In Gods Fourth Commandment contained in the heart of His moral Ten Commandment Laws it teaches us that we should:-
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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: 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 20:8-11
Our Creator God starts off the Fourth Commandment with the word "Remember." This is because He knew that it would be forgotten! In the book of Genesis it teaches that God created the world in six days. Then on the seventh day, God rested from all His works, blessed & sanctified it (Genesis 1:1-31 & Genesis 2:1-3). There are no scientific or astronomical reasons for a seven day week. It was by Gods design, and it has been followed since the beginning of human history.
God asks that we keep the Sabbath Day set apart for Holy purposes so that we can draw nearer to Him. The Fourth Commandment to "remember" the Sabbath, concludes the section of the Ten Commandments that specifically helps us to define a proper relationship with God. How we are to love, worship and relate to Him. It also explains the reasons 'why' and 'when' we need to take special time to draw closer to Him. Amazingly, God also says that it is a special "sign" between Him & us and that it is Him that sanctifies us, Him alone we belong to and Him we are to worship.
On the calendar the Sabbath begins at sunset Friday evening and ends at sunset Saturday evening. God's day is from evening to evening ( sunset to sunset) which makes more sense than the day changing in the middle of the night. "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." Genesis 1:5
The Sabbath is a time to turn-off your work phone, close those business files on your lap-top, switch your mind off that business deal, stop all the cooking & clothes washing & giving the shopping malls a miss! Any distractions which will take you away from the feet of Jesus should not be done. Remember it is a Holy day. It is His time to spend with us, & us with Him! However, the Sabbath shouldn't be deemed a burden, but a 'celebration'! 'Rest' your body & mind from the secular world on the Sabbath Day! 'Enjoy' being in Gods presence! 'Learn' about His great love for you & His future plans for eternity which he has for you! After all, the Sabbath will be kept in the new heavens & the new earth (Isaiah 66:22-23).
Those that keep the true Sabbath day say that it is a blessing and their favourite day of the week. The Sabbath is a 'gift' from God, as it is about spending quality time with family, relaxing, exploring Gods creation & His words, helping others and fellowshipping with God and other Christians. Jesus taught that we are not only to 'obey the Ten Commandments' but to "teach" them also, yet some people are doing the opposite.(Matthew 5:19) God says we are to find this day a 'delight and a blessing'. It is a gift for ALL of humanity (Mark 2:27). God did not say we should call it legalism or a burden!
"If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a DELIGHT, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shall honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shall you 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
Like all the other nine Commandments, it is a Commandment of 'love' and hence loving God with all your heart includes all the first four Commandments.
The Sabbath Day does not belong to any nation, any one denomination, or is exclusive to a race of people...The Sabbath was created by God for everyone to Rest, Enjoy & Learn...(Mark 2:27)
Finally, the seventh day was created as a 'memorial of creation!' A memorial for us to remember that there is a God and that He created us! By keeping the Sabbath, it is the greatest honour that we can give to God, as it points to others, that there is an everlasting Creator, whom we should 'remember', 'love' & 'honour'.... This is why in the Fourth Commandment God asks us to "Remember", because to forget about the Sabbath is to forget about the Creator...
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