The Sabbath is not merely a day on a calendar. It is a day that God Himself established, blessed, sanctified, and commanded His people to keep holy. From the beginning of creation, throughout the Old Testament, during the ministry of Jesus (Yeshua), through the ministry of the apostles, and among the early believers, we find the Sabbath honored according to the Word of God.

The question before every one of us is not simply, “What does my church teach?” or “What has tradition taught me?”

The question is:

“What did God say?”
 

And perhaps even more importantly:

“Do I love God enough to obey what He said?”
 

The Sabbath did not begin with Moses, Israel, or the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. It was established by God at creation.

Genesis 2:2-3 (KJV)

“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.
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.”
 

Notice what God did.

God rested.
God blessed the seventh day.
God sanctified the seventh day.

To sanctify means to set something apart as holy.

There is no record in Genesis that God blessed or sanctified another day in its place.

The seventh day was God's Sabbath before there was ever a Jewish nation, before there was a church denomination, and before Moses received the Ten Commandments.

The Sabbath belongs to God.

Some people believe that the Sabbath was made exclusively for the Jews. But the Bible tells us something very different.

The Sabbath was established at creation—long before there was a Jewish nation, long before Moses, and long before the Ten Commandments were written on tables of stone.

In Genesis 2:2-3, we read that God rested on the seventh day, blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.

Abraham, who is recognized as the father of the Hebrew people, had not yet been born. The nation of Israel did not yet exist. There were no Jews, no Israelites, and no Mosaic covenant.

The Sabbath was established by God at creation for mankind.

From the chronology recorded in Scripture, approximately 2,000 years passed from creation to Abraham, and approximately another 500 years from Abraham to Moses. That means the Sabbath was established roughly 2,500 years before the birth of the Jewish nation.

Therefore, the Sabbath cannot truthfully be described as something created exclusively for the Jews.

Jesus (Yeshua) Himself said:

“The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.”
— Mark 2:27, KJV

Notice what He said:

“For man.”

He did not say, “The sabbath was made for the Jews.”

The Sabbath was God's gift to humanity from the very beginning.

The Jewish people were later entrusted with God's commandments and given the responsibility of preserving and obeying them, but they did not invent the Sabbath. God created it.

The Sabbath belongs to the Creator, and God's invitation to remember Him as Creator reaches beyond one nationality or ethnic group.

When we keep the seventh-day Sabbath, we are not simply observing a Jewish tradition. We are honoring the day that God Himself established, blessed, and sanctified at creation.

The Sabbath was given before there was a Jew.

The Sabbath was given to mankind.

And every person who desires to know and honor the Creator should carefully consider what He said:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
— Exodus 20:8, KJV

When God gave His Ten Commandments, He did not leave the Sabbath as a suggestion.

He commanded it.

Exodus 20:8-11 (KJV)

“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...”
 

Why does God say “Remember”?

Perhaps because God knew that humanity would be tempted to forget.

The commandment does not say, “Remember a Sabbath day.”

It identifies a specific day:

“The seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God.”

And God gives a reason:

“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day...”
 

The Sabbath points us back to our Creator.

Every Sabbath is therefore a reminder:

God created me.
God owns me.
God has authority over my life.
And God has asked me to remember Him.

God repeatedly emphasized the importance of the Sabbath.

Ezekiel 20:12 (KJV)

“Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.”
 

Think carefully about those words:

“that they might know that I am the LORD.”
 

The Sabbath is connected with knowing God.

God did not say that the Sabbath was merely an ancient Jewish custom.

He said it was a sign between Him and His people so that they might know that He is the LORD.

Again, in Ezekiel 20:20 (KJV):

“And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.”
 

The Sabbath is therefore much more than simply stopping work.

It is about relationship.

It is about recognizing the One who created us.

It is about acknowledging God's authority.

It is about setting aside time that belongs to Him.

God says:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Keeping the Sabbath holy means treating the day as God commanded rather than treating it as an ordinary day.

It means putting God first.

It means turning our attention away from the ordinary pursuits of life and toward the Creator.

The prophet Isaiah gives us beautiful insight into God's desire for His Sabbath.

Isaiah 58:13-14 (KJV)

“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...
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD...”
 

Notice that God calls it:

“my holy day.”

It is not our day.

It is His day.

And God doesn't want His people merely to endure the Sabbath.

He wants us to delight in it.

Some people believe that Jesus (Yeshua) came to abolish the Sabbath.

But what does Scripture actually show?

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...”
 

It was His custom.

Jesus (Yeshua) regularly worshipped on the Sabbath.

He did not teach His followers that God's Fourth Commandment was no longer important.

Instead, He showed them how the Sabbath was to be honored according to God's purpose.

Jesus (Yeshua) also declared:

Mark 2:27-28 (KJV)

“The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”
 

Notice that He did not say the Sabbath was made only for Jews.

He said:

“The sabbath was made for man.”
 

The Sabbath was God's gift to humanity.

Jesus (Yeshua) also made an incredibly important statement concerning obedience.

John 14:15 (KJV)

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
 

This is not complicated.

Jesus connected love with obedience.

He did not say:

“If you love Me, simply say that you love Me.”

He said:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
 

That should cause every believer to examine his or her heart.

Do I truly love Him?

And if I say that I love Him, am I willing to obey Him?

After the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus (Yeshua), the apostles continued to observe the Sabbath.

Consider the example of Paul.

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.”
 

Paul's manner was to reason from Scripture on the Sabbath.

In Acts 18:4 (KJV) we read:

“And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.”
 

Notice something important:

Jews and Greeks.

Paul was teaching both Jews and Gentiles.

