Gospel Principles
Unit 7: Perfecting Our Lives
Chapter 24: The Sabbath Day
Comments and Resources

'Elder Ezra Taft Benson stated "The purpose of the Sabbath is for Spiritual uplift, for a renewal of our Covenants, for worship, for prayer.  It is for the purpose of feeding the spirit, that we may keep ourselves unspotted from the world by obeying God's Command."  (God, Family, Country; Our Three Great Loyalties, pp. 103-04).  

During the study of this topic, you will learn what the Sabbath day is, why the Lord gave it, what we must do to keep it holy, and the blessings that came from observing it.

Resources:
Gospel Principles, Chapter 24
A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Chapter 23
Jesus the Christ, Chapter 15

Scriptures :

Topical Guide: <http://Scriptures.lds.org/en/tg/contents> 
                               Sabbath
Bible Dictionary:  <http://Scriptures.lds.org/en/bd/contents>
               
                                    Sabbath'


Concept 1: What is the Sabbath Day?

'"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8; also D&C 68:29 "And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy".)

What Is The Sabbath Day?
The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word meaning 'day of rest'.  The Sabbath day commemorates God's day of rest after he finished the Creation.  We read in the book of Genesis that God created the heavens and the earth in six periods of time, which he called days: "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it."  (Genesis 2:2-3).

The Sabbath day is every seventh day.  It is a holy day ordained by God for us to rest from our daily labors and worship him.

Discussion

What is the Sabbath day?'


Concept 2: The Purpose of The Sabbath Day

'Jesus taught that the Sabbath day was made for our benefit  (Mark 2:27 "And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath:").  The purpose of the Sabbath is to give us a certain day of the week on which to direct our thoughts and actions toward God.  It is not a day merely to rest from work.  It is a sacred day to be spent in worship and reverence.  As we rest from our usual daily activities, our minds are freed to ponder spiritual Matters.  On this day we should renew our covenants with the Lord and feed our souls on the things of the Spirit.

Discussion

What is the Lord's purpose for the Sabbath day?'


Concept 3: History of the Sabbath

'The seventh day was consecrated by God as a Sabbath in the beginning of the earth  (Genesis 2:2-3 "2. And on the Seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.").  Since earliest times, the tradition of a sacred seventh day has been preserved among various peoples of the earth.  God renewed a commandment concerning this day to the Israelites, saying, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8).  Keeping the Sabbath day was also a sign that the Israelites were his covenant people 
 (Exodus 31:12-13,16 "12. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 13. Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it [is] a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that [ye] may know that I [am] the LORD that doth sanctify you." "16. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, [for] a perpetual covenant.;"  

Isaiah 56:1-8 "1. THUS saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation [is] near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
 2. Blessed [is] the man [that] doeth this, and the son of man [that] layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
3.  Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I [am] a dry tree.
 4. For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose [the things] that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
 5. Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
 6. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
 7. Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
 8. The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather [others] to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.";

Jeremiah 17:19-27 "19.  Thus said the LORD unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;
 20. And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:
 21. Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring [it] in by the gates of Jerusalem;
 22. Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
 23. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.
 24. And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work therein;
 25. Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever.
 26. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD.
 27. But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched."

However, some Jewish leaders made many unnecessary rules about the Sabbath.  They decided how far people could walk, what kinds of knots they could tie, and so forth.  When certain Jewish leaders criticized Jesus Christ for healing sick people on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of man.  (Mark 2:27 "And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:")

The Nephites also observed the Sabbath day according to the commandments of God (Jarom 1:5 "And now, behold, two hundred years had passed away, and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the land.  The observed to keep the law of Moses and the Sabbath day holy unto the Lord.  And they profaned not; neither did they blaspheme.  And the laws of the land were exceedingly strict."). 

In modern times the Lord has repeated his commandment that we should remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  (D&C 68:29 "And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy".). 

