The
word “sabbath” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to rest; to cease.” It
first appears in the Bible in commands given to the nation of ancient
Israel. (Exodus 16:23)
For example, the fourth of the Ten Commandments says: “Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it sacred. You are to labor and do all your work for
six days, but the seventh day is a sabbath to Jehovah your God. You
must not do any work.” (Exodus 20:8-10)
The Sabbath day ran from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. During that
time, the Israelites could not leave their locality, light a fire,
gather wood, or carry a load. (Exodus 16:29; 35:3; Numbers 15:32-36; Jeremiah 17:21) Violating the Sabbath was a capital offense.—Exodus 31:15.
Some
other days in the Jewish calendar, as well as the 7th and 50th years,
were also called sabbaths. In Sabbath years, the land was to lie
uncultivated and Israelites could not be pressed to repay debts.—Leviticus 16:29-31; 23:6, 7, 32; 25:4, 11-14; Deuteronomy 15:1-3.
Jesus’ sacrifice made the Sabbath law obsolete
Why doesn’t the Sabbath law apply to Christians?
The Sabbath law applied only to the people subject to the rest of the Law given through Moses. (Deuteronomy 5:2, 3; Ezekiel 20:10-12)
God never required other people to observe a sabbath rest. In addition,
even the Jews were “released from the Law” of Moses, including the Ten
Commandments, by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (Romans 7:6, 7; 10:4; Galatians 3:24, 25; Ephesians 2:15) Rather than adhere to the Law of Moses, Christians follow the superior law of love.—Romans 13:9, 10; Hebrews 8:13.
Misconceptions about the Sabbath
Misconception: God instituted the Sabbath when he rested on the seventh day.
The Bible says: “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it:
because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and
made.” (Genesis 2:3, King James Version) This verse contains, not a law to man, but a statement of what God did on the seventh creative day. The Bible does not mention anyone observing a sabbath rest before the days of Moses.
Misconception: The Israelites were under the Sabbath law before they received the Law of Moses.
Moses told the Israelites: “Jehovah our God made a covenant with us in Horeb,” the area around Mount Sinai. This covenant included the Sabbath law. (Deuteronomy 5:2, 12)
The Israelites’ experience with the Sabbath shows that it was new for
them. If the Israelites had been under some Sabbath law earlier, while
they were in Egypt, how would the Sabbath have reminded them of their
deliverance from Egypt as God said it would? (Deuteronomy 5:15) Why did they have to be told not to pick up manna on the seventh day? (Exodus 16:25-30) And why did they not know how to handle the case of the first recorded Sabbath breaker?—Numbers 15:32-36.
