Keeping the Sabbath: What The Bible Actually Teaches

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How much do you actually know about the biblical Sabbath Day?

For years there have been conflicting ideas on what the Sabbath day actually is, who it’s for, and why the Sabbath day is important.

Why did God give Israel Sabbath?
Should Christians celebrate the Sabbath day?
Where is the Sabbath day in the New Testament?

So many questions! Understanding Sabbath is important. It shapes our days, our perspectives, and our priorities. And because the Sabbath day IS so important to God it’s essential that we hear His heart about it. Most Sabbath sermon topics start and end with “remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” Have you ever stopped to think through what that actually means; how to keep the Sabbath holy.

There are a lot of opinions about the Sabbath day and its place in our lives. The point of this article is to help you gain understanding by pointing you to the different passages in the Bible that answer the question, What does the Bible say about Sabbath?

As a bonus, I’m adding a list of practical tips that help me with biblical Sabbath keeping.

Want to print this lesson for your personal Bible Study? Scroll down to download this free Keeping the Sabbath pdf lesson!

Sabbath Day In the Bible

Where in the Bible does it say to keep the Sabbath? Would you be surprised to know there are Bible verses about Sabbath all over the Bible?

The first Sabbath teaching in the Bible is the Genesis Sabbath mentioned in Genesis chapter 1. All the other passages about the Sabbath point back to this one.

“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Genesis 2:2-3 (see Exodus 20:11 for the connection to Sabbath)

If you’re wondering “what day of the week is the biblical Sabbath?” there you have it. From the beginning, God chose the seventh day to be the Sabbath day (we’ll tackle this more later on in the article).

The first official Sabbath Day for people is introduced to us in Exodus, even before the giving of the 10 commandments.

Should Christians Keep the Sabbath?

One of the more popular sabbath teachings that have made its way through church circles is the idea that because Jesus is here, and salvation doesn’t come by living according to the law, the “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” commandments don’t apply to us.

Here’s what we forget to consider. Salvation has never been the result of obeying the law. Salvation has always been by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2:8-9) just like Jesus and the apostles taught.

We don’t follow the commands to obtain salvation; we follow them because God asks us to. As followers of Jesus who are grafted into the body of Israel and have become children of God, we conform to the ways of God. That’s why Paul and the apostles continued to teach “the law” to jew and gentile believers even after Jesus’ resurrection.

God’s teachings are still for today and are applicable for the whole body of believers. So should a Gentile keep the Sabbath day? If we want to live according to Jesus’ example in the Bible, and God’s instruction in the Bible; then yes!

What Does It Mean to Keep the Sabbath Day Holy?

Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

How do you keep the sabbath day holy? I asked a friend of mine about this not too long ago and the explanation she gave me radically changed the way I view Sabbath. She pointed me to one of the more unknown Bible verses about the Sabbath Day.

“Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
Isaiah 56:1-2

That sparked questions. How do you defile a day? My friend explained the Sabbath was meant to be set apart; different from every other day, wholly devoted to our relationship with God and family – holy. 

It’s a reminder that we too are called to be set apart, different, and devoted to God. And so we structure our day to reflect that devotion. While most people use this day to indulge in the world and what it has to offer them, believers use this day to get away with God. When we treat the Sabbath Day any other way, we defile it. 

How do you remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy? We treat it as God designed.

Knowing that we might ask, what should the Sabbath Day actually look like? Let’s look at some of the descriptions of the Sabbath in the Bible and see if we learn about how to keep the sabbath according to the Bible.

The First Biblical Sabbath Day In the Bible (Exodus 16)

In Moses day, the first Sabbath that Israel participated in, the only condition for it (as far as Scripture states) was that the people were not to gather or cook food. Instead they were to feast on the quail and manna the Lord had already provided for them the previous day.

“And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ” So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
Exodus 16:22-26

Scripture describes this command as a test of faith. God wanted to see if the people would trust Him. If they did they would experience rest and plenty, even there in the desert. It was more than a test, though. It was a command. And when the people failed to keep it, God responded this way.

Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day.
Exodus 16:28-30

It was that simple. On the Sabbath Day, the people were to rest and trust that God would provide the food that they needed. This is where the concept of not cooking on the Sabbath Day comes from.

Sabbath Day Rules In the Bible

One of the hardest things about keeping the Sabbath in our modern culture is that it opposes the structure of our man-made week. While the rest of the world goes about as they please, those observing the Sabbath day have biblical boundaries to consider. While most people see those boundaries as limiting – I’ve found that Biblical Sabbath laws help me protect both rest and my relationship with God.

