It is the Christian obligated to keep either or both of these special days? The Sabbath is part of the Decalogue and is obligatory to those under the law. But the Christian is no longer under the Law. “what then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the Law, but under grace? God for bid.” (Romans 6:15) How ever, though we are not under the Law, the principle of keeping one day in seven holy unto the Lord has not changed. As in giving we are no longer forced by law to give the tithe, but under grace we do more. We give the tithe and love offerings. The principle is the same here in keeping one day in seven holy. The fact that we are not forced to keep the day holy ought to rejoice our hearts to live this day and extra hours beside for the fellowship and worship and work of God.

The Lord's Day (Sunday) is a New Testament fact, but it has its roots in the Sabbath of the Old Testament. We read in the Holy Bible as thus, “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.” (Genesis 2:2-3) Thus we see how God sanctified and established the seventh day and blessed it for Himself in the very beginning for. Before giving Ten Commandments to Israelites we see however this Sabbath was kept in humankind's life as we read in the Holy Bible. In Exodus it is written, “And he (Moses) said unto them, “This is that which the Lord has said, Tomorrow is the rest of the Holy Sabbath  undo 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. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink neither was there any warm t herein. And Moses said, Eat that today; for today is a Sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. Six ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.

And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my Commandments and my laws? 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. So the people rested on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:23-30) It is seemed that some of Sabbath was kept then.     

At the giving of the law in Exodus    20, Sabbath keeping became part of the Decalogue. The old Testament Sabbath was a day of rest, not of sacrifice or worship. It was a day when beats of burden, salves and humans all rested. It was not associated with temple attendance or any religion observance. The Sabbath was given to Israel as a sign of the covenant. And Lord spake unto Moses, saying, “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep:  for it is a sign between me and you through out your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath thereof; for it is holy unto you: everyone that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall be surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.  It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Exodus 31:12-17) Therefore we see the Pharisees kept a perverted Sabbath  in Jesus' day, for they had turned the Sabbath into a stern, hard, ritualistic day, hedged with strict limitations. In the book of Acts we find the Church keeping the first of the week instead of the seventh day as a day of worship, praise, prayers and good deeds.

1. Even the servants and cattle were forced to rest according to the Lord's commandments. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all the work: 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: 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.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

2. All kind of foods were cooked on Friday: And Moses 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. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.” (Exodus 16:23-24)

3. No manner of work was to be done on the Sabbath Day: “In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, or thy manservant, or thy maidservant, or thy cattle, or thy stranger that is within thy gates.” (Exodus 20:10)

4. No purchase was to be made on the Sabbath Day: It is written thus, “In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath Day: and testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, what evil things is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath Day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.

And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after   the Sabbath: and some of servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath Day. So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, why lodge ye bout the wall? If ye do some again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleans themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath Day.” (Nehemiah 13:15-22)

5. No burdens were to be carried on the Sabbath Day: And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after   the Sabbath: and some of servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath Day.” (Nehemiah 13:19)

Thus saith the Lord, “Take heed to yourselves,  and bear no burden on the Sabbath Day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.” (Jeremiah 17:21-22)

6. NO harvesting was to be done on the Sabbath Day: Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: during the ploughing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.” (Exodus 34:21)

7. Death was the punishment appointed by God for those who broke the Sabbath:  And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto to Moses, “The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.” (Numbers 15:32-36)

The Saviour Lord Jesus Christ did many miracles of healing on the Sabbath Day which angered the Jews and made them call Jesus a “Sabbath breaker.” And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath day. But Jesus answers them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:16-18)

1. Jesus taught that He was Lord of the Sabbath: “For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath Day.” (Matthew 12:8) And as Lord of the Sabbath Day He was at liberty to set aside the seventh day and institute the first day of the week.

2. Jesus taught that the Sabbath was made for man:  And he said unto them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:  therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28)

3. Jesus taught that it was right to do good on the Sabbath day: 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? How much then is a man better then a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath day. Then saith he to the man, “Stretch forth thine hand.” And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.” (Matthew 12:11-13)

There is written in the word of God, “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, not finding thine own pleasure, not speaking thine own words: 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.” (Isaiah 58:13-14) In above verses there are three fold teachings:

1. To delight in the Lord:  Make it a special day of prayer, praise and worship the Lord Almighty God.

2. To cease from your own pleasure: Sunday (Sabbath Day) is not a day for pleasure, marriage celebrating, birthdays celebrating, long driving, sport watching, political meetings, whole day sleeping, education and other activities of our enjoyment, but a day to do His pleasure. Visit the sick for Him. Preaching the word of God to the gentiles.

3. To make it a day that honors the Lord.  Six days we work and earn our living, but one-seventh of our time belongs to the Lord to be use for Himself alone.   See more