5 Ways the Sabbaths of the Jews Differ from the Sabbath of the Lord

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The Bible uses the terms “Sabbath of the Lord,”Sabbath is mentioned more than one hundred times in the Bible, but is it always talking about the same day? Today, many claim that the seventh-day Sabbath is a Jewish institution and not valid for Christians. Let’s look at the evidence:

1. The Bible uses the terms “Sabbath of the Lord,” “My Sabbaths,” and “My holy day” in reference to the seventh-day Sabbath (Exodus 20:10; 31:13, Isaiah 58:13). Jewish festival Sabbaths are called “your sabbaths” and “her sabbaths” (Leviticus 23:24, 32, 39; Hosea 2:11).

2. We have God’s example of resting, hallowing, and blessing the seventh-day Sabbath at the close of the Creation week (Genesis 2:2, 3). Sabbaths connected with Jewish feasts were ordained by God—but not modeled by Him.

3. The biblical record confirms that the Sabbath existed before the Ten Commandments were spoken on Mount Sinai (Exodus 16). Annual sabbaths came into existence after God specially chose the children of Israel and separated them for Himself (Exodus 12:16).

4. One is a weekly memorial of Creation and the work of the Creator in our lives. The annual sabbaths were connected with the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt. They were part of the sanctuary system that typified the plan of salvation; these were fulfilled in the life, ministry, and death of Jesus.

5. Most telling, the seventh-day Sabbath was written by the finger of God on stone and placed within the moral law. These laws were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. The Jewish sabbaths were recorded by Moses and placed on the side of the Ark (2 Chronicles 33:8).

Throughout Scripture, God defines the difference between the Hebrew festivals and the seventh-day Sabbath: “These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations … besides the Sabbaths of the Lord” (Leviticus 23:37, 38).

If you know someone who has more questions about the differences between ceremonial sabbaths and the seventh-day Sabbath, point them to this free resource by clicking here.

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