Times of Refreshing: Key Scriptures related to the Christian observance of the weekly Sabbath

See the article T.G.I.S. elsewhere on this website for an overview of the observance and significance of the weekly Sabbath for Christians. For the most complete overview in the Bible regarding the whole collection of biblical Feasts and Holy Days, see These are My Appointed Feasts... For clarification of these terms see the articles What is a "Feast"? and What is a "Holy Day"?.

The following are the key passages in the Old and New Testaments
related to the observance of
The Weekly Sabbath

Old Testament

Exodus 20:8-11
The original Sabbath commandment at Mt. Sinai

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Deut 5:12-15

Moses repeats the original commandment before the Israelites enter the Promised Land forty years later.

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Isaiah 58:13-14

Blessings of joy promised for observing the Sabbath

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. …

Leviticus 23:1-3

The weekly Sabbath listed along with the annual observances as a "Feast" (Hebrew: moedim: appointed time) of the LORD

The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.

There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

New Testament

Matt 12:8

Jesus declares that He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27

Jesus declares that the Sabbath was "made for man (Greek: anthropos: humankind)" not "made for the Jews" or any other sub-group.

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Many people who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, whether they refer to themselves as "Christian" or "Messianic," observe the biblical Feasts and Holy Days, including the weekly Sabbath, as times of worship, fellowship, and celebration. They believe that these celebrations are shadows pointing to the reality of Jesus. And they believe that there are valuable spiritual lessons to be learned week by week and year by year through actually physically setting aside these Times of Refreshing as "appointments with God."

For more about the biblical Feasts in general, see the article Theme Times elsewhere on this Times of Refreshing website.

For an explanation of the Christian observance of each of the Feasts and Holy Days as they come in their seasons, explore the links on the navigation bar above.

For sources of the Hebrew, Greek, and English definitions in this and other articles on this website, see the Information page.

Click each title below to go to a collection of
Old and New Testament passages related to that specific Time of Refreshing.

All of the articles on this Times of Refreshing website were written by Pam Dewey, with the support and sponsorship of Common Ground Christian Ministries. For more of Pam's inspirational and educational writings, visit The Oasis website at