23 Quotes About Sabbath

The sabbath is the seventh and last day of the week, and it is observed on Saturday. The term “sabbath” is derived from the Hebrew word meaning "to cease," and it refers to a day of rest. On this day, we are told to set aside our normal activities and cultivate a sense of gratitude for what we have and how we spend that time. The sabbath is often referred to as a time of rest that we can relax and enjoy, as well as time for spiritual growth, prayer, and reflection. Its importance as a holy day is stressed in the Torah (Exodus 20:8-11), as well as in the New Testament (Mark 2:27; Luke 4:16; Acts 20:7; Colossians 2:16) Read more

It is also noted in other ancient texts such as the book of Jubilees: "It is a sabbath for giving thanks" (20:8). The sabbath was kept by ancient Israelites from at least 1213 BCE until 587 BCE, when it was abolished by King Josiah (2 Kings 23:22). It was reestablished by Ezra (2 Chronicles 35:1-10) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:32) after the Second Temple's reconstruction. The sabbath law enacted by King David requires that "thou shalt set it in order, and divide it into seven parcels." (2 Samuel 22:29) This division was carried out during the reign of King Solomon. According to rabbinical tradition, Solomon's chief advisor was Ahijah, who divided the sabbath into two equal parts. There are many different opinions regarding how to recognize the beginning of the sabbath day today.

One opinion holds that one may know that one has reached Jerusalem if one can see Mount Scopus or Mount Zion from there. Another opinion maintains that one may know it from "the appearance of the crescent moon." In recent times, Jews from many countries have been coming to Israel on Shavuot -- instituted by King David as a special holiday to celebrate his receiving of God's law -- or on other special days such as Simchat Torah which marks the end of another cycle.

