God Almighty is a Creator. In six days, He recreated the heavens and the Earth, establishing the night and day, filling the Earth with all manner of life, and placing man on the Earth to have dominion over it.
The seventh day, however, was different. On that day, the great God of the universe ceased from His activity and made a different type of creation. On that day, God and the Word rested, creating the Sabbath day. “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).
Most do not realize that the Sabbath is as much a part of creation as the Earth itself. God created it, and He made it holy. He created the Sabbath for a special reason, revealed by Jesus Christ Himself: “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28).
The Sabbath was made for man—for you and me—and put under the direction of the living Christ. So we must ask ourselves: How effectively do we keep the Sabbath day? How do we spend the time leading up to this holy part of the week? Do you truly understand God’s Sabbath command and keep this time holy? Let us examine the biblical instructions on God’s Sabbath, so that we can keep this time holy, even as Jesus Christ does.
Prepare—God’s Test for Israel
In Exodus 20, God commands, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work” (verses 8-9). The Hebrew word translated remember means to be mindful of, or to think on. Although the Sabbath is only one day, we should always remember and think on the Sabbath.
Before the Sabbath ever arrives, you are to prepare for it by working for six days. The Creator God worked for six days and on the seventh day, He rested. Just as God worked, men must work. If you did not work for six days, you would not be resting from work on the Sabbath; you would simply remain at rest. One of the reasons the Sabbath is such a delight is that God allows us to rest and recover from our week’s activities.
As part of the Sabbath command, you work every day leading up to God’s Sabbath, but the day before this holy time is special—it is a preparation day. God gave ancient Israel special instructions for preparing for His Sabbath. “Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily” (Exodus 16:4-5).
The Israelites were to gather a double portion of manna on the day before the Sabbath because it would allow them to rest on God’s Sabbath. God required that they do so—if they didn’t gather double on Friday, they could not expect to find manna on the Sabbath: “Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none” (Exodus 16:26).
If they gathered extra manna at any other time, it would normally spoil, but on the Sabbath God preserved it. God performed this miracle every week for 40 years, miraculously preserving the extra manna throughout the Sabbath (there was no means of preserving food in the wilderness). Certainly, the Israelites had no question as to when the Sabbath was to be kept or how serious this time was to God—their ability to eat depended on it.
There are physical duties that must be done on the Sabbath—such as serving food—but we should do all that we can before the Sabbath so that when God’s holy time arrives we will be able to observe it fully. Lesson 24 of the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course (1985 edition) states, “Christians today should plan to have their work completed before sunset on the evening of the sixth day (Friday). The house should be cleaned, the dishes washed, and any heavy cooking or baking done before sunset so that the entire family can begin the Sabbath in an atmosphere of rest and worship—that it may be a day truly kept holy to God!”
If there is something you can do on Friday that will allow you to keep the Sabbath more fully, do it! Remember, God finished everything in those six days.
Keep It Holy
God is an all-powerful spirit being. He does not get tired or need to sleep (Isaiah 40:28). Why, then, would He desire a day of rest? “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:17).
First, the Sabbath identifies God’s people. It is, and has been from inception, the sign that shows who God’s people are. One reason the 10 tribes of Israel have lost their identity—that they cannot be readily identified by the world—is that they no longer keep God’s Sabbath! Our keeping of the Sabbath identifies us to God as His people, because it is a sign of who we are—and who He is!
Second, the Sabbath refreshed God. It allowed Him to reflect on His awesome plan and to spiritually rejuvenate. We also should be refreshed and rejuvenated by this day as we strive to keep it holy.
But how do we keep something holy? In Exodus 3:5, God commanded Moses to stop and remove his sandals because the ground he walked on was holy. Moses had to behave in a special way because this ground was set apart for holy use by God. The Sabbath is also set apart for holy use, and we must walk according to God’s instructions!
In the book of Ezekiel, God shows that we are choosing between holy and profane: “Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26). God considers a violation of His Sabbath profane, and so must we.
In Isaiah 58:13, God tells us that we are not to do our own ways, or find our own pleasure or speak our own words. But of course He expects us to find pleasure in His Sabbath—He calls it a delight! We will find that pleasure in keeping the Sabbath God’s way, doing His pleasure and speaking His words. This is not a time to watch sitcoms, surf the Internet and pursue our own desires; it is a time to pray, study God’s Word and reflect on His plan. You have been given a fantastic opportunity: one full day every week to deepen your understanding of God and His plan—to draw closer to Him.
You should also train your children to understand the deep meaning of God’s Sabbath so that they will appreciate it. “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). We are to actively teach our children God’s way of life. The Sabbath was created for them too.
A Commanded Assembly
In Leviticus 23, God calls the Sabbath “an holy convocation.” A convocation is a commanded assembly. In other words, God commands you to assemble with other believers on His Sabbath whenever possible. This service is part of God’s holy use for the Sabbath. Of course, this does not mean that you are commanded to assemble with those who are non-believers, or with someone who does not keep all of God’s commandments. Paul told the Corinthians not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers: “[F]or what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
For ancient Israel, this commanded assembly was the focus of their Sabbath. Jesus Christ went to the synagogue and stood up to read on the Sabbath as His custom (Luke 4:16). We should follow His example of making this holy convocation the centerpiece of our Sabbath.
In Exodus 20:8, we read, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” If we think on God’s Sabbath, work for six days, really prepare to keep this time holy, and keep the Sabbath as God intends, then it will be a delight to us and we, like God Himself, will be rejuvenated and refreshed.