What is the Sabbath?
The Book of Genesis in the Bible describes God’s creation of the world in six days. In Genesis 2:2-3 NIV, creation was complete: By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
We learn more about this special day in the Book of Exodus. The day is called the Sabbath.
Exodus 20:11 NIV: 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 made it holy.
Exodus 31:13 NIV: Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.
Exodus 31:15 NIV: For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. (WHOA!)
In Leviticus 23:3, the context is expanded to include sacred assembly: There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.
Is the Sabbath still relevant for Christians?
In present time, the ritual of keeping the Sabbath holy has become nearly extinct. But as God’s children and followers of Christ, this is a problem!
The Old Testament of the Bible is as applicable to Christians as the New Testament is. We sometimes tend to put more weight on the New Testament teachings because some of the rules of the game changed when our Messiah changed the course of history.
For example, all the rituals that were required for holiness in the Old Testament weren’t as relevant after Jesus’ His death and resurrection, because those rituals (acts) were no longer the way to earn eternal life. Faith in Jesus is the only way.
It’s a Commandment!
The Old Testament set the foundation of Christianity, with the Ten Commandments being one of the most notable examples. The commandment to keep holy the Sabbath is found in Exodus 20: 8-11 NIV:
“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 male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 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 made it holy.
What does Keeping the Sabbath Require?
The commandment in Exodus 20 gives us the best description of the Sabbath and what it requires of us. We learn that God rested on this day and made it holy. He said:
- It is to be kept holy.
- We shall do no work! “Shall” means non-negotiable!
When we realize that this is a commandment, making it as important as not murdering, stealing, or committing adultery, it should make us take the Sabbath seriously.
What did Jesus say about the Sabbath?
As a Jewish man, Jesus adhered to the Sabbath tradition. For Him, this included worship. Luke 4:16 NIV says: He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.
However, on at least two occasions, Jesus was accused of not honoring the Sabbath. One was when his disciples picked some grain to eat (Matthew 12:1-8 NIV). Another was when he healed a man’s hand (Matthew 12:9-14 NIV).
While these examples were intended to get Jesus in trouble with the religious leaders, they teach us a couple of things about what Jesus thought about the Sabbath.
- The Sabbath mattered. His custom was to attend synagogue, so He believed the Sabbath warranted formal worship to God.
- The meaning of “keeping holy the Sabbath” was left to some interpretation. While the religious leaders said that picking the grain and healing the man were considered “work” and not acceptable to be done on the Sabbath, Jesus said it was acceptable to “do good” on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11 NIV) and that God wanted people to show mercy over sacrifice (Matthew 12:3-8 NIV).
- When Jesus was challenged about “working” on the Sabbath – meaning picking grain and healing the man – He didn’t deny the importance of not working on the Sabbath. What this implies is that Jesus believed that not working was a requirement of keeping the Sabbath.
- Jesus was challenged by a Pharisee who asked Him which of the Ten Commandments was most important. Jesus answered in Matthew 22:37-40 NIV: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Jesus’ answer summarized the Ten Commandments into two. His answer to ‘love God above all else’ instructs us that everything God called us to do in the original Ten Commandments holds true, including keeping holy the Sabbath.
Isn’t Working a Little Bit Okay?
If you’re like most people, your plate of things to do is overflowing with tasks – and Sunday is your day to “get things done”. Mowing the lawn, doing laundry, grocery shopping, getting caught up on office work, or paying bills are some typical Sunday tasks. We don’t have time for a break! Right?
Being too busy to take a break is a lie society has led us to believe. Sometimes we wear an overflowing “to-do” plate as a badge of honor.
But look at the arrogance of this type of self-talk when we consider that GOD HIMSELF RESTED!!! If anyone was too busy or had better things to do than rest, He did! Still, He set the example of rest for us. And yet, we resist Him.
He didn’t design us to be robots who can run around on the hamster wheel 24/7 and still be fulfilled. He designed us to function at our best when we tend to our emotional, and spiritual health. We do this by RESTING. He said in Psalm 46:10 NIV: Be still, and know that I am God.
35 Ways to Keep the Sabbath for Christians
So, as Christians, how do we keep holy the Sabbath, especially when the definition isn’t completely clear?
We must begin with the two definitions we have from God’s Word: 1. It is to be kept holy, and 2. There is to be no work.
Then we can build upon what those two requirements involve.
Keep the Sabbath Holy
Starting with keeping it holy, reflect on what this would mean for you. Do you go to church? Do you meet with other Christians outside of a formalized church? Does a one or two-hour church service suffice for all the holiness for the day? What other ways could you honor God?
Sabbath Rest
Secondly, in regards to ‘no work’, what actually constitutes work? As one example, in the Old Testament, they were told to make enough food on the sixth day so they’d have leftovers for the seventh day, indicating that preparing a meal is work and should be avoided.
But is making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich work? What if our job requires us to work on Sunday? Can we designate another day of the week to rest? Is checking and responding to email considered work? Is handing out meals at a food kitchen considered work? What if we enjoy doing yard work? In that case, can we do it on the Sabbath?
There’s a lot of room for interpretation here and some may even say that as long as they’re not working their “day job” it’s not considered work.
Jesus said that doing good works (like Him healing the man) was okay to do on the Sabbath.
What we shouldn’t do is try to find ways to work around the requirement to rest. We’re only fooling ourselves if our goal is to find a loophole that allows us to work.
Our challenge is to look at our lifestyle and change our Sabbath to include more worship and less work. We should find ways to make our Sabbath a day to rejuvenate ourselves. This should be a continual emphasis because as we seek to get closer to Jesus, we would WANT to spend more time in worship and more time resting our weary souls!
I encourage you to pray about different ways you can make your Sabbath more meaningful. The following suggestions will give you some ideas to get started.
35 Ideas to Keep the Sabbath Holy for Christians
Worship
- Attend a church service. Actively participate.
- Meet with other Christians for fellowship.
- Read the Bible.
- Read Christian devotionals.
- Read Christian nonfiction books.
- Spend dedicated time in prayer.
- Journal your reflections about God and His will for your life.
- Write prayers for your current challenges.
- Pray with a family member or friend.
- Pray with your children.
- Pray for people you don’t normally pray for.
- Pray for people you don’t know.
- Pray for people you don’t like.
- Sing praise songs.
- Spend dedicated time talking to God.
- Ask God His will for your life. Then be still and listen!
Rest
- No work for your ‘day job’.
- No house work.
- No yard work.
- No laundry.
- No social media.
- Spend quality time with your children. Turn your phone off.
- Call a friend.
- Visit an elderly person.
- Meet a friend for lunch.
- Walk your dog or walk alone.
- Get outside! Go to a park, the beach, the mountains, or your back yard!
- Take a nap.
- Watch a movie.
- Read a book.
- Volunteer at a non-profit.
- No contact with people who steal your peace.
- No sitting in anxiety or worry. Do anything that distracts your mind.
- Create! Music, artwork, crafts.
- Do what brings you peace.
I love the online Bible from BibleGateway! It’s where I searched for the Bible quotes used in this article.
How to bring the Bible alive beyond the Sabbath:
Do you love exploring how to live your life aligned to God’s Word? If so, you’ll love these Life Lessons for Today from the Parables of Jesus!
