Many of us are living fast-paced lives with little time for rest. This often results in depression, burn-out and relational breakdown. On top of this, many of us battle to find meaningful time to spend in devotion to the Lord. What lies at the heart of all this tragedy? Perhaps it’s our disregard for God’s rhythm of rest and work: one day of rest—a Sabbath—and six days of work (Exodus 20:9-10).
Many Christians deem Sabbath-keeping unnecessary,
Unfortunately many Christians deem Sabbath-keeping unnecessary, sometimes burdensome. But the truth is that the Sabbath is God’s gracious gift and blessing. By it he extends the offer of true rest and peace in Christ, even amidst our busy lives.
Should Christians Keep the Sabbath?
The common objection to Sabbath observance is that it was given exclusively to the children of Israel under the Old Covenant. Some argue that all the Sabbath laws fall under the ceremonial and civil laws, which have been abrogated in the light of Christ and his New Covenant.
It is true that certain Sabbath laws are part of the ceremonial and civil laws, thus no longer applicable for us (Exodus 31:14-15; Numbers 15:32-36). However at the heart of the command to remember the Sabbath is the moral law, summed up in the Ten Commandments. The moral law—unlike the civil and ceremonial laws—is binding on all Christians (Romans 13:9-10; see Westminster Confession of Faith 19.5). As much as Christians are to worship the true God alone (first commandment), honour their parents (fifth commandment), preserve human life (sixth commandment), keep the sanctity of marriage (seventh commandment), respect private property (eighth commandment), so we are to keep the Sabbath (fourth commandment).
With the Fourth Commandment, God re-issued a law in place from creation.
The fourth commandment begins, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). What is clear here is that the command given to Israel on Mount Sinai isn’t new. For Israel to “remember the Sabbath day” means that the Sabbath already existed prior to the reception of the Ten Commandments. In fact, God established the rhythm of work and rest, culminating in the Sabbath, when he created the world. After his work of creation, we read, God rested on the seventh day, blessing it and making it holy (Genesis 2:1-3; quoted in Exodus 20:11).
The Israelites observed the Sabbath day as a result of this creational ordinance. This took place long before the giving of the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 16, when God provided manna to them in the wilderness, Israel gathered twice as much on the sixth day because they were to rest on the seventh day, “a holy Sabbath to the Lord” (Exodus 16:23). The principle of Sabbath rest was rooted in the very fabric of how God created the world. This is exactly why the Fourth Commandment begins by instructing the Israelites to “remember.” With the Fourth Commandment, God re-issued a law already in place from the beginning of creation—a law intended for all of God’s people, at all times.
How Do Christians Keep the Sabbath?
“The seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:10). As important as work is, it shouldn’t consume our entire week. And to demonstrate this, God sets aside a whole day each week, the Sabbath. This is to be used differently from all the other days; I’ll suggest two ways we can do this.
Firstly, the chief purpose of the Sabbath is to worship God. This is the Law calls it a day “to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:10). It isn’t meant as a free day for us to pursue our own pleasures. Rather, the point of the day is to go to church and worship with the family of God. There we also receive afresh the means of grace, coming before the presence of God to find true rest for our souls.
The point is to go to church and worship with the family of God.
Secondly, the Sabbath is for resting. “On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, animals and servants” (Exodus 20:10). We have six days to do our work, as Exodus 20:9 says. Throughout those days we should work hard and glorify God in our labour. But Sunday isn’t one of those days. God gives the Sabbath as a gift, a breather from busy weeks, so that we find our rest in him.
The Fourth Commandment is an instruction not only for us to rest but the entire family. Practically speaking this means it’s the duty of parents to model Sabbath-keeping for their children. There is today immense pressure from schools to play sports on Sundays. Christian parent, instil in your children that there is an unbreakable Sunday appointment with Jesus for the foreseeable future.
Finally, the Fourth Commandment extends to those under our employ. Domestic servants. Gardeners. Anyone and everyone else we employ. They also need the time to go to church, worship God, and rest with their families.
Abuses and Misuses
The Sabbath Day was the very first thing in all of creation that God blessed (Genesis 2:1-3). Not only did God bless the day, but he made it holy. He sanctified the Sabbath. God set it apart and distinguished it from all the other days. Therefore it’s no ordinary day but a special and significant one. Consider all the special days in your calendar year, such as birthdays anniversaries. Do you just go about those the same way you would any other day? No, you prioritise the person who’s having a birthday. You celebrate.
Similarly, every Sabbath we celebrate God. This is the day he made holy. We ought to do things differently. We should honour his name in way ways. I’ve offered a few of those above. But we must also we alert to another mistake: the temptation to figure out the “how” of keeping the Sabbath holy. For this often leans towards legalism. Just look at the Pharisees. Sabbath observance mustn’t become a list of oppressive do’s and don’ts. We mustn’t forget Jesus’ words in Mark 2:27, “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” In other words, God intends the Sabbath to be a blessing and not a burden.
Guard the Sabbath. Don’t let it become just another busy day.
At the same time, we don’t have a licence to simply do whatever we want on the day. Should we go shopping after church? Can we eat at a restaurant? Should we take a flight? Can we watch movies? What about sports, playing or watching? These are things that you need to prayerfully figure out in your conscience before the Lord. Ask yourself some questions: will this activity help me delight in the Lord? Will it bring rest to my soul and give me reprieve from a busy week?
Guard the Sabbath. Don’t let it become just another busy day. Delight in the Lord. Seek refreshment in his presence. Be reminded by gospel truths especially on this day. Enjoy this blessing for “holy rest” that the Lord has granted us every week (WCF 21.8).
Christ Is Lord of the Sabbath
Ultimately, the Sabbath points us to Jesus Christ. It signposts the rest that is found only in him. Jesus calls himself “the Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28).
The Sabbath signposts the rest that’s found only in Jesus.
But how does the Sabbath point us to Christ? How does it find its fulfilment in him? In Christ, the work of the Father finds completion. In John 4:34 Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” What was this work of the Father? It was his living a life of perfect obedience to God’s law, as the last Adam, an obedience that culminated in his death on the cross as a payment for the sins of his people. In light of Christ’s work, the Sabbath day is no longer the last day of the week but the first. It is “the Lord’s Day” ( Revelation 1:10); the day the first Christians celebrated Christ’s resurrection, his finished work (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2).
The weekly Sabbath rest gives us a taste of the eternal Sabbath rest that we’ll enjoy with Christ in the new creation (Hebrews 4:9). It reminds us that the goal of this life isn’t career, pursuits, goals and dreams, but Christ and his glory. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath because he finished his work. When we celebrate the Sabbath it’s so much more than resting from work; it’s to rest in his finished work. Sunday to Sunday, the Sabbath is one of God’s greatest gospel reminders. Don’t forget it.
