Seventh Day Sabbath
Adherence to YeHoVaH Elohim’s Laws is fundamental to a faithful and obedient life, as they collectively reflect His divine will and moral order.
However, the Fourth Commandment—to remember and keep the Sabbath day holy—is often overlooked in contemporary practice.
This neglect stands in contrast to the commandment’s explicit call to “remember,” emphasizing its enduring significance.
The Bible teaches that Elohim’s law is an indivisible whole, where violating a single commandment renders one guilty of transgressing the entire law. James 2:10 states, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” This principle underscores the interconnectedness of Elohim’s commandments, emphasizing that each one reflects His divine will. Therefore, neglecting the Fourth Commandment—to remember and keep the Sabbath holy—is not a minor oversight but a serious breach that affects our obedience to the entirety of YeHoVaH Elohim’s law. By observing all commandments, including the Sabbath, we demonstrate our commitment to Elohim’s comprehensive guidance and maintain the integrity of our relationship with Him.
The Seventh-day Sabbath is a biblical institution observed on the seventh day of the week (Saturday). It is rooted in the Creation account, reaffirmed in the Ten Commandments, and emphasized throughout the Bible. Here’s a breakdown of its significance with scripture references:
1. Instituted at Creation
The Sabbath was established by YeHoVaH Elohim at the creation of the world.
📖 Genesis 2:2-3
“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”
🔹 Elohim rested, blessed, and sanctified the seventh day, making it holy.
2. Reinforced in the Ten Commandments
The Sabbath command is the fourth of the Ten Commandments given to Israel.
📖 Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work… For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
🔹 The Sabbath is a memorial of Creation and a commandment from Elohim.
3. A Covenant Sign Between YeHoVaH Elohim and His People
📖 Exodus 31:16-17
“Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”
🔹 The Sabbath is a perpetual sign of Elohim’s covenant.
4. Observed by Yeshua the Messiah
Yeshua faithfully kept the Sabbath during His earthly ministry.
📖 Luke 4:16
“So 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 to read.”
🔹 Yeshua honored the Sabbath, showing its continued importance.
📖 Mark 2:27-28
“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
🔹 The Sabbath was made for all humanity, not just Israel.
5. Observed by the Early Believers
📖 Acts 17:2
“Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures.”
📖 Acts 18:4
“And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.”
🔹 The apostles and early church continued to observe the Sabbath.
6. The Sabbath in the Future (New Earth)
📖 Isaiah 66:22-23
“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me, says the LORD, so shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the LORD.”
🔹 The Sabbath will be observed in the new earth, confirming its eternal significance.
7. A Day of Rest and Spiritual Renewal
📖 Matthew 11:28
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
📖 Hebrews 4:9-10
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”
🔹 The Sabbath represents physical rest and a deeper spiritual rest.
Summary of the 7th Day Sabbath
Elohim created it (Genesis 2:2-3)
Elohim commanded it (Exodus 20:8-11)
It is a sign of YeHoVaH Elohim’s covenant (Exodus 31:16-17)
Yeshua kept it (Luke 4:16)
The apostles observed it (Acts 17:2, 18:4)
It will be kept in the new earth (Isaiah 66:22-23)
It symbolizes rest (Hebrews 4:9-10)
The Fourth Commandment—”Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8)—is a divine directive, not a discretionary practice. Instituted by YeHoVaH Elohim at creation and reaffirmed at Mount Sinai, the Sabbath serves as a perpetual covenant between Elohim and His people, emphasizing rest and spiritual renewal. Observing the Sabbath is an act of obedience that fosters a deeper relationship with the Creator, aligning our lives with His will and acknowledging His sovereignty. By honoring this commandment along with all of Elohim’s Laws, we embrace a rhythm of life that reflects our commitment to Him and anticipates the eternal rest promised in His kingdom.
Start of the Sabbath
When determining when the start of the Sabbath is, it is important in understanding timekeeping & how timekeeping from a worldly standpoint & from a biblical aspect has been heavily influenced by the Babylonians.
The Babylonian Effect: Time Keeping
Who the Babylonians Were in Relation to Scripture and Their Religion
The Babylonians were an ancient people who lived in the region of Mesopotamia, which is present-day Iraq. Their civilization flourished for many centuries, particularly during the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626–539 BCE), and their history is of great significance in biblical narrative. Their religion, culture, and political actions played a pivotal role in shaping the history of Israel and the wider biblical story, particularly during the period of the
Babylonian Exile.
