Sabbath
"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God..." (Hebrews 4:9)
The Sabbath day is a blessing for all who honor it.
Here, you will find every place I found that the Sabbath is mentioned in the Bible, what prayers and traditions have been developed around this day, and why we should honor it as disciples of Jesus.
Where is it mentioned?
Genesis 2:3
God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation.
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Exodus 16:23
He told them, "This is what the Lord has said: "Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.
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29 Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He will give you two days' worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are, no one is to leave his place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day.
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Exodus 23:10
Sow your land for six years and gather its produce. But during the seventh year you are to let it rest and leave it uncultivated. So that the poor among your people may eat from it and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.
12 Do you work for six days but rest on the seventh day so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave as well as the foreign resident may be refreshed.
13 Pay strict attention to everything I have said to you.
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Exodus 31:12-17
The Lord said to Moses: "Tell the Israelites: You must observe My Sabbath, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so that you will know that I am Yahweh who sets you apart. Observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, dedicated to the Lord. The Israelites must observe the Sabbath, celebrating it throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign forever between Me and the Israelites, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.
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Exodus 34:21
You are to labor six days but you must rest on the seventh day. You must even rest during plowing and harvest times.
Exodus 35:2
For six days work is to be done, but on the seventh day you are to have a holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to the Lord. Anyone who does work on it must be executed.
3 Do not light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day.
Leviticus 16:31
It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial, it is a permanent statute.
Leviticus 19:3
Each of you is to respect his mother and father. You are to keep My Sabbaths; I am Yahweh your God.
Leviticus 23:2
Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work, it is a Sabbath to the Lord wherever you live.
Leviticus 25:3
You may sow your field for six years, and you may prune your vineyard and gather its produce for six years. But there will be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land in the seventh year, a Sabbath to the Lord: you are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard.
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2 Chronicles 36:21
This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Jeremiah and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation until 70 years were fulfilled.
Nehemiah 9:14
You revealed Your holy Sabbath to them, and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction through Your servant Moses.
Nehemiah 10:31
When the surrounding peoples bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day. We will also leave the land uncultivated in the seventh year and will cancel every debt.
Nehemiah 13: 15
At that time I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in stores of grain and loading them in donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day.
16 The Tyrians living there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.
17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them: "What is this evil you are doing-profaning the Sabbath day?"
18 Didn't our ancestors do the same, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling His anger against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!"
19 When shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem just before the Sabbath, I gave orders that the gates be closed and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my men at the gates, so that no goods could enter during the Sabbath day.
20 Once or twice the merchants and those who sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem,
21 but I warned them, "Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I'll use force against you." After that they did not come again on the Sabbath.
22 Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
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Isaiah 30:15
For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: "You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing."
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Isaiah 56:2 - Happy is the man who does this, anyone who maintains this, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.
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4-7 For the Lord says this: "For the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold firmly to My covenant, I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters. I will give each of them an everlasting name that will never be cut off. And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord minister to Him, love the name of Yahweh and become His servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold firmly to My covenant - I will bring them to My holy mountain and let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."
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Isaiah 58:13 - "If you keep from desecrating the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on My holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own was, seeking your own pleasure, or talking too much; then you will delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
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Jeremiah 6:16 - This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths: Which is the way to what is good? Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, "We won't!"
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Jeremiah 14:10 - This is what the Lord says concerning these people: Truly they love to wander; they never rest their feet. So the Lord does not accept them. Now He will remember their guilt and punish their sins.
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Jeremiah 17:19-27 - This is what the Lord said to me, "Go and stand at the People's Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem. Announce to them: Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem who enter through these gates. This is what the Lord says: Watch yourselves; do not pick up a load and bring it in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. You must not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work, but you must consecrate the Sabbath day, just as I commanded your ancestors. They wouldn't listen or pay attention but became obstinate, not listening or accepting discipline. However, if you listen to Me, says the Lord, and do not bring loads through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day and consecrate the Sabbath day and do no work on it, kings and princes will enter through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses with their officials, the men of Judah, and the residents of Jerusalem. This city will be inhabited forever. Then people will come from the cities of Judah and from the area around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the Judean foothills, from the hill country and from the Negev bringing burnt offerings and sacrifice, grain offerings and frankincense, and thank offerings to the house of the Lord. If you do not listen to Me to consecrate the Sabbath day by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, I will set fire to its gates, and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem and not be extinguished."
