The Biblical Sabbath
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
We see from the scripture above that keeping the Sabbath is one of the ten commandments. Exodus 31: 13-17 tells us that keeping the Sabbath is a sign of the eternal and perpetual covenant between us and God and that the children of Israel are to keep the Sabbath throughout all generations. Keeping the Sabbath is likened to wearing our wedding ring to show that we are betrothed to Messiah Yeshua, our bridegroom:
Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. ork shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ” Exodus 31: 13-17
On God's calendar, a biblical day begins at sundown. The Sabbath begins at Friday night sundown (called Erev Shabbat) and the Sabbath ends on Saturday night at sundown.
The Sabbath foreshadows the Messianic Era. The Sabbath represents a Bride. Yeshua is LORD of the Sabbath. The Sabbath teaches us how to rest in Yeshua and believe His promises.
Many times, when a Sunday Christian begins to return to and cross over into the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith, one of the first steps they take is to begin observing the Sabbath. How to begin keeping the Sabbath? Explore more below!
