In the book of Genesis the Bible tells of how God created the universe as we know it today in six days. On the seventh day He rested. We are commanded to follow His plan.

In Exodus chapter 20, God gave to Moses the Ten Commandments. The fourth of these is, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus chapter 20 verse 8

Verses 9-11 go into detail on how we are to keep the Sabbath holy. Exodus chapter 20 verse 10 states that the Sabbath is to be observed by the “sojourner” (traveler) and the animals, as well as the Israelites. Isaiah Chapter 56 verses 3-8 tells again of the foreigner in Israel celebrating the Sabbath and how it pleases God.

God’s word says that we are to rest on the Sabbath. This means to do no work. The day is to be spent in communication with God and resting. To understand how the Sabbath is so important to the feasts, you need to know that each of the feasts begins with a Sabbath. If it does not begin on the traditional Friday night to Saturday night, it becomes a super Sabbath that always has its own sadder, special meal.

As I think back to when I was a child, I remember my grandparents would cook extra things on Saturday so they only had to heat up the main meal on Sunday to celebrate the Sabbath. I also remember many businesses being closed on Sunday. In the Southern states there were what was known as blue laws. These were laws that prohibited certain items from being sold on Sunday. I recall going to the grocery store and finding certain aisles blocked off to keep things from being sold that would lead to work. I particularly remember things like small tools and motor oil being kept from sale.

David Wilber’s book, “A Christian Guide to the Biblical Feasts,” reminds us that not only are we to rest on the Sabbath, but we are not to cause someone else to have to work. This behooves us to reconsider our habit of going out to eat on Sundays. He urges us to return to keeping the Sabbath for worship and fellowship. He states that this will require dedication and planning to keep the Sabbath work free.

From time to time there are people who raise the question of just when is the Sabbath. Whether you follow the Jewish tradition of sundown Friday night to sundown on Saturday as the Sabbath or the Christian tradition of Sunday being the Sabbath is unimportant. In approximately the second century, Christians began to celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday. The important thing is to honor God with a full day of rest and worship.

Next week will be a look at the spring festivals with the scriptural references, and the following week will be the fall festivals.