Some watch television while others do not. Some allow their kids to go to sports games Friday nights while others don't. Every time I spend a Friday night with a Church friend who grew up keeping the Sabbath differently than me, I become more and more confused about how it should be kept. There seems to be no standard other than the obvious refusing to be paid for work on the Sabbath.
Answer:
This is an important question and one that is very important to our relationship with God. The Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:28) and God fellowships with us during this time that He made holy (1 John 1:3). The best way to determine how to observe the Sabbath is to consider God's instructions regarding it.
While we can't cover all of the scriptures referring to the Sabbath in this short space, here are a few key principles to help you begin determining how God would have you observe this day.
First, we note in Exodus 20:8 that it is a day to "keep holy." This means the Sabbath is special—unlike other days. One way we are to make the Sabbath special is by ceasing from our normal work that we do throughout the week (Hebrews 4:9-10). Isaiah 58 is a good primer on our attitudes toward keeping the Sabbath. Here we find that we are not to seek our own pleasure and that we should look upon the Sabbath as a "delight." The Sabbath is a time to honor God instead of doing our normal activities.
The scriptures we have noted form a good basis for determining what to do or not do on the Sabbath. In keeping with these principles, on the Sabbath many people choose not to watch television (other than news programs) and to listen to different types of music (inspiring in nature) than they normally listen to. Many also choose to spend extra time in study and prayer on this day.
We hope these principles will help you make good decisions about how to observe the Sabbath. If you want to study this subject in greater depth, we recommend our free booklet, Sunset to Sunset—God's Sabbath Rest.
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