Sabbath for Children: A Bible Study

Hello! It's wonderful that you're interested in learning about the Sabbath from the Bible. The Bible teaches us that the Sabbath is a very special day given by God for us to rest and spend time with Him and our families.

Let's open our Bibles and discover some wonderful things about the Sabbath together:

• God created the Sabbath at the very beginning.

  After God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it in six days, He rested on the seventh day. This seventh day was special, and God blessed it and made it holy. It was a day of rest from all His work. This shows us that the Sabbath is not just a day to stop working, but a day that God set apart as holy right from the start!

  "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: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." Genesis 2:2-3

• The Sabbath is a commandment from God.

  When God gave the Ten Commandments to His people on Mount Sinai, He included a commandment about the Sabbath. He told them to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. This commandment tells us to work for six days, but the seventh day is for rest and belongs to the Lord our God. It's a day for us, our families, our servants, our animals, and even strangers living with us to rest. God reminds us why He gave us the Sabbath – because He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

  "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:8-11

• The Sabbath is a sign between God and His people.

  God told the children of Israel that keeping the Sabbath was a sign between Him and them, so they would know that He is the Lord who makes them holy. It was meant to be a perpetual covenant, something to be observed throughout their generations. This shows that the Sabbath is a special way that God's people identify themselves as belonging to Him.

  "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." Exodus 31:13

  "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant." Exodus 31:16

• Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.

  Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. This means the Sabbath is a gift to help and bless us! Jesus also said that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Since Jesus is the Son of God and was part of the creation, it makes perfect sense that He is in charge of the Sabbath day that was created as a memorial of His work.

  "And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." Mark 2:27-28

• The Sabbath is a day for holy meetings and worship.

  The Bible calls the Sabbath a "holy convocation," which means a holy meeting or assembly. It's a special time to gather with other believers to worship God, study His Word, and be encouraged.

  "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings." Leviticus 23:3

  Jesus' custom was to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day to teach.

  "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read." Luke 4:16

• We should make the Sabbath a delight.

  The prophet Isaiah talks about turning away from doing our own pleasure on God's holy day and calling the Sabbath a delight, holy to the Lord and honorable. This means we should look forward to the Sabbath and find joy in keeping it holy.

  "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:" Isaiah 58:13

• The Sabbath is a taste of the rest God promises us.

  The Bible talks about a rest that remains for the people of God, and this is sometimes connected with the Sabbath. It's like the Sabbath is a weekly reminder of the rest we will have when Jesus comes back and takes us to be with Him.

  "For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest." Hebrews 4:4-5

  "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." Hebrews 4:9

Keeping the Sabbath is a way we show our love for God and obey His commandments. It's a special day He has given us to spend time with Him, with our families, and to learn more about His love and plan for us. Even as children, we can learn to honor the Sabbath and make it a special day for Jesus.

I hope this Bible study has helped you understand more about the beautiful gift of the Sabbath that God has given us.

Would you like to explore any of these points further, or perhaps learn about other things the Bible says about children and the Sabbath?