UNDERSTANDING THE SABBATH

The Bible is God-inspired book (2 Tim. 3:16) which was written over a 1500-year span through more than 40 generations by more than 40 different authors from Asia, Africa and Europe and was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Yet with all its variety of authors, origin and content, it points all to Jesus Christ. These more than 40 authors' work were one from the same Spirit of God and not human initiative (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Therefore God's Word can never ever contradict itself. 

The Bible is divided into two parts: Old Testament and New Testament. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew while the New Testament was written in Greek. The Old Testament is only a shadow of Christ; that is, it is only a symbolic value (faint representation) of Christ (Col.2:17). So, anything in the Old Testament points to just once person; our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Now talking about the Sabbath, it has its first etymology in the book of Genesis chapter 2 from verse 1 through 3, where it has these three words, 'And God rested'. Have you ever thought to yourself, how can the Omnipotent—the all-powerful God, rest? Many people have misinterpreted these three words, 'And God rested'. The word 'rest’; as it has been used here, is a figurative expression which can be referred to as celebration or cease from the work of creating. Like I have stated that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, the word for 'rest' in the Hebrew is shâbath. And the word Sabbath, has its primitive root from the same Hebrew word shâbath. 

Sabbath was first mentioned in Exodus 16, which explains that the 7th day is the day of Sabbath—the day of rest. Don't forget what I stated earlier on; the Old Testament is only a shadow of Christ according to Colossians 2:17. God used the example of His resting on the seventh day of Creation to establish the principle of the Sabbath day rest for His people. In Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15, God gave the Israelites the fourth of His Ten Commandments. They were to "remember" the Sabbath day and "keep it holy". One day out of every seven, they were to rest from their labours and give the same day of rest to their servants and animals. Whatever work they were engaged in was to stop for a full day each week. The Sabbath day was established so the people would rest from their labours, only to begin again after a one-day rest.

The various elements of the Sabbath symbolized the coming of the Messiah, who would provide a permanent rest for His people. Once again the example of resting from our labours comes into play. With the establishment of the Old Testament Law, the Jews were constantly "labouring" to make themselves acceptable to God. Their labours included trying to obey a myriad of dos and don’ts of the ceremonial law, the Temple law, the civil law, etc. Of course they couldn’t possibly keep all those laws, so God provided an array of sin offerings and sacrifices so they could come to Him for forgiveness and restore fellowship with Him, but only temporarily. Just as they began their physical labours after a one-day rest, so, too, did they have to continue to offer sacrifices. Hebrews 10:1 tells us that the law "can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship." But these sacrifices were offered in anticipation of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross, who "after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right of God" (Hebrews 10:12). Just as He rested after performing the ultimate sacrifice, He sat down and rested—ceased from His labour of atonement because there was nothing more to be done, ever. Because of what He did, we no longer have to "labour" in law-keeping in order to be justified in the sight of God. Jesus was sent so that we might rest in God and in what He has provided.

Another element of the Sabbath day rest which God instituted as a foreshadowing of our complete rest in Christ is that He blessed it, sanctified it, and made it holy. Here again we see the symbol of Christ as our Sabbath rest—the holy, perfect Son of God who sanctifies and makes holy all who believe in Him. God sanctified Christ, just as He sanctified the Sabbath day, and sent Him into the world (John 10:36) to be our sacrifice for sin. In Him we find complete rest from the labours of our self-effort, because He alone is holy and righteous. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). We can now cease from our spiritual labours and rest in Him, not just one day a week, but always.

Jesus can be our Sabbath rest in part because He is "Lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8). As God incarnate, He decides the true meaning of the Sabbath because He created it, and He is our Sabbath rest in the flesh. When the Pharisees criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them that even they, sinful as they were, would not hesitate to pull a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath. Because He came to seek and save His sheep who would hear His voice (John 10:3, 27) and enter into the Sabbath rest He provided by paying for their sins, He could break the Sabbath rules. He told the Pharisees that people are more important than sheep and the salvation He provided was more important than rules. By saying, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27), Jesus was restating the principle that the Sabbath rest was instituted to relieve man of his labours, just as He came to relieve us of our attempting to achieve salvation by our works. We no longer rest for only one day, but forever cease our labouring to attain God’s favour. Jesus is our rest from works now, just as He is the door to heaven, where we will rest in Him forever.