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Ezekiel 20:12 - I also gave them My Sabbaths to serve as a sign between Me and them, so they will know that I am Yahweh who sets them apart as holy.
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13 - But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances-the person who does them will live by them. They also completely profaned My Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them in the wilderness to put an end to them.
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16 - because they rejected My ordinances, profaned My Sabbaths, and did not follow My statues. For their hearts went after their idols.
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20 - Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so you may know that I am Yahweh your God.
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21 - "But the children rebelled against Me. They did not follow My statutes or carefully keep My ordinances-the person who does them will live by them. They also profaned My Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out My wrath on them and exhausting My anger against them in the wilderness...
24 - For they did not practice My ordinances but rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers' idols.
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Ezekiel 22:8 - You despise My holy things and profane My Sabbaths.
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Ezekiel 22:26 - Her priests do violence to My instruction and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they do not explain the difference between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
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Ezekiel 23:38 - They also did this to Me: they defiled My sanctuary on that same day and profaned My Sabbaths.
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Ezekiel 44:24 - "In a dispute, they will officiate as judges and decide the case according to My ordinances. They must observe My laws and statutes regarding all My appointed festivals, and keep My Sabbaths holy...
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Ezekiel 46:3 - The people of the land will also bow in worship before the Lord at the entrance of that gate on the Sabbaths and New Moons.
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Hosea 2:10-11 - Now I will expose her shame in the sight of her lovers, and no one will rescue her from My hands. I will put an end to all her celebrations: her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths-all her festivals.
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Amos 8:4-5 - Hear this, you who trample on the needy and do away with the poor of the land, asking, "When will the New Moon be over so we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, so we may market wheat?
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Matthew 12:1-2 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."
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Matthew 12:5 - Or haven't you read in the Law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?
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Matthew 12:8 - For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
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Matthew 12:10-12 - There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him they asked Him "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" But He said to them, "What man among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn't take hold of it and lift it out? A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.
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Matthew 24:20 - Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
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Matthew 28:1 - After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
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Mark 1:21 - Then they went into Capernaum, and right away He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach.
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Mark 2:23-24;27-28 - On the Sabbath He was going through the grainfields, and His disciples began to make their way picking some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" Then He told them, "The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
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Mark 3:2 - In order to accuse Him, they were watching Him closely to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath.
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Mark 15:42 - When it was already evening, because it was preparation day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),
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Mark 16:1-2 - When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so they could go and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise.
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Luke 4:16 - He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.
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Luke 4:31 - Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath.
Luke 13:10-17 - As He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for over 18 years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called out to her, "Woman, you are free of your disability." Then He laid His hands on her, and instantly she was restored and began to glorify God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, responded by telling the crowd, "There are six days when work should be done; therefore come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "Hypocrites! Doesn't each one of you untie his ox or donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it to water? Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for 18 years - shouldn't she be untied form this bondage on the Sabbath day?" When He had said these things, all His adversaries were humiliated, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things He was doing.
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Luke 14:1-6 - One Sabbath, when He went to eat at the house of one of the leading Pharisees, they were watching Him closely. There in front of Him was a man whose body was swollen with fluid. In response, Jesus asked the law experts and the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" But they kept silent. He took the man, healed him, and sent him away, And to t hem, He said, "Which of you whose son or ox falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" To this they could find no answer.
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Luke 16:16-17 - "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is strongly urged to enter it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.
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Luke 23:54-56 - It was preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how His body was placed. Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
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John 7:22-24 - Consider this: Moses has given you circumcision-not that it comes from Moses but from the fathers-and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses won't be broken are you angry at Me because I made a man entirely will on the Sabbath? Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment."
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John 9:14;16 - The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore, some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for He doesn't keep the Sabbath!" But others were saying, "How can a sinful man perform such signs?" And there was a division among them.
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John 19:31 - Since it was the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special day).
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Acts 13:14 - They continued their journey from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
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Acts 13:27 - For the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers, since they did not recognized Him or the voices of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled their words by condemning Him.
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Acts 13:42;44 - As they were leaving, the people begged that these matters be presented to them the following Sabbath. The following Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the message of the Lord.
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Acts 16:13 - On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there.
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Acts 17:2 - As usual, Paul went to the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures.
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Acts 18:4 - He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.
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Hebrews 4:4-11 - for somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all His works. Again, in that passage He says, They will never enter My rest. Since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience, again, He specifies a certain day - today - speaking through David after such a long time, as previously stated: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God's people. For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.
