God’s Old Testament Instructions for the Sabbath
“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 your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your 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.”
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.”
“…and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.”
The Sabbath, the 7th day, the day of rest, was not just for God — in fact, He really don’t need it on a technical level — but it was created for humanity (Mark 2:27). God established the Sabbath by taking a day to rest Himself, however, as He rescue the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, He incorporated the same rest into His instructions for them. First in the Ten Commandments, then to the rest of the Levitical laws with the same premise: for six days you work, for one day you do absolutely no work whatsoever.
No work at all.
This makes the Sabbath an interesting concept. Why work for 6 days, then take a day off? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to simply keep working, especially during busy seasons? And wouldn’t the work get done faster? What about urgent matters like the harvest?
The Sabbath served two key functions for the Israelites after they left Egypt:
It made them rely on God — not being able to work for an entire day is a lot, especially when you are running towards a new home like the Israelites were. Not only that, but the account of manna and quail sent to feed the Israelites had the Sabbath worked in: they could not collect more than what was needed for the day at all, except for on the sixth day, they could collect enough to rest on the seventh (Exodus 16). It literally grew maggots if they collected extra on any day but the sixth day!
It gave them physical rest — human bodies are finite (big shocker, I know). They are a wonderful biological system, but as part of the fallen world, they have limitations for how long they can do something without rest. Rest is an important reset — especially when you are wandering around the desert for forty years! — for the body, the soul, and the mind, giving people a chance to relax the much-used muscles, process what has transpired during the week, and give the well-worn neural pathways a break!
Properly keeping the Sabbath was a sign of reliance on God, a chance to rest and recover from the week, and a significant act of faith!
Putting it into Action: look through the Bible or do a quick internet search on where it outlines the rules of the Sabbath and any other references to it in either the Old Testament or the New Testament. Does the definition of the Sabbath ever change from its original example in Genesis? What else can you interpret about God’s purpose and use in defining the Sabbath to His people?
