At creation God rested on the seventh day, and He “blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” (Genesis 2:3). Long before there was a Jew or a Gentile, God set the Sabbath apart as a gift for all people. Later He wrote it into the heart of the Ten Commandments: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy… the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God” (Exodus 20:8-10).
Jesus kept the Sabbath. “As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day” (Luke 4:16). He healed on the Sabbath and taught that “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27): a day of blessing and freedom, not a burden. He called Himself “Lord also of the sabbath” (Mark 2:28). After His death His followers “rested the sabbath day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56), and the Bible never moves it to another day.
The seventh day, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, is a weekly appointment with our Creator and Redeemer. We lay aside our work and worries to worship, rest, enjoy nature, visit the sick and spend time with family. God promises: if you “call the sabbath a delight… Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD” (Isaiah 58:13-14). It is also a sign that He is the One who makes us holy (Ezekiel 20:12).
Key Bible verses
- Genesis 2:1-3God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.
- Exodus 20:8-11Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Mark 2:27-28The sabbath was made for man.
- Luke 4:16As His custom was, Jesus went to the synagogue on the sabbath.
- Luke 23:54-56They rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
- Isaiah 58:13-14Call the sabbath a delight.
- Ezekiel 20:12, 20A sign between God and His people.
Tap a reference to read it in the Bible.
Think about it
- What makes the Sabbath a delight for you, and what could make it more of one?
- How can your family keep the Sabbath in a way that blesses others, as Jesus did?
- How would you explain from the Bible to a friend why Adventists worship on Saturday?
