A Personal Story About Rest and Conviction

My Mammaw loved the Lord. In December of 2024, she went home to be with Jesus—and to be reunited with my Pawpaw. I’m grateful for that comfort: she is now in the presence of the two men she loved most.

Mammaw loved Jesus and Pawpaw, but she also loved fishing. As long as her health allowed, she fished—and out-fished the best of us. Yet one way she expressed her devotion to Christ was by refraining from fishing on Sundays. That was her personal conviction. She wasn’t trying to prove anything to anyone. She simply wanted to honor the Lord in the way she believed God was leading her.

Now, as her grandson, I don’t share the same conviction. I’ll fish any day of the week. For me, it’s a way to rest, enjoy God’s creation, and even worship as I slow down.

That difference between Mammaw and me is a helpful doorway into our next step: studying the first holy day God gave Israel—the Sabbath.

The Sabbath in God’s Design

In our busy world, it’s easy to treat rest as optional, unproductive, or even irresponsible. But Scripture presents rest as a gift from God. When God created the world, He ended His work not with exhaustion, but with delight. On the seventh day, He rested—not because He needed recovery, but because His work was complete (Gen. 2:1–3).

From the beginning, God built rest into creation’s rhythm. And when He formed Israel as His covenant people, He commanded them to enter that rhythm every week:

“Six days you shall labor… but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.”
— Exodus 20:9–10

In this post, we’ll explore: (1) how Israel was to observe the Sabbath, (2) how the Sabbath points to Jesus, and (3) what the Sabbath teaches us today. We’ll save larger apologetic questions—such as Should Christians keep the Saturday Sabbath?—for later.

1) How Israel Was to Observe the Sabbath

A. The Sabbath began with God, not Moses

The Sabbath did not originate at Sinai. It begins in creation (Gen. 2:1–3). God rested, blessed the day, and set it apart. That creation pattern becomes the foundation for everything that follows.

B. The Sabbath was about identity, not merely inactivity

Deuteronomy ties Sabbath directly to Israel’s redemption:

“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt… therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”
— Deuteronomy 5:15

Sabbath reminded Israel who they were: a redeemed people, not slaves.

C. The Sabbath was a covenant sign between God and Israel

Exodus calls the Sabbath a sign:

“It is a sign… between me and the people of Israel forever.”
— Exodus 31:17

This covenant “sign” language is significant. Circumcision served as a sign of the Abrahamic covenant. Sabbath functioned as a sign of the Mosaic (Sinai) covenant. Understanding that helps us interpret later New Testament teaching about the new covenant and Christian identity.¹

D. What Sabbath looked like in ancient Israel

Leviticus 23:3 describes the Sabbath as a day of rest, cessation from labor, and a holy convocation (a gathered assembly). Scripture provides several examples of “work” in practice—gathering and preparing food in certain contexts (Exod. 16:23–29), lighting fires (Exod. 35:3), carrying burdens (Jer. 17:22), and refraining from commerce (Neh. 10:31)—but it does not offer one exhaustive technical list.²

2) How the Sabbath Points to Jesus

A. Jesus honored the Sabbath and revealed its true meaning

Jesus participated in Sabbath gatherings (Luke 4:16). He also healed on the Sabbath—not to break God’s law, but to confront traditions that obscured God’s heart (Matt. 12:1–14; Mark 3:1–6).

Then Jesus said something breathtaking:

“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
— Matthew 12:8

Jesus didn’t treat Sabbath as the center. He placed Himself at the center of its meaning.

B. The Sabbath pointed beyond itself to a deeper rest

Hebrews teaches that Sabbath foreshadowed a deeper reality:

“There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God… for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works.”
— Hebrews 4:9–10

C. Jesus fulfills what the covenant sign was aiming toward

Since Sabbath functioned as a sign of the Sinai covenant (Exod. 31:16–17) and Jesus inaugurates the new covenant (Luke 22:20), Sabbath finds its destination in Him—not in intensified rule-keeping, but in fulfilled promise.⁴

3) What the Sabbath Teaches Us Today

The New Testament warns believers not to judge one another regarding Sabbath observance (Rom. 14:5–6; Col. 2:16–17). Christians are not under the Mosaic law as a covenant system (Rom. 6:14). And yet, the Sabbath still instructs us—because the God who gave it is wise, and because the rhythm it reflects is humanly good.

A. Sabbath teaches us to trust God

Stopping is an act of faith. It declares: “My life is upheld by God, not by my constant striving.”

B. Sabbath teaches us to delight in God

Sabbath was never meant to be joyless. Biblically, it was meant to be life-giving—a day shaped by worship, family, remembrance, and refreshment. Sabbath trains the heart to enjoy God and receive His gifts without guilt.

C. Sabbath teaches us to live from rest, not for rest

In the world, rest is something you earn. In the gospel, rest is something you receive:

“Come to Me… and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28

Christians don’t work for acceptance; we work from acceptance. That’s the heart of Sabbath theology: a life rooted in grace, not performance.

A Brief Word About Saturday vs. Sunday

We’ll address this more deeply later, but here’s the simple framework:

• Early Christians gathered on the first day of the week in honor of the resurrection (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).
• The New Testament does not command Christians to keep the seventh day as Israel did under the Sinai covenant.
• Scripture warns against judging one another regarding Sabbaths and festivals (Rom. 14:5–6; Col. 2:16–17).

Conclusion: Resting in the One Greater Than the Sabbath

Sabbath was God’s weekly gift to His people—a day of joy, remembrance, and rest. It also offers a creation rhythm that still brings wisdom and blessing today— not as a binding law by which we measure spirituality, but as a life-giving pattern that helps humans flourish.

But in Jesus, the gift becomes even greater:

• He is our rest.
• He is our peace.
• He is our Sabbath.

As we move into the appointed feasts of Leviticus 23, remember this foundation: every feast finds its fulfillment in Christ, and every feast invites us to rest in the God who rescues, redeems, and restores.

↑ Back to top

Footnotes & Sources

1. Sabbath as covenant sign: Exod. 31:16–17. New covenant framework: Heb. 8:6–13. New covenant identity/marking: Eph. 1:13.
2. Examples and applications of “work” in Scripture: Exod. 16:23–29; Exod. 35:3; Jer. 17:22; Neh. 10:31 (examples rather than an exhaustive codified list).
3. Later rabbinic systematization of Sabbath labor categories: m. Shabbat 7:2 (often summarized as “39 categories”).
4. Covenant fulfillment and new covenant inauguration: Luke 22:20; 2 Cor. 3:6; Gal. 3:23–25; Heb. 8:6–13.
5. Jesus and Sabbath authority: Matt. 12:1–14; Mark 2:27–28; Luke 6:1–11.
6. Sabbath as shadow/substance and true rest: Col. 2:16–17; Heb. 4:1–11.
7. First-day Christian gathering texts: Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10.
8. Avoiding judgment over days: Rom. 14:5–6; Col. 2:16–17.