The 4th Commandment is found in Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15. The fourth command is unique in that the command as stated in Deuteronomy is a little different than the one stated in Exodus. Why the difference? In Exodus, Moses is quoting God’s words which were eventually written in stone (Exodus 31:18). In Deuteronomy, even though Moses is quoting God, he is speaking extemporaneously. He is in the midst of a long sermon explaining, enlarging, and applying the law.
Today we are going to look at both passages containing the fourth commandment. We will look at their differences, the purpose of the command for the Israelites, and how the fourth command is relevant to Christians today. So let’s begin our lesson by examining the differences in the 4th command and we will start in Exodus.
- Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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. 11 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.
In Exodus the Israelites are told to “remember” the Sabbath, but in Deuteronomy they are told to “keep” or “observe” it. “Remember” may mean the same thing as “observe”. Some believe that “remember” means to “recall” it, since God had already spoken about resting on the Sabbath day when the manna was first sent (Exodus 16:23-30). However, the major differences between the two forms of the Sabbath command are not the call to remember it versus the call to observe it but the reasons provided for keeping it holy.
Exodus points back to creation and gives the reason why God chose the seventh day, because he had “rested” from work on that day.
- Genesis 2:2-3 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
In keeping the Sabbath, the Israelites imitated God, in that, work was followed by rest. However, the reason given in Deuteronomy is different. Deuteronomy gives the significance of the day for Israel. Exodus 20 contains a special emphasis on the holiness of the Sabbath. This holiness and the divine blessing of the day are associated with the act of creation.
The commandment in Exodus can be outlined as follows: the holiness of the Sabbath (20:8); six days of work (20:9); rest on the 7th day (20:10); the holiness of the Sabbath, God’s example in creation, and his blessing (20:11).
- Exodus 20:11 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.
Exodus 20:11 is important in that it makes a statement about the origin of the Sabbath and offers a reason for its observance—namely God’s creative activity. God created the earth and life on it and instituted the Sabbath right in the beginning of this world’s history. Verse 11 discusses what the Lord was doing during the creation week. Four areas related to creation are mentioned: heavens, earth, sea, and all that is in them. Much like the second command where God commanded the Israelites to not make an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below; this part of the 4th command speaks to God’s omnipresence and omnipotence. This set Israel’s God apart from all of the false gods of the surrounding nations.
Three activities of God are stressed in Exodus 20:11: He rested, blessed the Sabbath, and made it holy.
- Exodus 20:11 but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy
They are found in the same order in Genesis 2:2–3.
- Genesis 2:2-3 on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy
The Exodus rationale for keeping the Sabbath is the call to imitate the practice of God the Creator—to interrupt work, rest, reflect, and participate in its holiness.
Now let’s focus on the fourth commandment as stated in Deuteronomy 5:12-15.
- Deuteronomy 5:12-15 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 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 ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Deuteronomy 5 stresses that the keeping of the Sabbath is commanded by “the Lord your God.” In addition there is a strong emphasis on God’s redemptive activity. The Sabbath command in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 can be outlined in the following way: observance of the Sabbath as commanded by God (5:12); six days of work (5:13); rest on the 7th day (5:14); observance of the Sabbath commanded by God who has led you out of slavery (5:15). While in Exodus the remembrance of the Sabbath is associated with creation, in Deuteronomy God’s people are called to keep the Sabbath as they remember their liberation from bondage.
In both Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15, the element of remembering and looking back at the great things the Lord has done is present. God acts in human history. His mighty acts are remembered when keeping the Sabbath.
The Sabbath commandment in Deuteronomy 5 agrees completely with the one in Exodus 20: the Sabbath should be kept holy and after six days of labor the Israelites should rest on the specific seventh day, the Sabbath. There are some differences with regard to the reasons given. Moses, in repeating the Sabbath commandment, has—under inspiration from God—made some expansions that linked the Sabbath command to the rest of the Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy is more explicit than Exodus regarding the Sabbath commandment. Deuteronomy’s distinctive formulation of the Ten Commandments increases the importance of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is given preeminence in Deuteronomy.