Discussion

Study the history of the Sabbath using the following Scriptures :
Genesis 2:2-3
Exodus 20:8
Isaiah 56:1-8
Jarom 1:5
Mark 2:27
D&C 68:29'


Concept 4: The Lord's Day

'Until the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he and his disciples honored the seventh day as the Sabbath.  After his resurrection, Sunday was held sacred as the Lord's day in remembrance of his resurrection on that day (Acts 20:7 "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.;"  1 Corinthians 16:2 "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.).  From that time on, his followers appointed the first day as their Sabbath.  In both cases there were six days of labor and one for rest and devotion.

The Lord has given us a direct commandment in these days that we, too, should honor Sunday, the Lord's day, as our Sabbath (D&C 59:12 "But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.)." 

Discussion

Why was the Sabbath changed from the seventh day to the first day?
What special event does the first day commemorate?'


Concept 5: How Do We Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

'The Lord asks us, first, to sanctify the Sabbath day.  In a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1831, the Lord commanded the Saints to go to the house of prayer and offer up their sacraments, rest from their labors, and pay their devotions to the Most High (D&C 59:9-12 " 9. And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; 10. For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; 11. Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; 12. But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.").

Second, he asks us to rest from daily work.  This means we should perform no labor that would keep us from giving our full attention to spiritual matters.  The Lord told the Israelites, "Thou shall not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, not they maidservant, not thy cattle" (Exodus 20:10).  Our prophets have told us that we should not shop, hunt, fish, attend sports events, or participate in similar activities on that day.

Elder Spencer W. Kimball cautioned, however, that if we merely lounge about doing nothing on the Sabbath, we are not keeping the day holy.  The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts. (See The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 96-97.)

What kinds of things may we do on the Sabbath?  The Lord has told us to prepare only simple foods on that day, keeping the purpose of the Sabbath in mind (D&C 59:13 "And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be prefect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.)".  The prophet Isaiah suggested that we should turn away from doing our own pleasure and should "call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable"  (Isaiah 58:13).  We should do righteous things.  We keep the Sabbath day holy by--

 1. Attending Church meetings.
 2. Reading the Scriptures  and the words of our Church leaders.
 3. Visiting the sick, the aged, and our loved ones.
 4. Listening to uplifting music and singing hymns.
 5. Praying to our Heavenly Father with praise and thanksgiving.
 6. Performing Church service that we have been assigned to do.
 7. Preparing family history records and personal histories.
 8. Telling faith-promoting stories and bearing our testimony to family members and sharing spiritual experiences with them.
 9. Writing letters to loved ones.
10. Fasting with a purpose.
11. Sharing time with children and others in the house.

In deciding what other activities we should properly engage in on the Sabbath, we should ask ourselves: Will it uplift and inspire me?

There may be times when we are required to work on the Sabbath.  We should avoid this whenever possible, but when it is absolutely necessary, we should still maintain the spirit of Sabbath worship in our hearts as much as possible.

Discussion

Read Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-13.  What things can we do to draw nearer to our Heavenly Father?'


Concept 6: Blessings for Observing the Sabbath.

'If we honor the Sabbath day, we may receive great spiritual and temporal blessings.  The Lord has said that if we keep the Sabbath day with thanksgiving and cheerful hearts, we will be full of joy.  He has promised:

"The fullness of the earth is yours...whether for food or for raiment of for houses, of for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

"Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof are made for the benefit and use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

"Yea, for food and raiment, for taste, and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul"  (D&C 59:16-19).

Discussion

Read Doctrine and Covenants 59:15-19.  Consider some of the blessings that come from keeping the Sabbath day holy.

Additional Scriptures 

Exodus 31:14-17 (under Mosaic law the Sabbath was kept holy under pain of death)
Mosiah 13:16-19; 18:23; Exodus 35:1-3 (observe the Sabbath as a holy day)
Luke 6:1-11 (lawful to do good on the Sabbath)
Luke 13:11-17; John 5:1-18 (Jesus example of doing good on the Sabbath)'


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Moroni 10:4-5
"4. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 
5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

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