What are the biblical rules for Sabbath? Below are Biblical Sabbath Laws (a fancy way of saying boundaries) we find in the Bible that help us keep the Sabbath Day set apart from every other day.

Don’t work on the Sabbath Day (Exodus 16) – Additional Do not work on the Sabbath Day Bible Verses can be found in Exodus 20, Exodus 35, Leviticus 23, Number 15, Nehemiah 13,

Do not cook on the Sabbath Day (Exodus 16). When God first instructed the people not to cook on Sabbath it was a test of their faith in His ability to provide food for them. However, when you consider some of the other boundaries God set for us on the Sabbath Day (like the one below), it makes sense that preparing food beforehand is the ongoing expectation.

Do not kindle a fire on the Sabbath Day (Exodus 35) – The idea here was that gathering and starting a good old fashion fire was a time-consuming task. Since the Biblical Sabbath Day is a day of rest, the people were to prepare; having gathered wood and lit their fires before the sabbath began. Since cooking wasn’t permitted either there wasn’t a need to have a fire to cook on. If you went stove shopping and wondered “what is the purpose of Sabbath mode?” now you know! It’s a modern-day way to use a stove without kindling (lighting) a spark or fire.

Do not sow or reap on the Sabbath Day (Leviticus 25) – again, this is in recognition of the fact that tasks like these could easily consume an entire day, leaving little if any time to rest, enjoy family and community, or spend time with the Lord. There were exceptions to this rule though which we’ll address in upcoming sections of this lesson.

Avoid spending money (see Nehemiah 10:28-38). These verses reiterate portions of the covenant Israel made with God. Refusing to buy and sell on the Sabbath day was among the ordinances they agreed to abide by. That being said, this practice is actually much more practical than we assume. If Sabbath is intended to be a day of rest, it doesn’t make sense that we would engage in things that require other people to work. Not spending money fixes all that.

Do not pursue your own interest ( see Isaiah 58) There is a purpose for Sabbath and it’s not for us to indulge in our own pleasures. The Sabbath Day is for us but it’s not about us.

The Biblical Meaning of Sabbath Rest

The first time I tried keeping the Sabbath Day as an adult I felt lazy.  It felt weird to be still. It wasn’t long though before God began to fill that stillness. With every other mainstream voice silenced, I found I could finally hear His. With nothing else to steal my attention, I found I could just enjoy being with Him.

That is the goal of Sabbath rest.

A lot of modern-day teachings try to remove the discipline of observing the Sabbath. They encourage us to fill those still and quiet moments with our own pleasures. We walk away satisfied but our souls run dry. Only God can sustain the soul. To get our fill, we have to meet with Him. Yet many of us, without even realizing it, have replaced the feeding of our souls with the feeding of our flesh.

Sabbath rest only happens when the Lord of the Sabbath is invited into our Sabbath. That’s a huge piece of the importance of Sabbath in the Bible and a key component to biblical Sabbath keeping.

Knowing that it’s only reasonable to ask, is it a sin to not keep the Sabbath? The next portion of this lesson gives a story that can help you understand the answer.

Preparing for the Sabbath Day (A Lesson From Numbers 15)

Numbers chapter 15 gives another glimpse at Sabbath in the Bible. This one (similar to the scenario above) emphasizes the importance of preparing for the Sabbath Day.

“Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation.
They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.”
So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died.
Numbers 15:33-36

Not too long ago I was studying the Sabbath Day with a friend and we read this passage. I didn’t understand why gathering sticks was such an offensive thing. Isn’t a fire necessary for survival? Why was God’s response so extreme?

Her answer (paraphrasing): He didn’t prepare. God had given the community a command, “no work.” This man had six days to prepare and he chose not to. So when it came time to participate in what God was doing, this man wasn’t ready. He was unable to keep it in the manner God required. God treated it as disobedience; a sin. That being said, Paul also teaches what it looks like to “keep the Sabbath holy” may vary (we’ll talk about this more shortly). Where some believe that tradition is a requirement of keeping the Sabbath holy, Paul teaches believers to be mindful of putting an unnecessary burden on people trying to keep the Sabbath by requiring them to keep up with tradition. 

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths… Colossians 2:16

Paul also teaches in Colossians that the Sabbath Days are a shadow of the days to come. They are a reminder to us of God’s coming kingdom where the Lord of the Sabbath will give his people eternal rest. Just as we are to use our 6 work-approved days to prepare for the day of rest, we are to live this life in preparation for the kingdom to come (see Hebrews 4:9). 

