The Fourth Commandment – Part 2
Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law. This is what He meant. The Sabbath was pointing to Him.
The Fourth Commandment – Part 2
Exodus 20:8
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
It is important to remember that the Sabbath has a purpose. It marks the completion of creation by God. But what does it do? Are we commemorating God’s work? Is the Sabbath just a time for us to get some rest?
When the Israelites left Egypt and entered the Promised Land, they were told to keep the Sabbath in order to remember their deliverance from bondage.
Deuteronomy 5:15
“… remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt … therefore … God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”
It was a holy day, different from all other days. But Paul tells us why it was so important. Remember when we asked what the purpose of the Bible was? In Scripture, everything points to Christ. It is the story of redemption from God’s point of view. The prophets, the law, the poetry, the history—all exist for one reason: to point us to Christ. So, we look at everything through that lens. With that in mind, here is how Paul interpreted the Sabbath:
Colossians 2:16–17
“Sabbath days … are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Before He preached the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law. That is what He meant. The Sabbath was pointing to Him and our deliverance from bondage. Paul is telling us that Jesus is the Sabbath.
It is in Him that we find true rest. He has delivered us from our bondage to sin. As Christians, we have ceased from our labors and are set free. We are at rest in Christ. That is what the Gospel is all about.
The Sabbath has been fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. We walk with Him, and He dwells in us. For the Christian, the Sabbath is not just a certain day of the week—we live it every day of our lives.
Hebrews 4:9–11
“So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest…”
