The Doctrine of Sabbath

• Origin
◦ Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done,
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God
blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his
work that he had done in creation.
◦ Exodus 16:23 he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded:
‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you
will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept
till the morning.’”
25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will
not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day,
which is a Sabbath, there will be none.”
◦ (Ten Commandments):
Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall
labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your
God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your
male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is
within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
◦ (Ten Commandments):
Deuteronomy 5:12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your
God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but
the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any
work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female
servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who
is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as
well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt,
and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the
Sabbath day.
• We gather as a church to worship God on the Sabbath
◦ Leviticus 23:3 “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a
Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a
Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.
• The Sabbath is on Saturday (below is a Jewish calendar from
http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm)

Hebrew Transliteration English

Yom Rishon First Day (Sunday)
Yom Sheini Second Day (Monday)
Yom Shlishi Third Day (Tuesday)
Yom R'vi'i Fourth Day (Wednesday)
Yom Chamishi Fifth Day (Thursday)
Yom Shishi Sixth Day (Friday)
Yom Shabbat Sabbath Day (Saturday)
 ◦ Jewish day starts at sunset and ends at sunset on the next day
▪ So strictly speaking, Jewish Sabbath starts 6 P.M. Friday to 6 P.M. Saturday
◦ However, we usually refer to Saturday as the Sabbath day, because of our
modern calendar.
◦ The Sabbath is not Sunday.
▪ Sunday is invented by the ancient Christians because of corruption in faith.
The non-Jewish Christians wanted to gain power in the church, so they
invented a new day (Sunday) to replace the Sabbath day (to show that they
will not agree with the Jewish Christians).
▪ The invention of Sunday is also due to twisted teachings. They say that
Sunday (the first day of the week) is superior to Saturday because it is the
day that God created the world, and the day that Christ resurrected. Yet God
has always taught us that it is the Sabbath day that is holy, not Sunday.
▪ The invention of Sunday is also the result of pagan practice. Tertullian
(160~220 C.E.), a church leader (church father) rebuked Christians who
appeared to worship the true God on Sunday, but were actually worshiping
the sun and sun god (an idol).
• Sabbath is for man
◦ Mark 2:27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for
the Sabbath.
◦ For the benefit of man:
▪ To set our mind on God
• Ezekiel 20:12 12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between
me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies
them.
▪ To rest in the Lord
• Exodus 20:9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the
seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any
work…
▪ To remember the salvation of God
• Deuteronomy 5:15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land
of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty
hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded
you to keep the Sabbath day.
▪ So that we can enter the eternal rest in the Lord
• Hebrews 4:9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of
God,
10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works
as God did from his.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by
the same sort of disobedience.
◦ The "disobedience" refers to the people in the wilderness after the
exodus.
▪ Hebrews 3:17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years?
Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the
wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not
enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see
that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
• This unbelief and disobedience is further explained here:
◦ Ezekiel 20:10 So I led them out of the land of Egypt and
brought them into the wilderness.
 12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between
me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who
sanctifies them. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against
me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but
rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall
live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.
16 because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my
statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went
after their idols.
21 But the children rebelled against me. They did not walk
in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by
which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned
my Sabbaths.
24 because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected
my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes
were set on their fathers' idols.
• Therefore not keeping the Sabbath is to fall like the people in
the wilderness.