What does the Bible say about the Sabbath? Let's begin in Genesis 1:31 KJV "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Genesis 2:1-3 KJV "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.2.1-3.KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.1.31.KJV God established the Sabbath in Eden when there was only Adam and Eve; the Jews as a nation didn't come into existence for many generations later. (As a side note, this is also when marriage between one man and one woman began.) Many years later, the Israelites were wondering in the desert and were hungry. In Exodus 16, God is about to give them manna from heaven. This is the description, Exodus 16:4-5 KJV 4"Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. 5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily." Exodus 16:16-30 KJV 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. 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, 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. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day." https://bible.com/bible/1/exo.16.16-30.KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/exo.16.4-5.KJV God was teaching them even then when Sabbath was. This event took place 4 chapters before the give of the law in Exodus chapter 20:8-11 KJV 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." https://bible.com/bible/1/exo.20.8-11.KJV In ancient Israel breaking the Sabbath was a death penalty. See Numbers 15:32, 35 KJV 32 "And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 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." https://bible.com/bible/1/num.15.32-35.KJV
So now we must ask ourselves exactly what does it mean in Colossians 2:16 KJV, when it says: "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:" ? https://bible.com/bible/1/col.2.16.KJV Let's go to Isaiah 1:13-14 KJV 13"Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.1.13-14.KJV Hosea 2:11 KJV "I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts." https://bible.com/bible/1/hos.2.11.KJV So what were these "new moons and sabbaths"? Turn to Leviticus 23:4, 24, 39 KJV 4 "These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. 24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath." (Read whole chapter for context) https://bible.com/bible/1/lev.23.4-39.KJV Notice in these verses that it did not matter what day of the week that the small (s) sabbaths fell on, they were to observe them as a sabbath, not The Sabbath. It is currently impossible for every male to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem 3 times in a year. While God still does work according to the calendar that He set up, because God cannot change see Malachi 3:6 KJV "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." https://bible.com/bible/1/mal.3.6.KJV If God could change then satan would be correct in saying that God is arbitrary and unfair. Jesus would not have had to come to save us from sin, because God could then just decide that the wages of sin isn't death, but that is another subject for another time. Exodus 31:18 KJV "And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." https://bible.com/bible/1/exo.31.18.KJV God Himself wrote the ten commandments and not even He can change them. Psalm 111:7-8 KJV 7 "The works of his hands are verity and judgment; All his commandments are sure. 8 They stand fast for ever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness." https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.111.7-8.KJV Proverbs 28:7, 9-10 KJV 7 "Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: But he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father. 9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer shall be abomination. 10 Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, He shall fall himself into his own pit: But the upright shall have good things in possession." https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.28.7-10.KJV Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 KJV 13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." https://bible.com/bible/1/ecc.12.13-14.KJV Since every work will be brought into judgment; by what standard does God judge us, if not by His law?
So how are we to keep the Sabbath? Isaiah 58:13-14 KJV 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." https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.58.13-14.KJV When Jesus came the Jews were so fearful of breaking the Sabbath that they had made it a burden. Jesus came to show us how to keep the Sabbath. Luke 4:16 KJV "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." https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.4.16.KJV Matthew 12:10-13 KJV 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." https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.12.10-13.KJV Jesus showed us by example how to keep Sabbath holy. Isaiah 42:21 KJV "The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable." https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.42.21.KJV Jesus expounded on the law, He didn't do away with it. In fact He said, John 14:15 KJV "If ye love me, keep my commandments." https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.14.15.KJV He also said, Matthew 5:17-22, 27-28 KJV 17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.5.17-28.KJV This is what Isaiah meant when he said, "he will magnify the law".
So what about the disciples and Paul, what day did they keep? Acts 13:14, 44 KJV 14 "But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. 44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God." https://bible.com/bible/1/act.13.14-44.KJV Acts 17:2 KJV "and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures," https://bible.com/bible/1/act.17.2.KJV They kept the Sabbath. Have you heard something like this, "That was the old covenant, we are under the new covenant?" Well, Hebrews 8:10 KJV "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, And write them in their hearts: And I will be to them a God, And they shall be to me a people:" https://bible.com/bible/1/heb.8.10.KJV James 2:10-12, 17 KJV 10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." https://bible.com/bible/1/jas.2.10-17.KJV Can the court system of today judge a person if there is no law? Then how could the God of the universe judge anyone if His laws were not in force? 1 John 3:4 KJV "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." https://bible.com/bible/1/1jn.3.4.KJV God fully expected His laws to still be binding on us today, as expressed in Revelation 14:12 KJV "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." https://bible.com/bible/1/rev.14.12.KJV Even in heaven, Isaiah says, in Isaiah 66:22-23 KJV 22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD." https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.66.22-23.KJV In conclusion we can find keeping the seventh day of the week holy from Genesis to Revelation. All the Christian world knows that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday morning, so according to Matthew 28:1 KJV "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre." https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.28.1.KJV Sunday is the first day of the week and it falls after the Sabbath. God never changes, and He never will.