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A delight, a sign, and a day with a shape

The Sabbath

Grounded in the creation, written into the Ten Commandments, described by Isaiah as a delight rather than a restriction, and reframed by Christ around a single question: is it lawful to do good on the sabbath day?

18 min2 sections

1

Where it comes from

  • King James renders it “sabbath”

    The root means to cease or desist rather than to be refreshed. What is commanded is stopping — which is why the command works on a farm, in an office, and in a household with small children, and why it is difficult in all three.

    Full lexicon entry →

Cross-references

  • Genesis 2:2–3God rested and sanctified the seventh day, before any commandment about it was given.
  • Exodus 20:8–11The fourth commandment, grounded in the creation.
  • Exodus 31:13, 16–17'A sign between me and you' — the sabbath as a covenant marker, which is why its neglect is treated so seriously in the prophets.
  • Isaiah 58:13–14'Call the sabbath a delight' — and the blessings that follow are attached to that framing.
  • D&C 59:9–13The Restoration's fullest instruction: go to the house of prayer, offer sacraments, rest from labours, pay devotions, and with 'cheerful hearts and countenances.'
2

The question Christ asks

Mark 2:27–28; Mark 3:4nt

27And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

28Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

4And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

The confrontations over the sabbath in the Gospels are almost all about healing, and the Lord's question reframes the whole subject: the test of a sabbath practice is whether it does good. A day of rules that prevents good is a day that has been turned inside out.

Principle

The sabbath is a sign of the covenant and a day made for people, and its test is whether it produces delight and good rather than compliance.

Exodus 31:13 · Isaiah 58:13–14 · Mark 2:27 · D&C 59:9–13

What this topic holds

  1. The sabbath is a covenant sign, given before Sinai and grounded in the creation.

    Genesis 2:2–3 · Exodus 31:13

  2. It is to be called a delight, and it was made for people rather than the other way round.

    Isaiah 58:13 · Mark 2:27

Check your reading

3 questions

  1. 01What does the Hebrew šabbāt mean?

  2. 02What does Exodus 31:13 call the sabbath?

  3. 03What question does Christ use to reframe sabbath observance?

Where to go next

Chains

Lessons

Topics

Sources

  1. Gospel Topics, "Sabbath Day"
  2. Exodus 20, 31; Isaiah 58; Mark 2–3; D&C 59 — The primary texts.