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For about three years now, I have taught Biblical Hebrew (and a little Greek) to one student. This past spring, my student has been working hard at writing a paper on Exodus 20:1-17, which is the passage where the Ten Commandments are first given to the people of Israel. One of the verses in that passage is verse 8, which says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” We have discussed this verse at great length and thoroughly analyzed it in the original languages.

But first things first; what is the Sabbath? The answer to that is explained in Exodus 20:9-11, the verses immediately after the one I quoted previously. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” So technically, the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week.

What does it mean to remember the Sabbath? We see the first mention of Sabbath all the way back in Genesis 2:2-3, when God had just finished creating everything. God created for six days and then He rested on the seventh day, and we are commanded to follow that model He set forth.

There are lots of interpretations on how exactly we should keep the Sabbath day holy. Back in Jesus’ time, the people were very legalistic about it, setting all sorts of rules for what people could and couldn’t do on that day. A few centuries ago, many people observed the Sabbath by going to church, taking a break from their farm work, and generally sitting around and doing nothing. Today, I know people who observe the Sabbath by turning off their cell phones and simply spending time doing fun things with their family. We all need a rest from our labors for one day a week, regardless of how we spend it. If we continuously work 7 days a week, we will very quickly get burned out and not be able to work for God’s Kingdom.

Remembering the Sabbath doesn’t have to mean sitting around twiddling your thumbs all day, but it is key that we remember the purpose of it - to honor God by keeping the commandment that He gave us.