HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS KEEP THE SABBATH DAY?

A compilation of scriptures by Dan Beeson 18 November 2022

www.vigilantvaliant.com    dan@vigilantvaliant.com

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION:

HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS KEEP THE SABBATH DAY?

1. KEEP IT HOLY

2. DO NOT WORK

3. BEAR NO BURDEN

4. DO NOT BUY OR SELL

5. KINDLE NO FIRE

6. MEET TOGETHER WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS

7. REST EXCEPT TO DO GOOD & FELLOWSHIP

8.  MEET WITH & VISIT & ENTERTAIN FRIENDS & AQUAINTENCES

9. SING SONGS ABOUT GOD

10. READING, STUDYING, AND TEACHING SCRIPTURE

SUMMARY

APPENDIX

INTRODUCTION:

If you do not think Christians are expected by The Living God, Yahweh, to keep the Sabbath Day, please first read my Bible study, “Does Jesus Want Christians to Keep the Sabbath Day?” That study shows what the Bible says about Christians keeping the Sabbath Day. This Bible study is only about HOW to keep it. Why is this even a question? It is a question because of the fourth commandment.

The Ten Commandments:

"1 And God spake all these words, saying,

2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's." (Exodus 20:1-17)

We have heard about them from our youth. As a person who claims to be a Christian, a follower of Yeshua (Jesus), we like to think we obey them. Put no other god before Yahweh. No problem. Do not make an idol. We wouldn’t dream of it. Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain. We try not to. I haven’t killed anybody yet. Don’t steal. Try not to lie. Don’t covet my neighbors’ wife or stuff. Doing pretty good, aren’t we?

Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Oh, Sunday. Yeah, try to go to church on most Sundays. Do you ever wonder why He didn’t just call it Sunday?

Because it isn’t!

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Sabbath this way. "Sabbath 1a: the seventh day of the week observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening as a day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians"

So it is the Sabbath we are commanded to keep holy, not Sunday.

How?

Most of my Bible Studies attempt to have EVERY SCRIPTURE IN THE BIBLE on the topic.  Some people have complained that it is just TOO MANY Bible verses.  But my Bible Studies are to learn the TRUTH about what the Bible says, not what some denomination told me to believe, not what some person told me to believe, but what the Bible really says.  I want ALL the scriptures on the topic.  I want the scriptures those with opposing beliefs use as their key scriptures, so I can analyze them.  I want to know their reason for believing the way they do, and give that a fair hearing.  How can we find the “Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth” if we don’t have all the data, all the information available? Since my studies are meant to learn what the Bible really says on a topic, I typically use nothing from outside the Bible.  Outside sources may or may not be valid.  The ONLY place we can read the words of Yeshua (Jesus in English) is from the Bible.  So yes, I hope I have found EVERY SCRIPTURE on the topic.  If I have missed a scripture, if you find other scriptures that address the question, or if you can in any way help me improve this writing or see a mistake, please contact me and let me know at dan@vigilantvaliant.com.

I have compiled below scriptures I found on this topic. If you like it, if it seems to be thorough and accurate, my other Bible Studies may be found on www.vigilantvaliant.com.

If you wonder why I use The Living Yahweh's name, Yahweh, and Our Savior's name, Yeshua, please see my other Bible Study, "Does Jesus Want Christians to Obey the Ten Commandments" in the Appendix, in the section, "THE NAME OF YAHWEH AND HIS MESSIAH" for a short explanation.

I use the King James Version (KJV) only because it was by far the main English translation during my life. While there are other good translations of the Bible, I am using the one I am familiar with, the KJV. Yes, it is old-fashioned English, but it can also be poetic and beautiful. So, all scriptures are quoted from the KJV Bible (King James Version), unless otherwise noted. All scriptures will be indented and in italics.  All Bolding, Underlining, Italicizing, (parentheses), highlighting, and [brackets] are done by me for emphasis.

END OF INTRODUCTION

HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS KEEP THE SABBATH DAY?

1. KEEP IT HOLY

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)

2. DO NOT WORK

"9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy Yahweh: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:9-11)

The above states “thou shalt not do any work”. So what is work? The Pharisees made up 39 divisions of work, with hundreds of subdivisions. So did The Great God really mean you had to unscrew the refrigerator light (one of the modern rules, really, no fire), or no writing or erasing over two (2) letters, or gardening, or moving a flower pot? Note that these are all man’s rules, or traditions. It would seem that one thing is relatively sure. Our vocation, or our principle work for monetary gain, seems to be included in “thou shalt not do any work”. So “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:” must include our vocation or main job. So not doing our main job on the Sabbath seems to be one way to “not do any work”. Even then, from Yeshua’s (Jesus’) words about the apostles picking corn to eat, and pulling a sheep out of a pit, and doing good on the Sabbath, it would seem a fireman or doctor called in for an emergency would be acceptable, or if you need to “save” someone by doing a good deed.

