Updated October 25, 2025
The Why and When of Sabbath Pause for Rest and Holy Convocation.
The Sabbath Pause for Rest and Holy Convocation is given by God for the good of man to include warning employers about abusing employees and about warning employees and self-employed about neglecting their spiritual life, their physical bodies, and their families. For as Jesus says in Mark 2:27 the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath.
In my view the Sabbath pause best occurs on what I consider the biblical Sabbath that runs from Fridays at sunset until Saturday right before sunset. Of course, this may be different wall clock times depending on the time zone in which one resides and the season of the year. Some consider Sunday to be that day for them as shall be examined later herein.
I choose Friday to Saturday as my Sabbath because at least as early as the 4th Century AD church leaders according to Canons 16, 29, & 49 in the Synod of Laodicea believed Saturday aligned with the biblical Sabbath even though they chose 1st day of the week (Sunday) as the day they labeled the “Lord’s Day”, transferring Sabbath functions from Saturday to Sunday.
The setting aside of time from Friday at sunset to Saturday right before sunset is about faith to Pause for Rest and Holy Convocation. This is of course about the principle of the Sabbath as set forth in scripture. This setting aside of a day is good even though there is no repeat of the Sabbath commandment in the New Testament by instruction. There are examples of the apostles and others keeping the Sabbath. Yet unlike the other nine of the Ten Commandments, there is no explicit instructions in the New Testament to keep the Sabbath.
The setting aside of the Sabbath is about faith to trust God as we step away from the ordinary daily things of life. I keep the Sabbath in the newness of the spirit of the Sabbath law not in the oldness of the letter of the Sabbath law (Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6). Generally, I avoid all non-spiritual work and focus on spiritual matters and physical rest. Generally, I avoid commercial activities. However, emergencies and other unusual circumstances do come up.
Some claim Isaiah 58:13 about not doing one’s own pleasure on the Sabbath and Leviticus 15:13 about marital copulation rendering a couple unclean forbid marital sexual relations on the Sabbath. However, in 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 Paul in speaking of a couple withholding sexual relations gives fasting and prayer as the only reason; certainly, there is no commandment to fast on each weekly Sabbath. Indeed, if the Sabbath law was that important and applied to marital relations that would have been a perfect time for Paul to mention the Sabbath law as a commandment. Yet he does not.
In Exodus 16:23-30 at the first mentioning of the word Sabbath in the Bible God spoke to the people through Moses. For it reads:
“And he 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 [boil] 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. And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days 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.”
And in Exodus 20:8-11 God says “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy 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.”
In Leviticus 23:3 God says “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.”
Notice that in Exodus 16: the people are told not to go out of their place on the seventh day and they did not hold a holy community convocation on the seventh day. Yet, in Leviticus 23:3 it is understood to expect and allow not only holy convocations at home but also in synagogues and churches. Therefore, we can see there is a shift in God’s law even under Moses.
Deuteronomy 5:12-14 essentially repeats Exodus 20:8-11. But then God adds something dramatically in Deuteronomy 5:15 where he says “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
In Deuteronomy 5:15 God emphasizes that it is by his power that Israel received their freedom from bondage in Egypt. It was their faith in response to his power that led them to follow God.
Indeed the sabbath is first and foremost about having faith in God and trusting him to provide for us if we take at least one day away from the hustle and bustle of chasing after money and related natural treasures. This is the lesson of Exodus 16:28-29. For when the people lacked faith in the sufficiency of what God had provided on the sixth day and went out on the seventh day, God rebuked them for their rebelliousness. We are to take at least one day off from work as a matter of faith that God is ready, willing, and able to supply all our needs according to his riches in glory. As Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God.
Applicability of Sabbath Pause in the New Testament Under Christ.
Matthew 12:1-8 says: “At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.”
And Luke 4:16 in speaking of Jesus says: “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”
Now from these New Testament scriptures we see Jesus uses the same concept as found in Leviticus 23:3 in speaking of the sabbath belonging to the Lord and Jesus being the Lord of the Sabbath. This of course has to do with God including Jesus manifestation as the Son of God having the authority to establish and interpret the rules governing the Sabbath. But notice Jesus still as a matter of habit participated in holy convocations and rest on the Sabbath even though he is Lord of the Sabbath. The cases of the disciples plucking corn as well as the cases of David and the priests illustrate the applicability of Colossians 2:16 about not judging others about the Sabbath doings or not doings. Let each person attend to the Holy Spirit regarding his life always being mindful the sword of the Holy Spirit is the word of God per Ephesians 6:17. Let us be mindful that the biblical practice under both the Old and New Testament is that we on a regular basis rest and participate in a holy convocation at least one day a week though there are exceptions to the rule that apply from time to time.
And Acts 2:46-47 in speaking of the early disciples of Christ says “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
And in speaking of Paul Acts 18:4 says “And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.”
And Colossians 2:14-17 says “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
Now the early church assembled everyday but one would have expected them to rest from natural work at least one day a week. That one day was most likely the sabbath though the Bible does not explicitly say that was the case regarding rest from work. Acts 18:4 does indicate that at least the church leaders such as Paul joined with even non-Christians on every Sabbath so as to share the gospel of Christ with everyone, Jew and non-Jew, Israelite and non-Israelite.