Hebrews 4 is the definitive passage regarding Jesus as our Sabbath rest. The writer to the Hebrews exhorts his readers to “enter in” to the Sabbath rest provided by Christ. After three chapters of telling them that Jesus is superior to the angels and that He is our Apostle and High Priest, he pleads with them to not harden their hearts against Him, as their fathers hardened their hearts against the Lord in the wilderness. Because of their unbelief, God denied that generation access to the holy land, saying, “They shall not enter into My rest” (Hebrews 3:11). In the same way, the writer to the Hebrews begs his readers not to make the same mistake by rejecting God’s Sabbath rest in Jesus Christ. “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:9-11).

There is no other Sabbath rest besides Jesus. He alone satisfies the requirements of the Law, and He alone provides the sacrifice that atones for sin. He is God’s plan for us to cease from the labour of our own works. We dare not reject this one-and-only Way of salvation (John 14:6). God’s reaction to those who choose to reject His plan is seen in Numbers 15. A man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath day, in spite of God’s plain commandment to cease from all labour on the Sabbath. This transgression was a known and wilful sin, done with unblushing boldness in broad daylight, in open defiance of the divine authority. “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp’” (verse 35). So it will be to all who reject God’s provision for our Sabbath rest in Christ. “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

So, those folks who are still struggling to keep the Mosaic law and the Sabbath are just in burden. The reason why it is a burden is because it is arduous keeping all those laws (Jn. 7:19; James 2:10). And again, anyone who depend on the law to make themselves right with God are under His curse (Gal. 3:10-13). The mosaic law and Sabbath-keeping are nothing but a faint representation of Christ (Col. 3:16-17).

God blessed the Sabbath day (Exo. 20:11) and made the Sabbath for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mk.2:27). Take note again, He blessed the Sabbath and made it for man, 'therefore the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] is the Lord of the Sabbath.' (Mk. 2:28). Please readers, let the Holy Spirit minister these solemn words to your blessed hearts, don't see these words with your head-knowledge lest you won't be able to scoop and digest this gem of truth. 

Concerning the day of worship, let's look at Christ (as our exemplar) and get the big picture right, because if any change of the day has been made, it must have been by Christ or by His authority. Christ has a right to make such a change (Mk.2:23-28).

1. After Christ's resurrection, which took place on the 1st day of the week (Matt. 28:1; Mk. 16:2; Lk. 24:1; Jn. 20:1).

2. We never find Christ meeting with his disciples on the 7th day. But he specially honoured the 1st day by manifesting Himself to them on four separate occasions (Matt. 28:9; Lk. 24:34; 18-33; Jn. 20:19-23).

3. Again, on the next 1st day of the week, Jesus appeared to His disciples (Jn. 20:26)

4. Some Bible scholars have calculated that Christ's ascension took place on the 1st day of the week. And there can be no doubt that the descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost was on that day (Acts 2:1)

Thus, Christ appears as instituting a new day to be observing by His people as the 'Sabbath', a day to be henceforth known amongst them as the 'Lord's day'. The observance of this Lord's day as the 'Sabbath' was the general custom of the primitive churches, and must have had apostolic sanction (ref. Acts 20:3-7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2) and authority, and so the sanction and authority of Jesus Christ. 

But well, Sabbath day remains Saturday, but it has been abolished at the cross where Christ "cancelled the written code, with its regulations" (Col. 2:14). Christ has fulfilled the law (Matt. 5:18; Rom. 10:4). The Lord's day is the 1st day of the week—Sunday, and that is the day Christian worship. For instance, in Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor. 16:2.

Sabbath was [past tense] given to Israel, not the church [gathering of believers]. Sabbath-keeping is not required of the Christian.

God bless you. 

Resources:

Experience your Bible by Josh and Sean McDowell 

The End of the Law: Mosaic Covenant in Pauline Theology by Jason Meyer 

Bible dictionary 

Strong's Concordance 

Different versions of the Bible (NLT, AMP, NIV, KJV) 

Author: Preacher Sam Godwin-Oburoh E.O.