Even though the reasons are different, the charge to keep the Sabbath for the Israelites did not change. However, the origin of the Sabbath is not stated in Deuteronomy. The Sabbath was not instituted because of the exodus from Egypt. The Sabbath was based on creation. But the people were called to obey the commandment because of creation and the salvation experienced in the exodus from Egypt.
Although the Sabbath was not instituted because of the exodus the Sabbath was kept to show gratitude to God for delivering Israel from slavery. Thus the Sabbath was an ordinance that reminded them of their redemption from bondage. They were to remember they were slaves and be considerate of their own servants and even their animals.
The primary focus of the Sabbath was to set aside a day of rest from secular labor and to focus on thanksgiving to God for salvation from slavery. The Sabbath was a sign between God and Israel, not Gentiles. It was by keeping the Sabbath that Israel would know that God was the Lord who sanctified them (Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12). The Sabbath was designed for people to remember they had been slaves in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15). It was a sign of their covenant with God and applied to no other people but Israel.
So what, how does the Sabbath commandment apply to Christians today (2 Timothy 3:16-17)? Old Testament laws, holidays, and feasts all pointed toward Christ. Paul, inspired by God, called them a “shadow” of the reality that was to come – Christ himself. When Christ came, He dispelled the shadow.
- Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Some see a fulfillment of the Sabbath in the Lord’s Supper or first day of the week. Whether this is the meaning of the first day of the week or not, it is plain that Christians in the first century came together on the first day of the week.
- Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.
The Sabbath was a memorial of God raising a nation out of slavery. Romans 8:2 says that we have been set free from the law of sin and death.
The first day of the week is in remembrance of Christ bringing victory over the bondage of death through His resurrection. His death and resurrection made possible a new people free from sin. Those who belong to the Lord’s church are now a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Just like the ancient Israelites that were called out of Egypt, Christians have been called out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). When we gather around the Lord’s Table each Sunday, it is not supposed to be a somber occasion but rather a celebration for what Christ has done, he has freed us from bondage.
Each Lord’s Day we come together to sing praises, hear a message from the Scriptures, and partake of the Lord’s Supper. All this should focus our attention on remembering that through Christ we have been set free from the law of sin and death.
The Sabbath was also a type or a shadow of the salvation rest that we as Christians now enjoy and the ultimate rest that is yet to come.
- Hebrews 4:9-11 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
God wants us to enter His rest. God’s rest may still be entered by accepting the gospel. For the Israelites in the Old Testament, this rest was the earthly rest that they recognized every 7th day of the week. For Christians, it is peace with God both now and for eternity. When we are baptized into the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), we enter that rest.
- Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
Blessed are those who die in the Lord because they will enter that eternal rest which is greater than anything we could possibly imagine. But we do not need to wait until after our bodies physically die to enjoy God’s rest and peace, we can have it now (see Phil. 4:4-8). Whereas God rested from the work of creation, the Christian rests from his or her efforts to gain salvation by their own works and rests in the finished work of Christ. We can rest in the comfort of knowing we have eternal life through Christ and nothing can take that away.
- Hebrews 4:11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
If Jesus has provided for our rest through faith, why must we make every effort to enter that rest? This is not a call to earn ones salvation by works, but an exhortation to enter salvation-rest by faith and not follow Israel’s example of a lack of faith. For us this means making every effort to appreciate and benefit from what God has already provided. We have to make every effort to remember that God has acted in the past (collectively and individually) and he is involved in the present. We have to make every effort to remember that through Jesus Christ we have been given the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57). Therefore we can rest in the knowledge that we don’t have to worry about the things the rest of the world worries about. Instead we can stand firm and fully give ourselves to the Lord’s work (1 Corinthians 15:58), resting in the assurance that God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). That is what the Sabbath means to us today, we are living in the fulfillment of the Sabbath. Those who are in Christ have entered God’s rest.