This is the fourth commandment of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses. This is perhaps the misunderstood of all of the commandments. The first four commandments given are to do with worship. There are some groups who base their entire beliefs around this commandment. Why do we worship on the Lord’s Day?

1 – The concept of the Sabbath

Some make it miserable or a burden with strict rules. Some pay no attention to it. It has become just part of the weekend. There is more than one Sabbath mentioned in the Bible.

• The initial Sabbath (Genesis 2:1 – God rested on the seventh day). It was given for commemoration.
• The temporal Sabbath (Exodus 20).
• The festival Sabbath (Leviticus 23).
• An agricultural Sabbath (Leviticus 25). The land was to rest and those who worked it. They never keep this.
• The spiritual Sabbath (Hebrews 3 & 4).
• A Millennial Sabbath (Isaiah 66).
• The eternal Sabbath (Hebrews 4:9 – There is an eternal rest for the people of God).

2 – The changing of the Sabbath

In the New Testament you can see that things have changed about the Sabbath. The Church is worshipping on the first day of the week and not the seventh day of the week. Jesus was harassed by the religious leaders about the Sabbath. Jesus did observe the Sabbath. The religious leaders had loaded down the Sabbath with a literal list of thousands of things you could not do. They were the “Sabbath police”. See Mark 2:27-28. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.

The Sabbath was a commemoration of the God’s act of creation. God did not rest on the seventh day because he was tired. It was to be a day of celebration. In the New Testament the celebration is the Lord’s Day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus arose on the first day of the week and not the seventh day. In 1 Corinthians 16:2 we are to give on the Lord’s Day. The Sabbath has undergone a change:-

• From shadow to substance. See Colossians 2:13-17. No one can judge you on what you eat or in drink. Salvation is based on what Christ has done. It goes further. It extends to holy days and the Sabbath. They were a shadow of what was to come. They were pointing to the real rest we have in Jesus. You don’t use a shadow when you have the real thing. You can’t hold on to a shadow. You can hold on to the real thing.
• From Saturday to Sunday. See Romans 14:5. It does not matter what day you have as a day of rest. Let each person be persuaded in their own mind. It could be any day of the week. People who work on a Sunday are not going to hell. People who worship on a Sunday are not going to hell. People who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are going to hell.
• From Sabbath to Saviour. Jesus is our Sabbath. See Hebrews 4:3-10. In the Old Testament you worked and then you rested. In the New Testament you rest and then you work. You can be saved only on the basis of what Christ has already done. It is not do, it is done. There is a rest that God has for us in Heaven. There is also a rest that we have today. We are invited to rest in Christ when we are saved. We are to cast our cares upon Christ. Are you resting in Jesus today? Jesus is our Sabbath.

3 – The choice of the Sabbath

Why do we observe the Sabbath? There are two reasons:-

• It is personal. It is still God’s will that we give our body a day’s rest from work. Work did not come as a result of man’s sin. God gave Adam the job of looking after the garden before sin came about. Some people are looking for handouts and don’t want to work. If you don’t want to work than don’t eat! See 2 Thessalonians 3:10. God’s welfare plan is work and then you can eat. There are those who have genuine reasons why they can’t work. There are lazy people who won’t work. Those who work need to have a day of rest. If you don’t rest then your body’s performance will start to drop off. People who do this are healthier people. You need rest. You need to live a balanced life. If you have to work on Sunday then take another day as a rest day.
• It is devotional. We need a day when we give God praise and meet with God’s people. God deserves at least one day a week. Every day is a day of thanksgiving. You can thank God for your job, food, house and health. If you don’t have it then you can ask God to help you. Our God is a good God and we ought to thank Him.

Categories: Exodus