(Chapter 1)
What Is the Sabbath, & Where Did It Come From?
The Sabbath means different things to different people. To
some it a.gif)
means
a day to go to church. To others it is a day to kick back and relax,
or spend time with the family. To still others it means nothing at
all. Some say that the Sabbath is an hour at church, while others
argue that it is an entire day dedicated to prayer and consecration.
Most call Sunday, the first day of the week, Sabbath. Some call
Saturday, the seventh day of the week, Sabbath. Still others worship
on yet another day of the week. Who is right? Does it even matter if,
when, how and for how long the Sabbath is observed? Are there any
answers to this cacophony of beliefs?
Yes! Thankfully, there are. Let us start at the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, back in Genesis. Here we will find out both which day is the Sabbath and how the Sabbath came about.
"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 2:2, 3.
God created the Sabbath to be a memorial of creation for man. Also, keep in mind that God did not create Jews at this time, but mankind. In fact, Christ said in Mark 2:27, 28:
"...The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." (emphasis supplied)
Notice the verse says man, not Jews, but man, all humankind—Jews and Gentiles alike. The Sabbath is for all who will yield themselves completely to God as their Creator.
You may have noticed that in Exodus, when God gave the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel, He began the fourth one by saying, "Remember." In order for God to be able to say, "Remember the Sabbath," the people must have had a previous knowledge of it.* Just as the other nine commands had been binding, although unwritten, long before Sinai, so was the one dealing with the Sabbath. And here again God points to creation as one reason to remember the Sabbath.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy...For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it" Exodus 20:8, 11.
Did you notice something significant there? Aren't we often told that as long as we worship on one day it doesn't really matter to God which day we choose? But in both Exodus and Genesis it says very plainly the seventh and the Sabbath, signifying that there is a very specific day. He could have easily said a seventh or a Sabbath, but He carefully took the time to say in plain, easily understood, everyday language, "the seventh" and "the Sabbath!" Indeed, God is specific and cares about when we worship.
* Even before God gave the Ten Commandments to Israel at Mount Sinai, He beautifully illustrated the significance of the Sabbath. On Fridays God sent extra manna, and the people were to collect double their usual amount. On Sabbath God did not send any manna. Miraculously, the manna was still good the next day, when it would have spoiled any other day of the week (Exodus 16:11-30).
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2006 by J. Lee