"1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day." (Matthew 12:1-8)

"23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? 26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? 27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." (Mark 2:23-28)

In Mark’s gospel, his version of this story has this statement, Mark 2:27, by Yeshua, right before Matthew 12:8. “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” Yeshua did not equate pulling an ear of corn off the stalk and rubbing off the kernels as “work”, and further seems to indicate the Sabbath is not supposed to be a burden but a delight.

3. BEAR NO BURDEN

"20 And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates: 21 Thus saith the Lord; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. 23 But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. 24 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; 25 Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever." (Jeremiah 17:20-15)

As can be seen from Yeshua’ discussion with the Pharisees in Matthew 12:1-8 three paragraphs above, this command to “bear no burden” is to keep people from having to work. In my opinion, it does not mean you can’t pick up a book and take it to a picnic, or even move a heavy watermelon from the refrigerator to the kitchen table.

4. DO NOT BUY OR SELL

"Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:" (Exodus 20:

"And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt." (Nehemiah 10:31)

"15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. 19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day." (Nehemiah 13:15-19)

Some Sabbath keepers do not count this as a requirement, but I don’t see why not. Again, we should reflect back to God’s main point, “do no work” neither you “nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:” If I go to a store on the Sabbath, and a clerk waits on me, I have caused them to do work. To me, this is restricted. So in general, it seems to me the scripture says to not buy or sell on the Sabbath. To not be pharisaical, or nit-picky, if there is a soda vending machine or a candy bar vending machine, or perhaps even an unattended gas pump, in my opinion, using this is not making a person work on the Sabbath. It is a machine doing the work. For me to drop in coins, and push a button to choose the candy bar is not work. It seems like plucking an ear of corn, and rubbing the kernels off to eat. So the point is not making anyone work on the Sabbath. They fill those vending machines on a regular schedule. My buying a candy bar from an automatic machine is not going to alarm the person to jump up on the Sabbath and come fill the machine.

5. KINDLE NO FIRE

"1 And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the Lord hath commanded, that ye should do them. 2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day." (Exodus 35:1-3)

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines kindle this way. Kindle - transitive verb 1: to start (a fire) burning: LIGHT using dry twigs to kindle a fire. Intransitive verb 1: to catch fire: begin to burn. Note also that out of 27 translations of the Bible, the other words used for habitations are homes, dwellings, and houses. What all does this entail? Some say it means you can’t cook on the Sabbath. The scriptures say otherwise in the verses about manna, the food Yahweh sent from heaven to the Isrealites in the desert.

"19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.” (Exodus 16:19-24)

COOKING: Some say no fire of any kind can burn, not even one lit the day before. They say, therefore, you cannot cook food. Exodus 16:19-24 shows them to be in error. Verse 20 shows that if manna was not cooked, but stored overnight, it bred worms and stank. Verse 24 shows that the double portion they gathered harvested on Friday morning (it had to be gathered in the morning) was not cooked Friday, but was stored until the Sabbath Day. It is very clear it was not cooked Friday, or there would have been no amazement at the miracle of the manna not breeding worms or spoiling and stinking when kept over Friday night, but breeding worms and stinking when kept over without cooking any other night. Since it was always cooked before eating, it was cooked on the Sabbath Day. Cooking was done on a fire. So these verses prove two points about the Sabbath Day. First, you can cook food on the Sabbath. Secondly, that you can have a burning fire, and use that burning fire to cook food.

In Exodus 12:16 below, Yahweh is teaching through Moses how to keep God's Holy Day of Passover.  On the First Day of Passover, and on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread that followed Passover, God says "no manner of work shall be done."  Yet God Himself tells them they may work to prepare the food they need to eat.

"And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you." (Exodus 12:16)

While the verse is talking about Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it is about how to keep a HOLY DAY of God. Especially with its phrasing of "no manner of work shall be done" paralleling the 4th commandment about the Sabbath Day, and then the exception made for preparing your food, combined with the verses above about the cooking of manna on the Sabbath Day, Christians can prepare their meals on the Sabbath Day.  Remember that Yeshua, the Lord of the Sabbath, said "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."  Now, that said, this is probably not the day for the 4 hour preparation of a massive meal, like Thanksgiving dinner. Also, this is YOU preparing YOUR food, and I am sure food for your "house" or family.  This is NOT going to a restaurant and paying some stranger to prepare your food.

