SABBATH
Sabbath Keeping
I’m going to try to explain what the Old Testament Sabbath law means to keep the Sabbath and from what hours did Israel keep the Sabbath.
In the Old Testament and traditional Jewish practice, the Sabbath ran from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday (approximately 6:00 PM to 6:00 PM). A "Sabbath day's walk" (or journey) limited travel to 2,000 cubits (about 0.6 miles or 1 kilometer) from one's home or city limits to ensure the day remained one of true rest.

Hours of the Sabbath

  • Start: Friday evening at sunset.

  • End: Saturday evening at sunset (when three stars appear).

  • Basis: Biblical days begin with the evening, following the creation pattern in Genesis ("and there was evening and there was morning").

The "Sabbath Walk" Limit

  • The Distance: Roughly 3,000 feet, or a comfortable 15-to-20-minute walk.

  • Biblical Origin: While the strict 2,000-cubit measurement is detailed in later rabbinic tradition, it stems from Old Testament hints like Exodus 16:29, which told people to stay in their place on the seventh day, and the layout of Levitical city pasturelands in Numbers 35:5.

  • Purpose: It restricted long-distance travel, commerce, and exhausting journeys, framing the day as a complete pause from ordinary labor to focus on God and rest.

The seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) remains the Jewish Sabbath, but early Christians organically began gathering for worship on Sunday—the "Lord's Day"—to honor Jesus Christ's resurrection, viewing it as the start of a new creation.

Biblical and Historical Context

  • First-Century Worship: The New Testament notes early believers meeting to break bread on the first day of the week (Sunday), such as in Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2.

  • No Direct Command: There is no verse in the New Testament where Jesus or the Apostles state that the Saturday Sabbath law is transferred to Sunday.

  • Christian Freedom: Mainstream Christian theology generally teaches that believers are not bound by the Old Testament Sabbath legal codes. According to the Apostle Paul in passages like 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. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

  • and Romans 14:5

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.

  • strict day-observance is a matter of personal conviction rather than a binding command under the new covenant.

  • Later Formalization: Sunday gatherings became standard practice early on, and church bodies like the Council of Laodicea later formalized Sunday as the primary day of solemn worship and rest in Christian societies.