Do we observe the Sabbath?

There are numerous teachings about the Sabbath found throughout the Word of God.  The first example of the Sabbath is when God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day, which He blessed and made holy. (Genesis 2:3)  After the Israelites fled Egypt, the Lord spoke the following words to Moses, “Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days.” (Exodus 16:29 NIV)  About three months later, the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments with the following commandment about the Sabbath – “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” (Exodus 20:11 NIV)  However, approximately 40 years later, when Moses gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, the emphasis was on observing the Sabbath rather than remembering the Sabbath – “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 5:12 NIV)

The Old Testament observance of the Sabbath came with many restrictions and regulations.  For instance, whoever did any work on the Sabbath, to include lighting a fire for your dwelling, was subject to punishment by death. (Exodus 35:2-3)  As for the entire wording for the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments, it is full of restrictions that would be hard for almost any believer or church to follow today, since the commandment was specifically directed toward the Israelites and not any other people or nations. (Deuteronomy 7:1-4)

“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord you God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do.  Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord you God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.  Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath Day.” (Deuteronomy 5:12-15 NIV)

In other words, following strict adherence to the actual commandment is virtually impossible, whether or not you recognize the Sabbath as being on a Saturday or Sunday.  How many believers do you know that make other people work on the Sabbath, whether directly or indirectly?  Does anyone ever go out to eat after church?  What about shopping?  Or going home to an air-conditioned or heated home?

In the New Testament, we find Jesus Christ clarifying the overall theme of the Sabbath with the words, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27 NIV)  Jesus Christ spoke these words in response to the Pharisees who were trying to accuse him of working on the Sabbath day, since Jesus Christ and his disciples were picking heads of grain as they walked through some grain fields.  In summary, believers are not obligated to observe the Sabbath since it was part of the Old Testament law and specifically intended for the Israelites, not any other group of people or nations.  However, believers need to understand the importance of taking time off from their daily and weekly work routines, so they can find time for rest as well as time for meditation with God.