"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11
Considering the text of the fourth commandment, one cannot but notice that it is the longest of the commandments. Instead of simply saying “Keep the Sabbath Day holy,” and moving along to the fifth commandment, God was pleased to provide more detailed instruction. Let’s consider the detailed instruction God has provided.
“Remember the Sabbath day.” The word remember is a reminder, as stated last time, that: (a) The commandment regarding the Sabbath was not new. God established and exemplified the commandment in Genesis 2:1-3. The commandment was also given in some detail regarding the gathering of manna in Exodus 16. It is also a reminder that: (b) We must not forget or dismiss the fourth commandment in generations to come, including in our generation though we are under the New Covenant.
“Remember the Sabbath day.” Two things here. First, what does the word Sabbath mean? Contrary to what some may suppose, it does not refer to the number seven. The Sabbath day was too be observed every seventh day, to be sure, but that detail is emphasized in the rest of the commandment, not in the word Sabbath.
The word Sabbath means rest, and in context, rest from regular daily work to worship God. We are to worship every day and we are to do everything we do as worship (1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 12:1-2).
Second, the word day is important. The fifth commandment has nothing to do with the other “sabbaths” Israel was commanded to observe in the ceremonial law. Those included monthly sabbaths (aka, new moons), and sabbath years, as well as the fifty-year Jubilee. The weekly Sabbath day was unique. It was not part of the ceremonial Law exclusively for Israel which was fulfilled by Christ. It is, therefore, to be remembered by Christians. Paul’s words to the Colossians 2:16-17 about not observing the festivals or new moons or sabbaths were not about the Sabbath day.
Next time: What does it mean to keep the Sabbath day holy?