CANDLES, FIREPLACES: In the same way, there was no light in the homes of the Israelites except by fire either in a stove or candle or lantern of some kind. Did Yahweh intend for the Israelis to stumble around in the dark in the night? From Matthew 12:1 and 8 above, Yeshua made it clear the Sabbath commandment was not to hurt people or inconvenience people, but to bless them. If Yeshua visited your home to stay overnight on the Sabbath, (and you had no electricity), would He expect you to lead Him stumbling in the dark through your house to the guest bedroom? Would He condemn you for lighting a candle either from an already burning fire, or with a match or gas lighter, to lead Him to His room? All heat 2000 years ago was from fires. In the winter, were the Israelites to freeze on the Sabbath? Do you really think that is what Yahweh meant with this command? As Christians, we are to obey the commandments while allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us. We are NOT to obey the traditions of men.

"32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. 36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses." (Numbers 15:32-36)

The reference above shows that gathering sticks, presumably for a fire, was considered work, for he was found guilty of sinning and killed. This may shed some light on the “kindle no fire” command. The man’s sin was working on the Sabbath. Picking up one stick, perhaps to toss it off a pathway, seems to me to be similar to Yeshua’ disciples plucking a piece of corn off a stalk and rubbing off a few corn kernels to eat. Yeshua said that was not sin. Therefore, this may support the idea that the WORK required to kindle a fire was the problem, not the flicking of a modern day lighter on a stack of BBQ charcoal briquettes soaked with fire starter fluid. In context, verse Exodus 35:3 is preceded by verse Exodus 35:2, which is about no work on the Sabbath.

Also, Yahweh stressed dwellings. So, in my opinion, a fun campfire where the wood was collected before the Sabbath, lit before the Sabbath, and then kept going very carefully on the Sabbath using already gathered wood or charcoal briquettes seems OK. Also, a barbeque grill outside your house, with a bag of charcoal briquettes and fire-starting lighter fluid, and an electronic lighter or match seems OK, as there is no more work than plucking corn and rubbing it in your hands to remove and eat the kernels. Remember that in Mark 2:27-28 above, Yeshua said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, and that He was speaking as “Lord of the Sabbath”. The real question seems to me to be, is it the flick of a modern gas one-click fire starter, or one push of the piezoelectric spark button on a modern gas fire grill , the starting or kindling of a fire that Yahweh is prohibiting? Or the much more significant work of gathering wood, and laying a fire, and then starting it? The Holy Spirit of Yahweh is whom we must let guide us in our understanding of Yahweh’s word. Will there be honest differences of opinions by people all trying to truly obey God? Yes. So we must pray earnestly over our decisions, AFTER in depth Bible Study.

What if you have a wood burning fireplace in your house as your main source of heat in the winter to keep from freezing? Are you not allowed to have it going on the Sabbath? Yeshua’ principle of the Sabbath being for man, to give us a day to rest and focus on Yahweh, would seem to mean that we should prepare for that fire before the Sabbath Day, gathering close by wood and everything needed, and perhaps stacking the wood for the fire in the fire. And light it before sundown Friday, so that all you need to do on the Sabbath Day is grab a stick that is already close by, and throw it on the fire now and then. This would avoid the sin of the man in Numbers 15:32 above, who was doing real work gathering a day’s worth of firewood.

Just to be careful to follow this commandment properly, I will “kindle no fire” in my house on the Sabbath. If I have a wood burning fireplace, I will light that fire before sunset on Friday, and I will have the wood collected and reasonably close to the fireplace, so all I have to do is toss a log on the fire now and then to keep it going. This would entail no “kindling” of a fire in my house on the Sabbath, and also no work of cutting and moving large amounts of wood on the Sabbath. But there is zero work for me or anyone, to allow the automatic gas furnace or water heater to start and stop their flames automatically on a cold Sabbath day, with piped in or bottled gas.

A final note, because this is a very good example of what Yeshua accused the Pharisees of doing. Some today say you can not flip a light switch, because the electric light is like a fire. Some say you must remove the little light bulb in the refrigerator because when you open the door and it turns on, you have kindled a fire. Is that a fire? Is that a burning flame? Very clearly, scientifically, logically, it is not. Does that seem like work to you? If so, how can you even open your refrigerator door? That is more physical effort for you than the light, because you do NOTHING to turn that light on, separate from opening the door. If Yeshua came to your door today at lunch time, and you opened the fridge and pulled out modern pre-sliced bread, and pre-made chicken salad, and made Him and yourself sandwiches, do you think Yeshua would condemn you for working on the Sabbath, when you have not done the work His own disciples did in plucking and rubbing the corn for a snack?

6. MEET TOGETHER WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.” (Leviticus 23:3)

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines convocation this way. "Convocation 1a: an assembly of persons called together to a meeting.  2: the act or process of calling an assembly of persons to a meeting."