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Two or three angels Came near to the earth. They saw a fat church. Little black streams of people Came and went in continually. And the angels were puzzled To know why the people went thus, And why they stayed so long within. Stephen Crane
God presents the Sabbath rest as a shelter we can...
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God presents the Sabbath rest as a shelter we can enter. (Hebrews 4:1-11) Charles R. Swindoll
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At least one indication of unbelief is the tendency to measure life's challenges against our own adequacy instead of God's promises. To enter our Sabbath rest, we must put an end to self-reliance - trusting in our own abilities to overcome difficulties, rise above challenges, escape tragedies, or achieve personal greatness. Charles R. Swindoll
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Every time we turn to Christ in faith it is like a moment of Sabbath, a little foretaste of eternal rest and glory. The gift of that moment lies not in what we do but what we receive. It is the holy time set aside to receive the greatest gift of God ever has to give, which is himself, in his own beloved Son. Phillip Cary
The Bible nowhere states that people before the law observed...
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The Bible nowhere states that people before the law observed the Sabbath as a day of rest or worship. David K. Bernard
You will find rest on Sabbath day for your soul.
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You will find rest on Sabbath day for your soul. Lailah Gifty Akita
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You ought to pause and enjoy the peace in the moment. Lailah Gifty Akita
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Thank God for the solitude of the Sabbath. Lailah Gifty Akita
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Some Christian lawyers–some eminent and stupid judges–have said and still say, that the Ten Commandments are the foundation of all law. Nothing could be more absurd. Long before these commandments were given there were codes of laws in India and Egypt–laws against murder, perjury, larceny, adultery and fraud. Such laws are as old as human society; as old as the love of life; as old as industry; as the idea of prosperity; as old as human love. All of the Ten Commandments that are good were old; all that were new are foolish. If Jehovah had been civilized he would have left out the commandment about keeping the Sabbath, and in its place would have said: 'Thou shalt not enslave thy fellow-men.' He would have omitted the one about swearing, and said: 'The man shall have but one wife, and the woman but one husband.' He would have left out the one about graven images, and in its stead would have said: 'Thou shalt not wage wars of extermination, and thou shalt not unsheathe the sword except in self-defence.' If Jehovah had been civilized, how much grander the Ten Commandments would have been. All that we call progress–the enfranchisement of man, of labor, the substitution of imprisonment for death, of fine for imprisonment, the destruction of polygamy, the establishing of free speech, of the rights of conscience; in short, all that has tended to the development and civilization of man; all the results of investigation, observation, experience and free thought; all that man has accomplished for the benefit of man since the close of the Dark Ages–has been done in spite of the Old Testament. . Robert G. Ingersoll
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On the front end it (Sabbath) hurts. Leaving my to-do lists alone. Trusting the universe will continue its forward motion without my intervention. Demonstrating that it is God who sustains me and not my own efforts. Sabbath is like the scary free fall of faith, in microcosm. And it is good for our hearts to practice. It gets easier. Marcia Lebhar
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The gift of the Sabbath must be treasured. Blessed are you who honour this day. Lailah Gifty Akita
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We may not know whether our understanding is correct, or whether our sentiments are noble, but the air of the day surrounds us like spring which spreads over the land without our aid or notice. Abraham Joshua Heschel
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Saturday, May 22d.---It is now Saturday night, and I must prepare for the holy Sabbath. My Bible and Confession of Faith are my traveling companions, and precious friends have they been to me. I bless God for that glorious summary of Christian doctrine contained in our noble standards. It has cheered my soul in many a dark hour, and sustained me in many a desponding moment. I love to read it, and ponder carefully each proof text as I pass along. James Henley Thornwell
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If the Pentateuch is inspired, the civilization of of our day is a mistake and crime. There should be no political liberty. Heresy should be trodden out beneath the bigot's brutal feet. Husbands should divorce their wives at will, and make the mothers of their children houseless and weeping wanderers. Polygamy ought to be practiced; women should become slaves; we should buy the sons and daughters of the heathen and make them bondmen and bondwomen forever. We should sell our own flesh and blood, and have the right to kill our slaves. Men and women should be stoned to death for laboring on the seventh day. 'Mediums, ' such as have familiar spirits, should be burned with fire. Every vestige of mental liberty should be destroyed, and reason's holy torch extinguished in the martyr's blood. Robert G. Ingersoll
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One day a week I seek to rest from earthly toil and sorrow. Revitalized, I find the strength to battle new tomorrows. Richelle E. Goodrich
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Divine worship means the same thing where time is concerned, as the temple where space is concerned. "Temple" means.. that a particular piece of ground is specially reserved, and marked off from the remainder of the land which is used either for agriculture or habitation.. Similarly in divine worship a certain definite space of time is set aside from working hours and days.. and like the space allotted to the temple, is not used, is withdrawn from all merely utilitarian ends. Josef Pieper
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Sabbath, in the first instance, is not about worship. It is about work stoppage. It is about withdrawal from the anxiety system of Pharaoh, the refusal to let one’s life be defined by production and consumption and the endless pursuit of private well-being. Walter Brueggemann
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Believing this country to be a political and not a religious organisation ... the editor of the NATIONAL CITIZEN will use all her influence of voice and pen against 'Sabbath Laws', the uses of the 'Bible in School', and pre-eminently against an amendment which shall introduce 'God in the Constitution. Matilda Joslyn Gage
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To the Sabbath! To the Sabbath! ' they cried. 'On to the Witches' Sabbath! " Up and down that narrow hall they danced, the women on each side of him, to the wildest measure he had ever imagined, yet which he dimly, dreadfully remembered, till the lamp on the wall flickered and went out, and they were left in total darkness. And the devil woke in his heart with a thousand vile suggestions and made him afraid. Algernon Blackwood
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Most are inclined to recline into a reclining position, in order to enjoy the decline. Unknown
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Oliver Cromwell banned kissing on Sundays---even for married couples---on pain of a prison sentence. Mitchell Symons
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Cherishing Jesus as gain above all people, above all wealth, above all powers. Mac Canoza