The Role of the Babylonians in Scripture
The Babylonians’ interaction with the Israelites is primarily seen in the books of the Prophets, such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, and in the Book of Daniel. Their role is most prominent during the Babylonian Exile, when they conquered Judah, destroyed Jerusalem, and took the Israelites into captivity.
Conquest of Judah and the Destruction of Jerusalem:
The Babylonians are introduced to the Bible during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, who besieged Jerusalem in 597 BCE and 586 BCE, eventually destroying the First Temple (Solomon’s Temple) and exiling many of the leading citizens of Judah to Babylon. This is known as the Babylonian Exile or Babylonian Captivity.
In 2 Kings 25:1-21, the Babylonian army, led by Nebuchadnezzar, conquers Jerusalem, burns the temple, and takes the people of Judah into captivity. This event marks the end of the kingdom of Judah and the beginning of a period of exile for the Israelites.
Babylonian Religion and Beliefs
The Babylonians had a rich and complex religious system that was polytheistic, meaning they believed in and worshiped many gods. Their religion had a strong influence on the cultures of the ancient Near East, including the Israelites during their time in exile.
Key Aspects of Babylonian Religion:
Polytheism and Pantheon of gods
The Babylonians worshiped a pantheon of gods, with Marduk being the chief deity. Marduk was considered the god of creation, wisdom, and war. Other prominent gods included Ishtar (goddess of love and war), Shamash (the sun god), Sin (the moon god), and Ea (god of wisdom and water).
The Babylonians believed that these gods controlled the universe and human destiny. Their religious practices involved rituals, sacrifices, and divination to appease the gods and gain favor.
Divination and Astrology:
The Babylonians practiced divination to interpret the will of the gods. They used methods such as astrology, omens, and dream interpretation. Babylonian astrologers believed that the positions of the stars and planets influenced events on Earth, including the lives of kings and the fate of nations.
The zodiac and the practice of horoscopes originated in Babylonian astrology, and their use in modern astrology can be traced back to their system.
Babylonian Influence on the Israelites
The Babylonian Exile had a significant impact on the Israelites. Their time in Babylon exposed them to Babylonian religion and culture, which influenced aspects of their own practices, beliefs, and literature. Some of the key areas of influence include:
Religious Syncretism
While the Israelites were in Babylon, they came into contact with Babylonian religious practices and gods. However, the Bible emphasizes that their were those who remained committed to the worship of YeHoVaH Elohim, although some of the Israelites were tempted by the allure of Babylonian gods. The Book of Daniel illustrates the tension between remaining faithful to Elohim while living in a pagan society.
The prophet Ezekiel warns against the Israelites’ idolatry during the exile and urges them to remain faithful to YeHoVaH, as seen in Ezekiel 14:3-8.
Adoption of Babylonian Calendar and Timekeeping:
During the Babylonian Exile, the Israelites were influenced by Babylonian timekeeping practices, which involved dividing the day into 24 hours and using a lunar-based calendar.
While the Israelites had their own calendar system, the Babylonian influence contributed to some of the adjustments made in later Jewish timekeeping practices.
Ultimately, the Babylonians played a crucial role in shaping the history of Israel and the development of Jewish thought, especially during and after the Babylonian Exile. Their influence is felt in both the biblical narrative and the legacy of Jewish religious practice that continues today.
The sunset-to-sunset day is a practice that can be traced to the influence of the Babylonians, particularly in their timekeeping and calendar systems. To understand how the Babylonians may have adopted or influenced this method, it’s essential to look at their astronomical observations, their religious beliefs, and how they structured their day and time.
Babylonian Timekeeping and Astronomical Observations
The Babylonians were skilled astronomers and developed a lunar calendar that was based on the cycles of the moon. Their observations of celestial bodies, particularly the sun, moon, and planets, deeply influenced their understanding of time and the way they divided days.
The Babylonians used a system of lunar months (roughly 29.5 days each) and based their calendar around the cycles of the moon. The beginning of each month was marked by the first visible sighting of the new moon, which could occur at different times depending on the visibility of the crescent moon.
Since the moon’s phases were central to their timekeeping, the day would begin at sunset, when the new day was symbolically considered to have started, based on their religious and cultural practices. This would allow them to track the lunar phases and match them with their rituals, religious festivals, and other civic matters.
Jubilees 6:34-37
34 All of Israel will lose the path of the years, forgetting the new moons, seasons, and Sabbaths, and will stray from the intended yearly order.
