What About the Sabbath?

In this article we want to ask and give a Bible answer to some important questions concerning the Sabbath Day.

Question #1 - - What is the Sabbath?

The word sabbath means the "ceasing from work or activity." In the Old Testament Law the word is used in connection with (1) the Day of Atonement: Leviticus 16:29-31; (2) The Seventh Year: Leviticus 25:2-4; (3) The Fiftieth Year: Leviticus 25:8-11; (4) The Seventy Years of Judah's bondage: II Chronicles 36: 21 and (5) The Seventh Day of the week. This study will focus on the Sabbath as the seventh day of the week.

Question #2 - - To whom was the Sabbath given?

The sabbath law was given only to the Jews (Deuteronomy 5:1-3, 6-21). The command to keep the sabbath holy was never given to any other people.

Question #3 - - When was the sabbath law given to the Jews?

Some might point to Genesis 2:1-3 to prove that the sabbath law was given at creation. However, Genesis 2 is a statement of fact, not command. The sabbath was not made known or given until the giving of the Old Law to the Jews at Mt. Sinai (Nehemiah 9:13-14; Ezekiel 20:10-12).

Question #4 - - Why was the sabbath given to the Jews?

It was given as a day of rest and a day of remembrance of the Jews' deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 31:15-17; Deuteronomy 5:15). Also, it was given as "a sign" between God and Israel (Exodus 31:13-17). This within itself indicates that it was exclusively a law for the Old Testament Jewish nation.

Question #5 - - When did the sabbath end as a law to be observed by God's people?

The Old Testament anticipated the end of the Old Law and the sabbath (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hosea 2:11). The New Testament says that when Jesus died on the cross, the Old Law (of which the sabbath was part) was "nailed" to the cross and ended, giving way to the New Testament of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8:5-13; Colossians 2:14-16; Hebrews 10:9-10; Hebrews 9:15-17; Ephesians 2:14-16; Galatians 3:19-28). We now live and serve under the New Testament of Christ. As Christians we assemble on the first day of the week (Sunday) to eat the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7), give of our means (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), and worship God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23-24).

Sometimes we hear someone talking about the "Christian sabbath." This is an unscriptural term. There is nothing Christian about the sabbath. It was a part of the Old Testament Judaism, not New Testament Christianity.

No one today can take a Bible and condemn anyone for not "observing the sabbath" (Colossians 2:16). Let us always "rightly divide the word of Truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

RK