This is the commandment which is contradicted by many, and is assaulted with highly elevated shields. If many would have had it in their power, it would have long been forgotten and rejected. As is true for all other commandments, it is still read to the congregation on every sabbath day as a rule of life, in spite of all who regret this.
The Basic Contents of this Commandment
The words of this commandment contain: 1) a short exhortation; 2) a declaration; and 3) incentives for observance.
First of all there is a short exhortation: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exod 20:8).
At the very outset a nota bene is placed; that is, a word of great emphasis, which ought to make a deep impression upon our hearts. “Remember,” that is, see to it that you do not contradict, reject, or forget this commandment. Remember it prior to the arrival of that day in order that you may order your affairs in such a manner that nothing will hinder you; prepare yourself for this day ahead of time. Be exhorted and be warned.
The subject of this commandment is the sabbath day. This word is a derivative of the word שבת (shabat), which means to rest. The word “to rest” is used to indicate the cessation of something (Josh 5:12). וישבת המן (Wayyishbõth haman), that is, “And the manna ceased (rested).” “To rest” is also to desist from the activity with which you have been occupied, and to refresh yourself after your labor. This is said of God: “…He had rested from all His work” (Gen 2:3). Moreover, it is also said of men: “So the people rested on the seventh day” (Exod 16:30). The earth is likewise said to rest when it remains dormant, is neither plowed nor seeded, and consequently brings forth no fruit. “Even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths” (Lev 26:34). From שבת (shabath) are derived שבת (shabath) and שבתון (shabath), both of which signify rest. It also signifies a period of rest, be it when the word is used in isolation: “To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord” (Exod 16:23), or that the day or year is added to this: “What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane (יומ השבת , yõm hashshabat) the sabbath day” (Neh 13:17). In this commandment the word “day” is added one time and not the other time.
The word “sabbath” has different connotations.
(1) It sometimes signifies a week of seven days or years which then terminates with the sabbath day. “Fulfil her week” (Gen 29:27).
(2) It signifies the sabbath years (being the seventh year) in which one was neither permitted to plow, sow, nor harvest (Lev 25:105)—and also the fiftieth year (Lev 25:10).
(3) It signifies the sabbath of weeks, lasting seven consecutive days, being the three feast days—Easter, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
There were also the sabbaths of days. These were the first and last days of the three feasts—be it that they fell upon the sabbath or upon a different day. “On the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath”1 (Lev 23:39); there was the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev 23:27, 32); and in addition to all these, it signifies the seventh-day sabbath which has its origin in the original seventh day, and which will endure until the end of the world. It is the latter which is referred to in this commandment.
The activity being commanded relative to this day is being sanctified, that is, to be set apart for sacred use (Exod 13:2). There must also be preparation (Exod 19:11), a holy and lawful use (1 Tim 1:8), and a regarding of this day (Rom 14:6).
The Observance of the Sabbath
The second thing to be noted relative to this commandment is its exposition or enlargement. This pertains to 1) the time of observance, 2) the manner of observance, and 3) the persons called unto its observance.
First, the sabbath is not to be observed every three, four, ten, twenty, or thirty days—or whenever it pleases the government or the church—but on the seventh day. “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God” (Exod 20:9-10). It must then be one of the seven days, and it ought not to be repeated any earlier or later.