So then again Colossians 2:16 warning against judging folks is something all should keep in mind. I believe this has to do with the when where, and how of the Sabbath. Yet, it is abundantly clear that Jesus and the apostles and other disciples most likely regularly rested at least one day a week from regular work of money-making; they usually spent this one day not only resting but also focusing on the things of God to include spiritual fellowship. We should not judge another or allow oneself to be judged by others concerning such a matter. Let each be fully persuaded in his or her own mind to the satisfaction of God by sincere faith.
Additional Thoughts on the When of Sabbath Pause for Rest and Holy Convocation.
I do understand that it is reasonable to conclude that Colossians 2:14-17 may give a person and group of persons the authority to hold sabbath functions of rest and holy convocation during another time period such as Sundays or the 1st day of the week. This is especially so given that Jesus resurrection was at least discovered on the 1st day of the week. It is also especially so given that after his resurrection the Bible specifically says he met with his disciples multiple times on the first day of the week. This of course does not mean he did not meet with them on the Sabbath over the 40 days he was present on earth after his resurrection. However, a Sabbath meeting is not mentioned in scripture.
Consider the following scriptures from the Gospels and the Book of Acts:
Jesus’ Resurrection & First Appearances Including Giving of Holy Ghost occurred on the first day of the week per Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:9, Luke 24:1, and John 20:1.
Jesus Meets with the apostles/disciples less Thomas on the same first day of the week (Sunday) on the evening of his resurrection per Luke 24:36-43, and John 20:19.
Jesus Meets with apostles/disciples again this time including Thomas eight days later which would be the following Sunday or following first day of the week per John 20:26.
Per Acts 2:1 the Holy Spirit Descends on Pentecost on the first day of the week (Sunday). The feast of Pentecost was/is an annual not weekly event. It occurred 50 days after the Passover Sabbath/Feast, falling on a Sunday.
So my position is Sunday is better than not at all if you conduct your sabbath functions on Sundays either primarily or addition to or combination with Saturdays. Indeed, even though I hold that Saturday is best, biblically speaking, at times I also in addition to Saturdays participate in sabbath functions on Sundays.
The Hebrews 4 Question – Does Hebrews 4 Void the Sabbath Law
Hebrews 4 is about spiritual rest not physical rest thus it in no way invalidates one of the main purposes of the 4th commandment which is physical rest. Moreover, Hebrews 4 does speak of spiritual rest from being concerned about condemnation for those having the proper faith in Christ; however, not even disciples of Christ today have the level of spiritual rest that we shall have when Christ returns; for we must yet strive against sin and the contradictions of sinners against us as we look unto Jesus as the author of our faith per Hebrews 12:1-4. We must still face chastisement of God for our failures as God desires to chastise us per Hebrews 12:5-11. All of that is not complete spiritual nor physical rest YET.
The Joshua “As for Me and My House” Principle for the Head of the Household.
In Joshua 24:14-17 we have: “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:”
Certainly we here in America can look back and observe how God brought us as a nation from under the tyranny of the former Great Britain. Certainly, Black Americans can look back and observe how God brought us as a people from under the tyranny of the American form of slavery.
It is my belief that according to the word, will, way, wisdom, and work of God the head of the household is best positioned to have primary responsibility to guide the household in honoring the sabbath in the newness of the spirit of the sabbath law though not necessarily in the oldness of the letter of the sabbath law in worshipping God. This includes the function of holy convocation one or more times during the weekly sabbath time period. The holy convocation should begin in-home and ideally proceed to the extent practical at least occasionally outside the home with others at least on Saturdays in the daylight.
The Sabbath pause biblical principle is designed to encourage the head of the household and the household in general to recognize the value of the sabbath for rest throughout the sabbath period and the value of each member of the household participating in at least one holy convocation during the sabbath period. This includes each household participating in a holy convocation on Friday evening and/or at some point during Saturday daylight. Normally, this would involve a holy convocation at home on Friday evenings; however, there may be times when the holy convocation is held outside the home with others. Saturdays may involve a holy convocation at home or outside the home with others during the daylight. The outside the home involvement may be over technology like Zoom or physically in a building such as a church. Of course, there may be events and conditions that interrupt the regularity of the Sabbath pause. In that case one should resume regularity as soon as practical.
The Sabbath pause is not only a time for the individual to focus on spiritual health and relationship to God and for physical rest. But it is also an opportunity for family worship and family bonding. It is a time for husband and wife, father and mother, and children to strengthen their collective spiritual health, emotional health, physical health, overall family health and similar matters of good family living. It is a time to give priority to regularly worship together not apart in separate locations.
Sabbath functions should aide not detract from the standard at most six days of work God makes available to humans on a regular basis. For as the scripture says if a man is going to eat, he ought to work (2 Thessalonians 3:10-11). Indeed, in the beginning God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden and put him to work to dress and keep it (Genesis 2:8, 15). Other scriptures that speak to the value and importance of work are 1 Timothy 5:8; and Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 21:25; and Proverbs 24:30-40. Placing emphasis on the Sabbath is not intended to detract from natural work for it is needed and important.
References.
1. Council of Laodicea and Other Info.
2. The Sabbath Question – A Historical Perspective.
3. About Working on the Sabbath.