35 This warning was given to prevent them from following the lunar calendar of the nations, which brings disorder, leading them to miss the appointed feasts due to ignorance.
36 Observing the moon’s cycles disrupts the seasons by approximately ten days each year.
37 As a result, they will eventually hold impure days as holy, confusing the sacred with the profane, neglecting the true holy days.
Babylonian Influence on the Concept of a Day
The Babylonian sunset-to-sunset day likely arose from the interplay between their astronomical observations, religious rituals, and the need to synchronize the lunar calendar with practical timekeeping. Here’s how this might have worked:
Lunar and Solar Connection: The Babylonians had a deep understanding of the sun and moon’s cycles, and their religious practices and festivals were often linked to celestial events. For example, they closely observed the eclipses of the moon and the sun. The idea of marking time based on the sunset-to-sunset cycle could have been connected to their belief in the moon’s rising at sunset as the start of the day.
Sunset as the Day’s Boundary: Sunset was a natural point to mark the transition between one day and the next, especially since the night sky was observed for rituals, divination, and religious purposes. The visibility of stars, the moon’s phases, and the rising of celestial bodies occurred in the night, which made sunset a logical starting point for the day in Babylonian timekeeping.
Religious and Ritual Importance: Babylonian religious practices were closely linked to their understanding of time. Many of their religious observances occurred in the evening, and certain rituals were designed to coincide with the setting sun. The Babylonian calendar, and therefore the day itself, may have started at sunset, marking the end of one day and the beginning of another.
Transition to Sunset-to-Sunset in Jewish Practices
The idea of the sunset-to-sunset day influenced Jewish timekeeping, especially after the Babylonian Exile (586 BCE). The Jews, during their time in exile, came into contact with Babylonian culture and practices, including their method of calculating time. Over time, this practice was incorporated into Jewish religious observances, which is why the Sabbath and other Jewish days traditionally begin at sunset rather than at sunrise.
While the Israelites may have initially followed a more agricultural-based timekeeping system, the Babylonian exile likely had an impact on their timekeeping practices, particularly after their exposure to the Babylonian system. It is during this period that the concept of a sunset-to-sunset day became embedded in Jewish law and tradition. This is especially evident in the Talmud and in Jewish religious observances that define a day as beginning at sundown and ending the following sundown.
The Sunset-to-Sunset Day According to Jewish Law
In Jewish law, they use Genesis 1:5, when the creation story describes the first day, it says: “And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” As their foundation for the day beginning at sunset. Because the phrase “evening and morning” implies a period of night first, followed by daylight, the idea of a sunset-to-sunset day.
The Talmud also reinforces the sunset-to-sunset day, stating that the day begins at nightfall, when three stars are visible, and ends the next nightfall.
However, We must first understand the order in which Father created.
Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning Elohim created the heaven & the earth.”
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim moved upon the face of the waters.
Form is the Hebrew word to’-hoo H8414 which means desolation, empty, empty place, nothing,
The word void is the Hebrew word bo’-hoo H922 which means empty, emptiness
The word darkness is the Hebrew word kho-shek h2822 which means the dark, & then darkness also means night.
Darkness can be understood in 2 ways. Where there is no light, there is dark or darkness. And then there is the night as it refers to the dark part of a complete day.
This darkness mentioned in verse 2 is not in reference to the night, but is referenced to darkness because there is no light.
Here is an analogy to help us understand darkness where there is no light. During the day if one walks into a dark closet & remember that we have already established that it is day, do we then say that in the closet it is night. No, because we know that it is daytime. If we walk into a dark closet, the only reason that it is dark in the closet is because light has not entered in. So, this darkness in verse 2 is referring to the face of the water appearing dark because there is no light & is not the same as we refer to the darkness which is considered night.
So, the earth was an empty & dark place. And darkness was upon the face of the deep, the face of the water. Why? Because no light had yet entered in.
So, it’s not that Father created the night first. He first created heaven & the earth. And darkness was on the face of the deep, because light had not yet entered in. At this point we are not talking about the darkness as it relates to the night. We are still in verse 2 & Father has not established what constitutes day & night at this point.
So how can we say that Father created night first, when the darkness that is talked about before He constitutes what day & night is, is in reference to the water being dark because light has not yet entered in?
In Genesis 1:3 Father now speaks light into existence.
Genesis 1:3 And Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:4 says, “And Elohim saw the light, that it was good: and Elohim divided the light from the darkness.”
