The Sabbath – A Commandment for Everybody?

At all times, when God was working in a special way on earth through His Spirit, the desire arose in the hearts of His children to live according to the Word of God and to do everything that He commanded. The Spirit of God awakens this longing in the people through the seriousness of the proclamation of the Word. Almost every time the same biblical questions came up, but the opinions about them differed greatly.

In this examination, we show forth the biblical standpoint in regard to the Sabbath and not the viewpoint and doctrine of a particular denomination. Therefore, we adhere solely to what is written in the collective testimony of the Bible. First of all, we have to consider when, for whom, and for what purpose God gave a doctrine or a commandment. It is also absolutely essential to take preferably all of the Scriptures that belong to a subject into consideration.

After completing the work of creation, God rested on the seventh day. “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.” (Gen. 2:3).

Despite of the emphasis which was placed on the seventh day, a time period of about two thousand and five hundred years passed from Adam (via Enoch, Noah, Abraham) until the law was given, and that entire time the Sabbath was not mentioned at all.

Only in the law the Lord God declared the Sabbath as a commandment: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, … 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.” (Exo. 20:8-11).

In Exo. 31:12-17, the Church of Israel is told three times about its obligation to the Sabbath. “Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you … Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever ...” As we can see, the Lord has obligated His covenant people Israel in a special way in regard to the Sabbath.

So, unto His people Israel, the Lord God decreed the seventh day of the week as the day of rest, which has to be sanctified. He also assigned the seventh year as a “Sabbath year” – a year of rest for Israel: “And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat …” (Exo. 23:10-11). Likewise, God decreed the fiftieth year as a year of jubilee for His covenant people Israel. Seven times seven years should pass and after that followed the year of jubilee. On the day of atonement, the trumpets were to proclaim it: “And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.” (Lev. 25:8-11). The seventh day, the seventh year, and then the year of jubilee were of special significance for Israel.

As we have seen, the Lord God has obligated His covenant people of the Old Testament to the keeping of the Sabbath in a very special way. The Lord Jesus seized every opportunity to speak to those who had gathered to worship on the Sabbath day. He Himself kept the Sabbath and sanctified it, yet He also saved and healed on the Sabbath, for “… the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” (Lk. 6:5). “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath …” (Mk. 2:27-28). Therefore, it was permitted to pull out an ox or sheep that had fallen into the well (Lk. 14:5). Also the apostles made use of every opportunity to preach the Word on the Sabbath (Acts 17:2; 18:4).

Shabbat means “rest,” just as shalom means “peace.” God rested after completing the work of creation; and after finishing the work of redemption, He leads His Own into His rest, namely into the peace with God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Sadly, the people of Israel to whom the law and the promises actually applied (Rom. 9:4) did not recognize the spiritual meaning that the seventh day foreshadowed. Thus saith the Lord: “It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.” (Ps. 95:10-11).

The following reprimand had to be given to all the people of Israel who faithfully kept the Sabbath: “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.” (Isa. 63:10). To the minority, however, who did not remain in unbelief and disobedience, this Scripture applies: “As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest …” (v. 14).

In the Epistle to the Hebrews, ample attention was given to this subject about the true Sabbath rest in chapters 3 and 4, and this in reference to Ps. 95 and in comparison to the covenant people of the Old Testament. We quote in view of the New Testament: “Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts … They do always err in their heart …” (Heb. 3:7+10). Because of their unbelief and disobedience, they could not enter into God’s rest, even though they kept the Sabbath. Therefore, it is written in chapter 4: “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, … For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said … Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, … Again, he limiteth a certain day – “the day of salvation” (Isa. 49:8; 2. Cor. 6:2), saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” (Heb. 4:1-10). Here it does not speak of a “rest on a Sabbath day,” but of a “Sabbath rest,” and that is the rest in God. For just as God rested from His work of creation, so do all children of God rest in Him after the finished work of redemption.

In Heb. 8:7 we read: “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.” And it is also written: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, (the law) can never … make … perfect.” (Heb. 10:1). Jesus, our Redeemer, was the answer; only through Him Alone can we reach the goal.

He calls unto everyone: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Mat. 11:28-29).

At the beginning of the New Testament Church, brothers who came to the faith wanted to still live according to the statutes of the law, even in the time of grace. The question arose about what was to be imposed upon the believers from the nations concerning the observance of the law. In this regard, we read in Acts 15:19-20: “… that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.” In verse 28 it becomes evident that this decision was not the opinion of the apostles and elders, but instead, as it is written, “… it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things …”

Paul wrote this in Rom. 14:5: “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” If it would have been necessary for the believers from the nations, the apostles would have appointed a certain day. However, Paul left it to each one individually and continued: “He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord …” (Rom. 14:6). And whoever does it for the Lord leaves all the others in peace!

It is quite evident that in the doctrine of the apostles (Acts 2:42) nothing was implemented about the keeping of a day. Although Jewish and Gentile believers read the Epistles of Paul in that time, he did not insist on keeping the Sabbath. For the Jews it was a matter of course anyway. Also the feasts retained their significance for them, even in the New Testament. Therefore, Paul hasted to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 20:16).

So, in the New Testament it is no longer about a day of the week, but about the lasting peace with God and eternal rest in God. We are not only close to God and consecrated unto Him on one day, but forever. He dwells in us and has accomplished His work of grace in us. Thus, we have come to rest from our own works and are always resting in the living God. Therefore, it is a “Sabbath rest” and not a “rest on the Sabbath day.” In the first covenant, man needed physical rest on one day; in the New Covenant, he found spiritual rest for the soul on every day. Since the establishment of the Sabbath, everybody could enter into the rest on the Sabbath day. It is, however, about the true rest and peace in God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

After the founding of the New Testament Church, there is not one indication that the apostles commanded the keeping of the Sabbath in the old way. On the contrary: Led by the Spirit, Paul wrote the following words of admonition: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days …” (Col. 2:16-18). This text is very enlightening, in particular the term “judge.” Is it not the case that those who make salvation conditional on keeping the Sabbath are actually passing judgment? They are denying others the full salvation in Christ and are even classifying them as antichrist. However, according to the Scripture, neither circumcision (Gal. 6:15-16; a. o.) nor the keeping of the Sabbath may be imposed upon the believers from the nations.

It is well-known that the Lord Jesus Christ taught and preached the kingdom of God in the synagogues and in temple on the Sabbath day. Also the apostles, in particular Paul, made use of every opportunity to preach the Word of God to the people on the day of meeting. In Ephesus, Paul preached for two years, at first in the synagogue, but then also in a public lecture hall (Acts 19:8-9). The gospel can be preached on the Sabbath day as well as on a Sunday and on any other day of the week.

When this time period of grace for the New Testament Church runs out, a new epoch begins in connection with Israel; therein, the statutes given by God in reference to the millennial reign of the King are valid on earth. In Isa. 66:23 it therefore states: “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.” And likewise: “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” (Zec. 14:16).

All that the Lord God has predetermined for the epoch of the Millennium will also be fulfilled, for it is written: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Mat. 5:18).