Thinking Like a Christian

A series of Scripture meditations on what the Bible teaches about the Christian life.

by Pastor Pete Beck III

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The Purpose of the Sabbath

 

The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them. 2 By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation. Genesis 2:1-3 (NET1)

 

Why did (does) God make such a big deal out of keeping the Sabbath? How does Sabbath keeping apply to a Christian? Let's try to answer these two questions in a way that can be used in every day life. By employing what some people call "The Law of First Mention", we will put primary importance upon what God says about the Sabbath the very first time the word is mentioned in the Bible. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy (or set apart to him) because it marked the completion of his work of creation. But what is the point? Is this supposed to be a cosmic version of what we call Labor Day, a celebration of God's tremendous accomplishments, or does the meaning go deeper?We will need to dig deeper into the Bible to find the answers.

 

 The Jews observe the Sabbath on what we now call Saturday. That is why groups such as the Seventh Day Adventists make such a big deal out of having their church services on Saturdays, being keepers of Old Covenant laws. Over the centuries the Jewish people who were serious about following the Torah observed the Sabbath in prescribed ways, which essentially called for the faithful cease from certain kinds of work in order to devote themselves more fully to God. The command to cease from work was given in Exodus.

 

Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. 9 For six days you may 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, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. Exodus 20:8-11 (NET1)

 

The Sabbath was given to be a time to remember what God did in creation. We need to take time to call to mind the great works of God, lest we forget them or begin to take them for granted.

 

I will remember the works of the Lord. Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago! 12 I will think about all you have done; I will reflect upon your deeds!” 13 O God, your deeds are extraordinary! What god can compare to our great God? Psalms 77:11-13 (NET1)

 

Keeping the Sabbath was also an act of faith in the keeping and sustaining power of God. Rather than work non-stop in an effort to supply our own needs, God commanded that we set aside valuable work time to Him. In other words, God wants his people to trust in His ability to supply rather than in themselves. The following passage speaks of a further application of the Sabbath to an entire year, something that required exceptional faith and was not usually practiced.

 

Six years you may sow your field, and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather the produce, 4 but in the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath of complete rest — a Sabbath to the Lord. You must not sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You must not gather in the aftergrowth of your harvest and you must not pick the grapes of your unpruned vines; the land must have a year of complete rest. 6 You may have the Sabbath produce of the land to eat — you, your male servant, your female servant, your hired worker, the resident foreigner who stays with you, 7 your cattle, and the wild animals that are in your land — all its produce will be for you to eat. Leviticus 25:3-7 (NET1)

 

The thing that most pleases God is faith that yields obedience. God instituted the Sabbath for three reasons. First, he wants us to regularly remember his great works so that our faith in his character and power will be stirred up. Secondly, God wants us to trust him to provide for us over and above what we can do for ourselves. The Sabbath is very much like tithing in this regard. When we set aside a day to the Lord, we are giving him one-seventh of our time, thus declaring by faith that he will give us all we need through our work on the other six days. Thirdly, God gave us the Sabbath because human beings need to rest. When we violate the Sabbath principle, we do so to our own hurt.

 

But how does the Sabbath directly apply to Christians, since Paul warned us to place our faith in Christ's finished work and not put stock in religious observances?

 

Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days — 17 these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ! Colossians 2:16-17 (NET1)

 

Did God really intend that the Jewish set day for gathering together be changed to Sunday, the Lord's Day, rather than continuing on Saturday, the official Sabbath? I believe it is highly significant that this change was made. The Christian observes rest for the same reasons as does the Jew with one huge difference. The Jew ends his work week with rest; whereas, the Christian begins his work from a position of rest. As believers in Christ, we trust in His finished work of salvation and redemption accomplished on the cross and through his resurrection. We enter the fray of life from the position of complete victory. For us, particular days have little meaning, since the reality or fulfillment of the Old Covenant Sabbath is found in Christ himself. He is the Sabbath rest for believers! When Christ proclaimed, "It is finished," as he hung on the cross, he gave us the basis for placing our full trust in his redeeming work. The chief act of obedience for the Christian is observing a Sabbath rest from our own vain attempts to earn our own salvation through being "good enough".

 

More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things — indeed, I regard them as dung! — that I may gain Christ, 9 and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness — a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness. Philippians 3:8-9 (NET1)

 

We must also apply this principle of rest to every area of life. The Sabbath rest of God means we cease from striving when it comes to our provisions and all forms of work.

 

So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:31-34 (NET1)

 

For the Christian, every day is the Sabbath in a spiritual sense. All of life must be lived from the basic position of resting in Christ. However, it is important to realize that living out of rest should never lead to laziness or indolence. The rest of faith always produces works of faith, which result in obedience to God's Word and Spirit.

 

Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God. 10 For the one who enters God’s rest has also rested from his works, just as God did from his own works. 11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11 (NET1)

 

Paul knew how to rest in God's grace (ability), but he was also a hard worker. He is our model in this regard.

 

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them — yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NET1)

 

So, then, to conclude, the Christian does not observe special days since Christ is the fulfillment of every Old Covenant shadow and type. Jesus is the Sabbath personified. When we place our trust in his finished work and his present sustaining power, we have entered into the true Sabbath rest of God. Faith in Christ will always result in our doing works of faith and obedience. Those who rest in Christ, then, work hard because God's grace enables them. Lastly, however, let us remember that human beings need rest. If you fail to set aside a day of rest for yourself each week, you do so to your own harm - physically and emotionally, and, quite likely, spiritually. If you are a workaholic and cannot rest from labor, it probably means you do not really trust God to be your Provider and Sustainer. Spiritual truth always works itself out in practical ways.

 

So there you have it. At least this is the best I can do at explaining the purpose of the Sabbath.

 

 

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