Meaning of Sabbath: “to desist,” “cease,” “ rest” (ISBE). W. E. Vine says “The idea is not that of relaxation or refreshment, but cessation from activity.” Vine’s explanation helps us as we deal with the first point in our lesson.

SABBATH - GOD’S REST DAY (The Day After The Creation Week - Gen. 2:1-3)

When “God created the heavens and the earth” it obviously took some extra Divine energy (Gen. 1:1-2). Likewise the “six” days of the Creation week (Gen. 1:3-31). It has been observed, by the way, that in what might appear as quite incidental, Genesis one and verse one, we have the five components of science which make up the world: “beginning” - time; “God” force; “created” - energy; “heavens” - space; “earth” - matter. Simply remarkable! I am sure that though they appear incidentally, God was in fact citing His omniscience and was giving pre-scientific evidences of this great book, the Bible.

After God’s great Creation was finished, Moses, the one who later recorded those events, said that “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.”

God Almighty needed no rest, as we understand rest. No, He simply ceased from His creative work. It is in that sense only that He “rested.” According to Jesus: “My “Father has been working until now, and I have been working” (Jn. 5: 17). The Father could cease from that work since the same was all “very good” (Gen. 1:31). God’s original Creation was perfect! Yes, “God (even) “made...man upright” (Eccl.7:29). His “works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb. 4:3b) and therefore “God rested on the seventh day from all His works” (Heb. 4:4b).

SABBATH - THE WEEKLY SEVENTH DAY SABBATH, Ex. 20:8-11)
Called - “a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation (gathering, pmc)...the Sabbath of the Lord” - Lev. 23:3.
When Instituted - in association with and at the time of the Law of Moses given from Mount Sinai. First reference after some 25 hundred years is Ex. 16:23-30. But in Ex. 20:8-11 and Neh. 9:13-14 we see where and when the Sabbath day was clearly set up and officially inaugurated.
Prolepsis - Moses was the chronicler of the creation story and the events following (2:4) and by the time he wrote, the Sabbath day had been given at Mount Sinai. Gen. 2:3 is a prolipsis - stating a thing before it actually became implemented (compare 2:11,14;3:20). The when God “blessed the seventh day and sanctified it” insofar as any people observing it, was not until Mt. Sinai).
Sabbath Given For Whom - It was only given to “the children of Israel” - Ex. 19:1,5-8 with 20:1-8; 31:12-18 (in this passage as a “sign” between God and Israel. As it has been observed an engagement ring is no sign to a woman if such is given to other women too!) Jesus said the “Sabbath was made for man” (Mk. 2:27). The Jews were men and the Sabbath was made for them, the Jews.
Jehovah gave no other “nation” “this law which I set before you this day” (Deut. 4:8). Moses said: “The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive...”( See 5:1-3, 4-22).
Part of the Law of Moses - The Ten Commandment law was given by God through “the hand of Moses” (Neh. 9:13-14). Whether the Ten Commandments of the other laws given they were both called “the law of the Lord” and “the law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6,10; 2 Chron. 31:3-4; 34:14; Lk. 2:22-23; Deut. 5:1, 22; Jn. 1:17)
Restrictions - Ex. 20:8-10; No servile work was to be done of man or beast.
Plans and Preparations For it - Ex. 16:22-26; Mk. 15:42 (Note: Sometimes this “preparation” was in regard to a special Sabbath called in John 19:31, “an high day.” “That day was a ‘double Sabbath’ since it was the 15th of Nissan, the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, which was celebrated by a ‘holy convocation’” (Lev. 23:7). Dan King on the gospel of John.
Penalties for breaking the Sabbath - Ex. 31:14-15; Num. 15:32-36; Jer. 17:27; Ezek. 20:21
Blessings Associated with keeping it - Isa. 56:1-2ff
Neglected and Profaned by The Jews - Jer. 17:21-27; Ezek. 23:38; Neh. 13:15-19
Abuses and Errors Corrected by the Lord - Jesus often did acts of mercy and of necessity on the Sabbath, showing us that He was the “Lord of the Sabbath.” i.e., He knew exactly how it was to be kept. Mt. 12:1-7, 10-13; Mk. 1:21-25; 3:1-6; Lk. 13:10-17; 14:1-6; Jn. 7:22-23; 9:1-14. The Jewish scribes, rabbis’ and lawyers added many additional rules to keeping the Sabbath. Acts 1:12 is just one such example. Jewish tradition has is that a handkerchief must be pinned to the garment and not carried, else one would be working. Many other foolish rules they tried to meticulously keep (Mt. 23:16-23f).
Jesus Kept the Sabbath - Lk. 4:16.
Abrogated By Christ - Col. 2:12-17. “Sabbaths” (NKJ) in this passage refers to the weekly Sabbath days. This same plural form is used in Lk. 4:16 and in other places. The Sabbath ceased with the old Law - As the manna ceased when the Israelites entered the promised land (Joshua 5:12), the Sabbath ceased when the new priesthood of Jesus came into effect. It was under the Levitical priesthood that the people received the law; but that priesthood has ceased, thus also the law has ceased (Heb . 7:11-12; 10:9-10). And the Sabbath, as we have studied, was a part of “the law.”
No Christian ever kept the Sabbath - This is conspicuous by its absence; at times they taught on the Sabbath (Acts 17:2f) but they never worshipped on the Sabbath.

SOME EXTRA INFORMATION
Sunday not the Sabbath (Saturday). After Pentecost (Acts 2) Christians began meeting on the “first day of the week” (or on the eighth day of the week if you please; the day that society calls Sunday) - Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10; Mt. 28:1 ; Mk. 16:2; Lk. 24:1,21. Pentecost Day always came on the first day of the week, Lev. 23:15-16. The Holy Spirit coming in His baptismal manner (Acts 2:1ff) on the first day of the week directed the first, full gospel sermon ever preached (2:22-36), gave instructions for people to be saved (2:37-41) and ushered in the church of Christ (2:41-47). And Jesus’
resurrection from the dead on the first day of the week and His appearence to his disciples that same day, gave the reasons and incentives for NT Christians to meet on that day. Thus “the Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10). And that is exactly why we do the same today; we follow approved apostolic precepts, examples and necessary inferences (Acts 2:42).

The First Day of the week. It was never intended to be the “Christian Sabbath.” Saturday was not changed to Sunday as the Sabbath. No, the whole law was “changed” (Heb. 7:12). Now we are under the NT gospel of Christ (Rom.1:16; Jn. 1:17).

The “first day of the week.” It is never once called or referred to as “the Sabbath.” Smith’s Bible Dictionary, the ISBE and some other standard books are misleading in this regard and in regard to the Sabbath starting with Adam. And of course the Seventh Day Adventists are in gross error, following Mr. Ellen White as their later-day prophetess (who claimed that she was caught up into heaven and saw a halo around the forth commandment; meaning to her, that such had been negelected and that it needed to be re-introduced).

Not meant to be a day of rest. No, it was not meant to be a day of rest as per the Jewish Sabbath. It is not the Jewish Sabbath in any sense. The “first day of the week” is a day of service: a day for Christians to assemble together; to pray, sing, give of their means, share the gospel and to partake of the Lord’s Supper. It is a day for Bible reading, for Christian association, for engaging in Christian duties. It might even be a day where, at least part of that day, when one has to be employed - such as a nurse, a doctor, an locomotive engineer, etc. This is most likely the reason why the Christians met in the evening at Troas under Roman culture, laws and time (Midnight to Midnight). Sunday was a regular work day to the Romans, so Christians had to work on Sundays of necessity and thus they met at night.

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