Blessed is the Sabbath

 

The Sabbath was blessed as a special day, separate from the other six days of the week, by God at the very beginning. That blessing has never been rescinded.

 

There is no record of any command for humans to recognize it as special, or any indication that anyone did so, until God gave that command to the Israelites many centuries later.

 

But it's instructive to see the *reason* God gave them that command:

Ex 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; 11 for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.

That reason still exists: God blessed the Sabbath.

 

That is why the Israelites were to observe it.

 

Not because they, the Israelites, were special. But because the day was special.

 

God has never unblessed the Sabbath. It is still special.

 

Do with that as you will.

 

It should also be noted that this command did not establish the day as a day of worship, or a day of doing nothing. Rather, it was to be a day of ceasing from work. Later, additional rules restricted the day, but in this command, the day was to cease from work. Play, travel, pursue your hobby, but don't "labor".

 

God knows everyone needs a day off from work. He insisted on it from the Israelites; he does not insist on it from non-Israelites.

 

But recall the words of Jesus: the Sabbath was made for Man, not Man for the Sabbath.

And remember also: The reason for observing the Sabbath is still just as valid today as it was the week after the Creation Week - because God declared the day as special.

 

Again, do with that as you will.