Genesis 2: 1-3
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
*This verse is often referred to when we talking about "observing" or "practising" the Sabbath. This means that we don't do any work, and we relax, rest, and have fun.
Here it is again, as one of God's 10 commandmants.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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. 11 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.
** We should honour the Sabbath day because, just as God took one day off out of seven, we should too. God knows that we need rest, and therefore, when He made it a commandment, He is demanding us to rest. Isn't that wonderful and considerate? This is for our own good, and it shows that God cares about us, so much that He wants to make sure that everyone gets enough rest. It is also a way to protect workers - noone can work us to death. God knows that working people 24/7 does more harm than good, and actually decreases production. There are actually many countries out there who have laws for companies that hire workers, telling them that they have to give employees a minimum time for taking breaks inbetween working. This is usually given in a ratio, the amount of time the employee spends working vs the duration of the employee's breaks.
Here is another reason why we must observe the Sabbath day:
Exodus 31:12-17
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
This is a sign, a covenant that God made with His people. Since we are His people, we must follow this commandment, and uphold out part of the covenant. He even goes as far as to give punishments to those who disobey - who do work on the Sabbath day. This tells us how serious He is, enforcing His commandment.
When can we observe the Sabbath? Once every seven days.
Does it matter what day exactly? - I'm not sure myself, but for me I think any day of the week is fine, as long as it is consistent. For me this would be Saturday, or Sunday =/ it should really be just one day.....& theres no real excuse for me but im not perfect....
For someone like me who is in school, it is sometimes really hard to spend a whole day not doing any work. There are so many projects to do, tests to study for, homework (for math) that I should do to stay on top...
But. I am always reminded, when conflicted between God and this world, that God comes first. Life on earth is temporary, but life with God in heaven is eternal. Therefore, it is easy to see what my priorities should be: take a break for one day, and then do the work another day.
If the problem is that I don't have enough time, and taking a Sabbath day would mean that I would have to kill myself working like crazy for the other day before things are due, then this is my fault entirely. Why? because I procrastinate. Think about it. There are seven days in a week. God is only asking that I take ONE day off. 1/7. 14.3% of the week. That is a very small percentage. I have so much time, during the rest of the week to complete my work, so I can not say that taking a day off would make me even more stressed later.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
*This verse is often referred to when we talking about "observing" or "practising" the Sabbath. This means that we don't do any work, and we relax, rest, and have fun.
Here it is again, as one of God's 10 commandmants.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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. 11 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.
** We should honour the Sabbath day because, just as God took one day off out of seven, we should too. God knows that we need rest, and therefore, when He made it a commandment, He is demanding us to rest. Isn't that wonderful and considerate? This is for our own good, and it shows that God cares about us, so much that He wants to make sure that everyone gets enough rest. It is also a way to protect workers - noone can work us to death. God knows that working people 24/7 does more harm than good, and actually decreases production. There are actually many countries out there who have laws for companies that hire workers, telling them that they have to give employees a minimum time for taking breaks inbetween working. This is usually given in a ratio, the amount of time the employee spends working vs the duration of the employee's breaks.
Here is another reason why we must observe the Sabbath day:
Exodus 31:12-17
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
This is a sign, a covenant that God made with His people. Since we are His people, we must follow this commandment, and uphold out part of the covenant. He even goes as far as to give punishments to those who disobey - who do work on the Sabbath day. This tells us how serious He is, enforcing His commandment.
When can we observe the Sabbath? Once every seven days.
Does it matter what day exactly? - I'm not sure myself, but for me I think any day of the week is fine, as long as it is consistent. For me this would be Saturday, or Sunday =/ it should really be just one day.....& theres no real excuse for me but im not perfect....
For someone like me who is in school, it is sometimes really hard to spend a whole day not doing any work. There are so many projects to do, tests to study for, homework (for math) that I should do to stay on top...
But. I am always reminded, when conflicted between God and this world, that God comes first. Life on earth is temporary, but life with God in heaven is eternal. Therefore, it is easy to see what my priorities should be: take a break for one day, and then do the work another day.
If the problem is that I don't have enough time, and taking a Sabbath day would mean that I would have to kill myself working like crazy for the other day before things are due, then this is my fault entirely. Why? because I procrastinate. Think about it. There are seven days in a week. God is only asking that I take ONE day off. 1/7. 14.3% of the week. That is a very small percentage. I have so much time, during the rest of the week to complete my work, so I can not say that taking a day off would make me even more stressed later.
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