The Sabbath continued to be a day when people gathered to hear the Word of God.

We also find the disciples observing the Sabbath after Jesus' crucifixion.

Luke 23:55-56 (KJV)

“And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”
 

Think about that.

Jesus had just died.

The disciples were grieving.

Yet Scripture specifically tells us that they:

“rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”
 

They understood God's commandment.

Acts 13 gives us another remarkable example.

Paul and Barnabas preached the Word on the Sabbath.

Acts 13:42 (KJV)

“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.”
 

The Gentiles didn't say:

“We'll come tomorrow.”

They asked:

“Can we hear this again next Sabbath?”

And the following Sabbath:

Acts 13:44 (KJV)

“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.”
 

The Sabbath was still a day when people gathered to hear God's Word.

Perhaps one of the most sobering verses in the entire New Testament is found in 1 John 2:4.

1 John 2:4 (KJV)

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
 

Read that again slowly.

John does not say:

“He that doesn't know all the commandments is confused.”

He does not say:

“He that chooses which commandments he likes is acceptable.”

He says:

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar...”
 

That is an extremely serious statement.

There is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God.

We can know Bible stories.

We can know theology.

We can attend church.

We can sing Christian songs.

We can call ourselves Christians.

We can even say,

“I know God.”

But John tells us that there must be evidence accompanying that claim.

The evidence is obedience.

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments...”
 

John is challenging our profession of faith.

If I say I know God, but deliberately refuse to obey His commandments, John says my claim to know Him is false.

That should make every one of us stop and examine our heart.

Keeping God's commandments does not mean that we can purchase salvation through works.

Salvation is God's gift.

But genuine love for God produces obedience.

Consider the difference.

A person may say:

“I love God, but I don't care what He commands.”

Another person says:

“I love God, therefore I want to know what He has commanded so that I can obey Him.”

Which heart demonstrates love?

Jesus (Yeshua) already answered that question:

John 14:15

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
 

Obedience isn't a substitute for love.

Obedience is one of the ways love is demonstrated.

This is why Sabbath keeping should never become merely a religious ritual.

The Sabbath is not supposed to be:

“I have to keep Saturday because God says so.”

It should become:

“I want to honor the day my Creator blessed because I love Him.”

That is an entirely different attitude.

The Sabbath is an opportunity every week to say:

“Father, You created me.
You gave me life.
You have blessed this day.
You have called it holy.
And I choose to honor You.”

That is worship.

Jesus (Yeshua) asked a profound question:

Luke 6:46 (KJV)

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
 

That question reaches across generations.

Why call Him Lord if we refuse His instruction?

Why say we love Him if we refuse His commandments?

Why say we know Him if we deliberately disobey Him?

This is precisely why 1 John 2:4 is so powerful.

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
 

John is not trying to destroy us with this verse.

He is trying to wake us up.

He is calling us to examine ourselves.

Perhaps you have never kept the Sabbath.

Perhaps you were taught that Sunday was God's Sabbath.

Perhaps you have heard arguments from both sides and don't know what to believe.

Perhaps you have always believed in God but never seriously examined what His Word actually says about the Fourth Commandment.

Today, I ask you to do something very simple.

Open your Bible.

Don't begin with tradition.

Don't begin with denomination.

Don't begin with what your family has always believed.

Begin with:

“What did God say?”

Read Genesis 2.

Read Exodus 20.

Read Ezekiel 20.

Read Isaiah 58.

Read the Gospels.

Read Acts.

Read 1 John.

And then ask God sincerely:

“Father, show me Your truth, and give me the courage to obey it.”

Ultimately, the Sabbath question is bigger than Saturday.

It is about who is Lord of your life.

God says:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Jesus (Yeshua) says:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

John says:

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar and there is no truth in him.”

These three passages bring us face-to-face with a decision.

Will we follow the traditions of men?

Or will we follow the Word of God?

Jesus (Yeshua) warned about the danger of allowing human tradition to replace God's commandments.

Mark 7:7-9 (KJV)

“Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men...
Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”
 

Those words deserve serious consideration.

My appeal to you is not simply:

“Keep the Sabbath.”

My greater appeal is:

Come to know God.

And if you truly want to know Him, then seek Him through His Word.

Don't merely believe what someone tells you about God.

Read what God said.

Don't allow tradition to stand between you and Scripture.

Don't allow fear of what others may think to prevent you from obeying God.

Don't allow convenience to become more important than obedience.

And don't allow the world to become so loud that you can no longer hear the voice of your Creator.

Every Sabbath gives us an opportunity to stop, step away from the distractions of life, open God's Word, worship our Creator, and remember who He is.

Dear reader, if you claim to know God, know Him.

If you claim to love God, love Him enough to obey Him.

If you claim Jesus (Yeshua) as your Lord, listen to His words.

And if Scripture reveals something in your life that is contrary to God's commandments, don't run from the truth.

Embrace it.

Ask God for forgiveness.

Ask Him for understanding.

Ask Him for strength.

Then walk in obedience.

Because the goal is not to become known as someone who keeps the Sabbath.

The goal is to become someone who knows God.

And John gives us a solemn test:

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
— 1 John 2:4, KJV
 

So let us not merely say that we know Him.

Let us really know Him.

Let us really love Him.

Let us really trust Him.

Let us really obey Him.

And every seventh day, let us remember the Creator who made heaven and earth and lovingly commanded:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
— Exodus 20:8, KJV
 

The invitation is simple:

Come back to the Word.
Come back to obedience.
Come back to the Sabbath.
Come to know God.

And when you know Him, may your heart say:

“Lord, whatever You have commanded, I want to obey.”

In the precious name of Yeshua HaMashiach, Amen.