"21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee, who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him." (Mark 1:21-26)

"1 And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. 2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?" (Mark 6:1-2)

"15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read." (Luke 4:15-16)

" 1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures," (Acts 17:2 NKJV)

"31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. 32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power." (Luke 4:31-32)

"23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Hebrews 10:25 above does not specifically state any particular day. However, the habit of Yeshua Himself, and the habit of the apostles and disciples, as shown in scriptures above, was to gather on the Sabbath Day, the Seventh Day, and to pray and study the scriptures. That would seem therefore as a proper way to keep the Sabbath holy.

7. REST EXCEPT TO DO GOOD & FELLOWSHIP

"11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. 13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 1 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." (Exodus 16:11-29)

Exodus 16:29 is referenced here because some say you are commanded to not leave your house on the Sabbath Day. The context of this command to “let no man go out of his place on the seventh day” is clearly in the context of not gathering manna, hence not to do your normal food gathering. In context this can not mean you are not allowed to leave your home for any reason. Since this must work together with going to a holy convocation, and entertaining and visiting friends (shown below,) it must mean, in general, do not go out to buy or gather food you could buy or gather another day.

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.” (Leviticus 23:3)

Leviticus 23:3 says we can go to church services, and it seems reasonable, by extension, Bible studies, and other spiritual activities.

"9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? That they might accuse him. 11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other." (Matthew 12:9-13)

The above shows Yeshua says it is OK to pull a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath, it is OK to do good on the Sabbath. It would seem that He was more relaxed than the Pharisees about it, and would not have us stress over all the Pharisees’ rules, which were only "the commandments of men", about which Yeshua warned people all the time.

"10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him." (Luke 13:10-17)

"5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath." (John 5:5-9)

"6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. 8 The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? 9 Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. 10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? 11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. 12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. 13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. 14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes." (John 9:6-14)

“ 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read." (Luke 4:14-16)

“13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 58:13-14)

Yahweh says He will bless us if we do as He commands on the Sabbath, and enjoy and delight in it.

8. MEET WITH & VISIT & ENTERTAIN FRIENDS & AQUAINTENCES

"1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer him again to these things." (Luke 14:1-6)

"13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a riverside, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. 14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us." (Acts 16:13-15)

Do you think she did NOT offer him and those with him lunch or dinner? Did she know about the visit the day before, and prepare and precook the food and the fire? The scripture gives no indication of that, so the reasonable answer is no. She prepared and cooked that food on the Sabbath. Now the fire may have been kindled and kept burning all the time, back in those days, so she may not have had to “kindle” a fire to do her cooking.

9. SING SONGS ABOUT GOD

Psalm 92 New International Version (NIV) is titled “A psalm. A song For the Sabbath day.” So singing songs about Yahweh is good on the Sabbath Day.

1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: 2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, 3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. 4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. 5 O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep." (Psalm 92:1-5)

"And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives." (Matthew 26:30)

"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;" (Ephesians 5:19)

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Colossians 3:16)

"Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise." (Psalm 33:3)

Psalm 92 was written specifically as a song for the Sabbath. The rest of the verses above just show that singing about Yahweh or to Yahweh is a good thing.

10. READING, STUDYING, AND TEACHING SCRIPTURE

"31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. 32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power." (Luke 4:31-32)

" And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath." (Luke 13:10)

"For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." (Acts 15:21)

The verses above show it is good to read, study, and teach scripture on the Sabbath.

SUMMARY

So how should we honor the Sabbath? From my Bible study, I think the following ten items are things we should do and not do. If you find scriptures to support or deny these, please help me improve this study by sending them to me at dlbeeson@gmail.com.

1. Keep it holy

2. Do not work

3. Bear no burden

4. Do not buy or sell

5. Kindle no fire

6. Meet together with other Christians

7. Rest except to do good & fellowship

8. Meet with & visit & entertain friends & acquaintances

9. Sing songs about Yahweh

10. Reading, studying, and teaching scripture

Knowing isn’t enough. What we know to do, we must actually do. Please pray to Yahweh for guidance on His truth about the Sabbath, then ACT on it.

May the Living God, Yahweh, guide you, protect you, and bless you.

APPENDIX

Leviticus 16:3 is not concerning a weekly Sabbath, but a holy or high Sabbath, the Day of Atonement.

”It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.” (Leviticus 16:3 KJV)

”It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.” (Leviticus 16:3 NIV)

“It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.” (Leviticus 16:3 BSB)

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION:

HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS KEEP THE SABBATH DAY?

1. KEEP IT HOLY

2. DO NOT WORK

3. BEAR NO BURDEN

4. DO NOT BUY OR SELL

5. KINDLE NO FIRE

6. MEET TOGETHER WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS

7. REST EXCEPT TO DO GOOD & FELLOWSHIP

8. MEET WITH & VISIT & ENTERTAIN FRIENDS & AQUAINTENCES

9. SING SONGS ABOUT GOD

10. READING, STUDYING, AND TEACHING SCRIPTURE

SUMMARY

APPENDIX