We are to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy; but as you’ll learn; what keeping the Sabbath holy looks like, might not be as textbook as we think.

Keeping the Sabbath In the New Testament

Did you know that “remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy…” isn’t just an Old Testament Practice? We’ve already looked at Bible verses that show what Jesus taught about the Sabbath. What about the time after Jesus? Where is Sabbath Day in the New Testament?

There are plenty of Bible Verses about Sabbath Day in the New Testament (after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection) that show that the remember the Sabbath Day verse (Exodus 20:8) is an instruction that the believers still took very seriously.

In Acts we see Peter, Paul, and the disciples preaching on the Sabbath Day.

Acts 13 shows Paul participating in the reading of the Law and Prophets (what we would call the Old Testament) and also preaching the gospel.

Colossians 2 teaches about the Sabbath Day being a shadow of things to come. It’s how we gain salvation (that only comes through belief in Jesus as Lord), but it is a picture of Salvation and a foreshadowing of eternity with Jesus, our “Lord of the Sabbath.”

Hebrews 4 also establishes the connection between the Sabbath Day and eternal rest through Jesus.

Those are just Sabbath Bible verses to get you started. As mentioned before, the gospels are FULL of different Sabbath Day Bible Verses and historical accounts. I definitely recommend each book and keeping an eye out for the accounts of Sabbath Day!

What Did Jesus Say About Sabbath?

Jesus clarified for all of us what the purpose of Sabbath Day actually is. He observed it and taught His disciples to observe it. He was brought up on Sabbath teachings. Jesus was well aware of what was expected of people on the Sabbath Day. He also knew, that in our zeal to keep the Sabbath, many have missed the actual point. Instead of allowing the Biblical Sabbath laws to help us abide in Christ, they became reasons to abstain from doing good and acting justly. That’s why the miracles that Jesus did on the Sabbath Day brought offense and uproar instead of celebration.

Jesus’ Sabbath Days were full of action! He went where God told Him to go (see John 6:38, John 5:19, and Luke 2:49). Do you allow yourself that freedom on Sabbath Days?

Here’s a rundown of some of the events that marked Jesus’ Sabbath Days:

• He delivered a woman who was crippled by evil spirits (see Luke 13:10-17)
• He went to a pagan pool and healed a man that was paralyzed for over 30 years (see John 5)
• While at synagogue, He healed a man with a shriveled hand (see Mark 3)
• At a Pharisee’s house on the Sabbath, He healed a man of dropsy (see Luke 14).

In each of these instances, the religious leaders wanted to stop him. To their untrained eyes, what Jesus was doing was work. Jesus’ response to their concern is one of the most radical Sabbath teachings out there. What did Jesus say about Sabbath?

To those upset about Him healing the withered hand – “Is it lawful to do good or harm on the Sabbath? To save a life or to kill it?” Mark 3:4

To those upset about the healing of the paralyzed man – For this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. John 5:16

The Pharisees offended by the man healed of dropsy – Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” Luke 14:5

These responses show us the heart of Jesus’ Sabbath teachings. Sabbath is a day to be present with the Lord and engaged in what He is doing and where He is going. Jesus was engaged. As a result, people desperate for healing and freedom were healed and set free. God was glorified. The earth got a small taste of the kingdom of God and many became followers of God. Was it unconventional for Sabbath? Sure. Was it God’s desire? Yes! In fact, Jesus summed it up like this,

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
John 5:19

10 Principles for How to Keep the Sabbath In Modern Times

We’ve explored some of what the Bible teaches about the biblical Sabbath days. You’re probably wondering how to carry those principles into our modern-day life. Can we keep the Sabbath Day and still live life practically? These 10 Tips for biblical Sabbath keeping will show you how.

1. Prepare Well
2. Empty Your Calendar and Your To-Do List
3. Engage With Your Family
4. Read Your Bible
5. Create An Atmosphere Of Worship
6. Attend A Church Service
7. Adjust Your Mindset
8. Put Away Distraction
9. Do Justly
10. Go Where God Goes

Preparing Well for Sabbath Day

Preparation doesn’t have to be complicated. And Sabbath doesn’t have to be extravagant. The best advice I was ever given about the Sabbath was to keep it simple. Keeping the Sabbath Day simple allows us to prepare well. How do we prepare?

Start thinking about the Sabbath Day before it comes. Plan your meals. Keep them simple. Gather your “wood” (literal or metaphorical) a day or two before in advance. Think about the time-consuming tasks that are on your plate. What can you do to keep them from intruding on the Sabbath Day?