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Revelation 1:10 - I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet
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Revelation 14:11;13 - and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name; Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write: The dead who die in the Lord from now on are blessed." "Yes," says the Spirit, "Let them rest from their labors, for their works follow them!"
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(It's mentioned quite a lot!)
What does it look like?
Some prayers and traditions have been developed within Judaism in order to make this day stand out among the rest of the week. These become even more special when understood within the context of our Messiah. For example, the two candlesticks lit before night fall on Friday before the Sabbath begins represents the two-fold commandment to remember and sanctify this holy day. The light of the candles represents the Holy Spirit and the welcoming of it into our homes and our lives as the candles are lit. After the woman of the home lights the candles, she waves her hands around the candles in a circular motion three times in order to draw in the warmth of the Spirit. Then, a traditional blessing is said, following a private prayer. When she opens her eyes after praying, it is said that the Sabbath officially begins.
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Blessing over the candles:
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Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has set up apart by your commandments and has commanded us to be a light unto the nations and has given us Jesus the light of the world.
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Next, there is a blessing over a cup of grape juice, or wine. This has always symbolized the joy of God's provisions in our everyday lives.
It also reminds us of the blood of our Savior, which was poured out to establish the new covenant (which does not abolish the ones before it) (Luke 22:20). What a blessing it is that God has provided us with His lamb for sacrifice; that He provided the way for our sins to be forgiven; and that by grace, He has freed us from the chains of the devil to worship Him freely!
What a reason to celebrate and remember the Holy Sabbath!
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Blessing over the juice:
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Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
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Then, we say a blessing over the challah bread. There are two loaves to represent the double portion of manna provided before every Sabbath to the Israelites in the wilderness. The challah cover represents the dew that fell with the manna.
Once the cover is removed, the challah is lifted for all to see and bless it. This is also done in obedience the LORD's command to "do this in remembrance of [Him]" before His death (Luke 22:19).
How grateful we are that He was given for us!
Blessing over the challah:
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who b rings forth bread from the earth.
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All members at the dinner can now grab a piece of bread to eat.
It is not sliced with a knife to symbolize the day when all weapons of war will be done away with at the return of Messiah.
This is also the time where members present can wish each other a peaceful Sabbath.
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One final blessing is given before dinner. Parents place their hands on their children and, for girls, say:
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May you be like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah
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For boys:
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May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:20).
Time to EAT!
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Practical set up for Sabbath materials: bread, candlesticks (from Amazon), juice, and dessert.
Fun Sabbath craft for the littles: Challah covers!
Take a piece of Muslin cloth and cut it into the size you like to cover your challah.
Draw, or trace, images significant to the Sabbath onto the cloth and let them color away!
Why should I care?
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:14-21)
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If the metaphors that can be found in the prayers and traditions of the Sabbath did not make this clear, then let it be clear now: It is the LORD's command for us. Jesus worshipped on the weekly Sabbath. He was born a Jew and lived a life consistent with much of traditional Judaism of his day. Likewise, the first Jewish disciples continued in the traditional forms of synagogue worship. When He returns, He will still be a Jew, worshipping God the way He has commanded us to do so, and instructing others to do the same.
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It is important to note, however, that Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath (Mark 2:27). To those who observe the Sabbath, it is their reward. It is a delightful day of rest from our regular routine. However, the most important element is the spirit in which we observe the holy days. Sadly, too often the people forgot to make the Sabbath a delight, relegating it to a list of rules instead. Jesus challenged the people of his day to remain biblically balanced to enter into the true rest of God's spirit. The same appeal goes forth to this generation. Jesus is LORD, even over the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8).
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That being said, for anyone who loves God and wants to worship Him, I urge you to worship Him the way He has ordained us to, as a parent explains their expectations to their child, and does not expect them to recreate the parent's explanation. That would be ludicrous, but yet that is what has happened with Christianity and the Bible. God has explained that He wanted us to worship Him on these days and in these ways, and yet we are ignoring His expectations in order to attempt to redefine what He expects of us. He did not write in riddles. This is not a puzzle to try to understand. He is particularly clear of the matter, and there's reasons why.
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The seventh day is a wonderful reminder of a coming day set aside to rest int he Messiah. The 1000 year Kingdom of Jesus will be a beautiful time of rest and corporate worship of the King. May it come soon! In the meantime, Messiah bids us to experience the truth of the Sabbath in our daily walk:
"Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
As we celebrate the Sabbath, may spiritual rest in Jesus constantly be our experience!