:14: “The sabbath is delivered to you; you are not delivered to the sabbath.”
Is the Sabbath a certain day of the week?
The name “sabbath” did not originate with the Babylonians, for its Hebrew etymology is related to the semantic field of shab, meaning “to rest” or “to cease.” In the Old Testament the sabbath was a day of cessation, for religious reasons, from the normal routine of life.
Now if this ordinance goes back to creation and has as its purpose the imitation of the Lord himself, what of its continuing relevance for us? Was there any indication, even in the Old Testament itself, that the day set apart to the Lord might be changed from the seventh to the first, as many Christians say today?
To take the latter question first, yes, there is such evidence. In Leviticus 23:15, during the Feast of Weeks, the day after the sabbath had significance along with the sabbath itself. Israel was to count off fifty days, up to the day of the seventh sabbath; then, on “the day after the seventh Sabbath,” they were to present an offering of new grain to the Lord (Lev 23:15-16). Again on this “eighth day” Israel was to hold another “sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire” (Lev 23:36). “The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work,” the Lord said (Lev 23:35), and on the eighth day, when the closing assembly was held, they were again to do no work. “The first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest” (Lev 23:39). Since the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles cannot be properly celebrated until the time of Israel’s kingdom rest—after they have once again been regathered in their land from all over the world—it is clear that this passage looks forward to the eternal state and the rest of all, when the tabernacle of God is once again with humanity (Rev 21:3).
These arguments, along with the fact that the early church worshiped on the first day of the week, fit the prediction of an eighth-day (that is, first-day-of-the-week) sabbath very well (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2; Rev 1:10). Justin Martyr (c. A.D. 150) indicates in his Apology 1.67-68 that in his day offerings were being brought to the church on Sunday—the first day of the week.
The book of Hebrews, of course, continues to argue on the basis of the relevance of the sabbath rest for the people of God. This sabbath still remains. It is a “stop” day, picturing the millennial rest of God that is to come when Christ returns the second time to rule and reign with his saints.
The question becomes is there a certain day that rest should be celebrated? In Colossians 2:16-17, the Apostle Paul declared, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Similarly, Romans 14:5 says, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” These Scriptures make it clear that how we celebrate the Sabbath is a matter that each and every Christian needs to by fully convinced in his/her own mind, but not one with which we should judge others.
In the early chapters of the Book of Acts, the first Christians were predominantly Jews. When Gentiles began to receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Jewish Christians had a dilemma. What aspects of the Mosaic Law and Jewish tradition should Gentile Christians be instructed to obey? The apostles met and discussed the issue in the Jerusalem council (Acts chapter 15). The decision was, “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood” (Acts 15:19-20). Sabbath-keeping was not one of the commands that Jesus’ apostles felt it was necessary to enforce on Gentile believers. It is inconceivable that the apostles would neglect to include Sabbath-keeping if it was still God’s command for Christians to observe the Sabbath day.
In the Book of Acts, whenever a meeting is said to be on the Sabbath, it is a meeting of Jews, not Christians. When did the early Christians meet? Acts 2:46-47 gives us the answer, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” If there was a day that Christians met regularly, it was the first day of the week, not the Sabbath day (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). In honor of Christ’s resurrection on Sunday, the early Christians observed Sunday, not as the “Christian Sabbath,” but as a day to especially worship and glorify Jesus Christ.
It is often claimed that "God instituted the Sabbath in Eden" because of the connection between the Sabbath and creation in Exodus 20:11. Although God's rest on the seventh day (Genesis 2:3) did foreshadow a future Sabbath law, there is no biblical record of the Sabbath before the children of Israel left the land of Egypt. Nowhere in Scripture is there any hint that Sabbath-keeping was practiced from Adam to Moses.
The Word of God makes it quite clear that Sabbath observance was a special sign between God and Israel: "And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine'" (Exodus 19:3–5).
“Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:16–17).
In Deuteronomy 5, Moses restates the ten commandments to the next generation of Israelites. Here, after commanding Sabbath observance in verses 12–14, Moses gives the reason the Sabbath was given to the nation Israel: "And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day" (Deuteronomy 5:15).
Notice the word therefore. God's intent for giving the Sabbath to Israel was not that they would remember creation, but that they would remember their Egyptian slavery and the LORD's deliverance. Note the requirements for Sabbath-keeping: A person placed under that Sabbath law could not leave his home on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:29), he could not build a fire (Exodus 35:3), and he could not cause anyone else to work (Deuteronomy 5:14). A person breaking the Sabbath law was to be put to death (Exodus 31:15; Numbers 15:32–35).
An examination of New Testament passages shows us four important points:
- Whenever Christ appears in His resurrected form and the day is mentioned, it is always the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1, 9, 10; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1, 13, 15; John 20:19, 26).
- The only time the Sabbath is mentioned from Acts through Revelation it is for evangelistic purposes to the Jews and the setting is usually in a synagogue (Acts chapters 13–18). Paul wrote, "to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews" (1 Corinthians 9:20). Paul did not go to the synagogue to fellowship with and edify the saints, but to convict and save the lost.
- Once Paul states "from now on I will go to the Gentiles" (Acts 18:6), the Sabbath is never again mentioned.
- instead of suggesting adherence to the Sabbath day, the remainder of the New Testament implies the opposite (including the one exception to point 3 above, found in Colossians 2:16).
Is there anything wrong with worshipping on Saturday, the Sabbath? Absolutely not! We should worship God every day, not just on Saturday or Sunday! Many churches today have both Saturday and Sunday services. There is freedom in Christ (Romans 8:21; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1). Should a Christian practice Sabbath-keeping, that is, not working on Saturdays? If a Christian feels led to do so, absolutely, yes (Romans 14:5). We should rest, but which day can differ from person to person. However, those who choose to practice Sabbath-keeping on Saturday should not judge those who observe a day of rest on another day (Colossians 2:16) nor should the people who practice Sabbath keeping on another day judge those who observe Saturday as their day of rest.
Tom Quaid, VCNP
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