Empty Your Calendar and Your To-Do List

It’s impossible to rest when your Saturday calendar is full of activities. The simple solution: don’t fill your calendar. The exception I make is opening my home to family and friends. On occasion, I’ll go to my parent’s house and enjoy their company. Relationships are an important part of the Sabbath, so there’s no reason to hide away from the world. That being said, cramming our calendars takes away from the time we have to just be with the Lord.

My suggestion is to start your day with a blank calendar. Don’t let it fill up. Know your capacity and know your priorities for the day and make sure your schedule aligns with both.

Engage With Your Family

The home should be our primary place of ministry. It should also be a place of fortified relationships. Think of ways you can engage your family and love them especially well. Maybe that means setting aside your phone or social media for the day. Maybe that looks like reading a Bible story, playing a card game, or relaxing in the sun together. Go out of your way to make sure your family knows they are loved and cared for by you and the Lord.

Read Your Bible

What better way to engage with the God of the Bible than through the Bible. Whether you follow a plan (Worth Beyond Rubies emails out every Friday with weekly Bible reading) or choose to read on your own, studying the Bible is never a waste of time.

Create An Atmosphere Of Worship

Worship can change the atmosphere or any space on any day. The Sabbath Day is no exception. Think of activities that cultivate worship in your life. That could be journaling, singing, painting, walking through nature, walking through a neighborhood, reading a book, or meeting with friends. What helps you set your attention on God or helps you hear his voice? What moves you to worship? Check out this post for suggestions!

Attend A Church Service

Preferably in person, but if not, take what you can get. Personal worship is great. Worshiping in a community setting is a different kind of wonderful. We were designed for both.

Adjust Your Mindset

It took me months to wrap my head around the idea that Sabbath rest is productive; it’s good for us. Both our body and soul need it. So while the rest of the world is pressuring you to be productive in other ways, remember obedience to God is the best way. And this time spent with Him, resting in Him, doing His work – it’s never in vain. Abiding with Christ, and walking with God; is the best use of your time. In that way, Sabbath is a gift. God knew what would feed our souls and He gave us an entire day to rest and be fed.

Do Justly

Even on the Sabbath Day God loves justice and we are encouraged to walk in it. Do good when you have the opportunity. Help those you see that are in need. Advocate when necessary. Just like Jesus did.

Go Where God Goes

It’s intriguing to think that even on the Sabbath day, a day devoted to rest, God lead Jesus into unconventional spaces (i.e. the pagan pool in Bethesda) to interact with people outside His circle. Yet somehow we’ve come to the conclusion that Sabbath should be different for us. Why is that?

I’d like to think that we can somehow find a balance between rest and action. Scripture on the other hand suggests no such thing. There isn’t a balance or a formula. There is only the word of God to guide us. So the conclusion I’ve come to is this; plan for rest, but go where God leads. It may not look like the text book Sabbath Day, but obedience is always best and it is this kind of obedience that Jesus’ modeled. We would be wise to follow His lead.

Is the Biblical Sabbath Day Saturday or Sunday?

Sabbath Day actually means Saturday. How do we know this? Shabbat is the Hebrew word for Sabbath. It means Saturday. When God said, “remember the Sabbath Day”, He was literally saying, remember Saturday, the 7^th Day, the day I’ve appointed as a day of rest.

Saturday is the true day of the Sabbath according to the Bible.

So who changed the Sabbath to Sunday?

The short answer: When Constantine declared Christianity the religion of Rome he made several changes to its structure to separate Christianity from Judaism. He didn’t want to be connected to a body of people who didn’t believe Jesus was the Lord. Since Saturday was the Sabbath for the Jews, He made Sunday the Sabbath for Christians.

This was NOT what God intended. Scripture repeatedly tells us that the body of Christ is made of both Jews and Gentiles. In fact, the early church in Scripture lived by that model; Jew and Gentile following Jesus as Lord together. It was politics that eventually came in and made official distinctions between the two, which lead to new traditions and new practices; Sunday Sabbath is one of them.

I haven’t quite discovered how to reconcile that one.

For now, most churches continue to gather and observe Sabbath on Sunday. Others have joined Messianic congregations where Saturday is recognized as the Sabbath Day. If you’re like me, you observe Sabbath on Saturday and wake up the next morning to participate in Sunday church.

Wherever your scenario my prayer is that you learn the joy of resting and abiding with God on the Sabbath Day; because that’s what it’s truly all about.

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