Remember the Sabbath Day by Keeping it Holy

Posted on by Joshua Huffman

This is the commandment that got me started on doing the ten commandments. I felt like it was was just looked over and no one took it serious. I tried to think back about what I have been taught about it, but nothing came to mind. All I could think about was all the times Jesus ‘rebelled’ against the Sabbath. I am the most excited about writing about this commandment, but at the same time, I am the most nervous about it as well.

The Ten Commandments: Commandment Three

First place to look is the bible:

Exodus 20:8-11

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 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 animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Luke 13:10-17

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

According to Luthers Small Cathechism:

Thou shalt sanctify the holy-day.

What does this mean?–Answer.

We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, there are two parts:

The Sabbath Day:

2172 God’s action is the model for human action. If God “rested and was refreshed” on the seventh day, man too ought to “rest” and should let others, especially the poor, “be refreshed.”96 The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.97

2173 The Gospel reports many incidents when Jesus was accused of violating the sabbath law. But Jesus never fails to respect the holiness of this day.98 He gives this law its authentic and authoritative interpretation: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.”99 With compassion, Christ declares the sabbath for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing.100 The sabbath is the day of the Lord of mercies and a day to honor God.101 “The Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”102

The Lords Day:

2176 The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular worship “as a sign of his universal beneficence to all.”109 Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.

There are many more vereses from the Old Testament regarding how strick we are to follow the Sabbath, but I have opted out of posting them. I choose to dis regard them in this post because they apear to be more in regard to the Israelites.

I am not sure how to interpret this law. From my understanding, it is a day for the Lord, and a day without work. One day of the week we dedicate to the Lord. But do we really do that? It seems to be that most of us just give the few hours of church on sunday, and cal it good. But do we really even give the Lord that? Has the Sabbath become something that is ‘cute’ but is only optional. Are we so busy with our lives that we just don’t have time for the Sabbath? And that doesn’t bother us because “Jesus didn’t follow the Sabbath?”

I am not so sure of this. The Sabbath is one of the ten commandments, this makes it more than just one of those Israelite laws that we no longer need to follow. This is something real, and is a sin against the Lord not to follow it. So how do we follow it? I believe this is easier than thought. The Sabbath is to be dedicated to the Lord. I believe it to be extremely vital to attend a church service on the Sabbath, not because you have to though, but because you want. Going to a church service allows for you to be in worship with other believers, it provides for you a path to grow, and meet others with the same beliefs as you. Being in church allows for you to praise the God our Creator. Being in church also allows you to receive scripture and a great sermon. I believe church is vital for our relationship with Christ, however I’lll be the first to admit that I am the worse at physically attending church. I wach church online. This is a good alternative when you have no other option, but it is not the same as being in a place full of other believers worshipping together.

Church provides an hour or two of time on the Sabbath day. What about the rest of the day? It can be spent in a few ways. The first of which is striving to be more like Jesus, and that is being a servant to others. The Pharisees are known for getting upset with Jesus on the Sabbath. Why? It is because Jesus served others on the Sabbath, as well as every other day. A second way to spend your day is praising/worshiping the Lord. This doesn’t mean to be praying and singing praises to the Lord. Rather, spend it in a way pleasing to the Lord doing things you love to do. That might be spending time with your family, and friends, or it could be doing your favorite activity. Whatever it is, make sure it is pleasing to the Lord and do it to the best of your ability.

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:23

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

A last thing you can do on the Sabbath, is spend time in His word and in prayer. There is nothing like giving time to the Lord in His Word and in prayer.

Ten Commandments:

  1. Thou Shalt Have No Other gods
  2. Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord, Thy God, in vain.
  3. Remember the Sabbath Day by Keeping it Holy
  4. Honor Your Father and Mother
  5. Thou shalt not kill.
  6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
  7. Thou shalt not steal.
  8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
  9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house.
  10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his. 

Memory Verse of the Week:

Philippians 2:3

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

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