So, in verse 4 light entered in. The light that Father Created entered heaven & earth. The darkness in verse 2 was specifically in relation to the water. Day & night in verses 1-4 has not yet been given a definition. So far, we can see that Father first created heaven & earth & the next thing He did was speak light into His creation. He didn’t speak darkness first into existence.
From a spiritual aspect, we were consumed with darkness until the light of the Word entered our hearts & we obeyed the Word. And so, we wouldn’t classify that spiritual understanding as to say we were consumed with night. Understand that light & darkness can stand alone from day & night, but day & night cannot stand-alone from light & darkness. In genesis verse 5 Father now distinguishes day from night.
Genesis 1:5 And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Father is now giving day & night a definition in relation to light & darkness. So, when we see the sun outside, we know that it is day. When the sun goes down, that marks the beginning of the period we generally consider to be night, or the time between sunset & sunrise. Now on the flip side of this, every time we see light, or we experience darkness, it doesn’t necessarily constitute night or day. When verse 2 was talking about darkness on the face of the deep, that had nothing to do with night. Just like the closet analogy & the analogy concerning spiritual darkness. Just because the scripture says that darkness was upon the face of the deep, how is that referencing that night came first. But what we do see in verse 5 is that Father first gave definition to what is day first, then He gave definition to night second. So, he started out addressing day first, then He addressed night. Day first, then night.
When Father said spoke light into creation & separated the light from darkness, that was the beginning of the first day. Let’s look at Genesis 5 again.
Genesis 1:5 And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And then the scripture proceeds to say, “And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
When you see the word “and” in a sentence that means that something usually proceeds. We know that from evening to morning is only half the whole day, so something has to proceed the “and” in that scripture. So, what is it? It is day… Fathers work on the first day was to separate the light from the darkness, & He called the light day & then the darkness night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. So, it was day first, then evening, & then morning & that was the first day.
Let’s look at what the word evening means. Evening is the Hebrew word ereb H6153 & it means dusk. Dusk occurs after the sun has set. And now let’s look at the word morning. Morning is the Hebrew word boqer H1242. And it means dawn or the early part of a new day. But in this scripture reference from evening to morning being the first day, dawn is the likelihood. And dawn occurs before sunrise.
So, day 1 began when Father spoke light & there was light. It was day, then the evening came at dusk which was after the sunset , & then the morning came which was dawn before the sunrise. And when the sun did rise, that ended day 1 & began day 2.
What did Father do on day 2?
Genesis 1:6-8 And Elohim said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And Elohim made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And Elohim called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
Take notice that on day 2 just like day 1, that the work that Father did came first. He separated the waters above from the waters below, & then the evening & the morning were the 2nd day.
So, if a new day started in the evening, why would Fathers work in each day be referenced first then be followed by, “then the evening & the morning.”
So, again we have the day ( the 1st half of a whole day), & then the evening till the morning (the 2nd half of a whole day). In each day of the creation, this was the same pattern. Father began creating, & then the scripture says that there was evening, & then morning. The same thing from day 1 all the way until the end of day 6.
Babylonian Influence in Broader Context
While the Babylonian Exile had a significant influence on Jewish practices, the Babylonian sunset-to-sunset day also contributed to the global practice of the 24-hour day. This system, with its evening-to-evening division, laid the foundation for other civilizations to adopt similar practices of timekeeping. In fact, the Babylonians were some of the first to formalize the way time was divided and marked, and their astronomical and religious observances guided their daily schedules.
How Babylonian Practices Did Not Line Up with Scripture
Polytheism vs. Monotheism:
Babylonian Practices: The Babylonians were polytheistic, believing in a multitude of gods, such as Marduk, Ishtar, Nabu, and others. Their religion was centered on these gods, with the king often acting as their representative on earth.
Scriptural Conflict: The Bible consistently teaches the worship of the one true Elohim, YeHoVaH, and strictly forbids idolatry and the worship of other gods. For example:
Exodus 20:3: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
Isaiah 45:5: “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me.”
The first commandment and many other scriptures emphasize monotheism as the central belief of the Israelites, which directly conflicted with the Babylonian pantheon.
Astrology and Divination vs. YeHoVaH Elohim’s Sovereignty:
Babylonian Practices: The Babylonians had a strong tradition of astrology and divination, interpreting the positions of stars, planets, and other celestial bodies to predict the future and make decisions. They believed that these heavenly bodies could influence events on earth and reveal the will of the gods.
Scriptural Conflict: The Bible condemns astrology and divination, emphasizing that Elohim alone controls the universe and knows the future. For example:
Deuteronomy 18:10-12: “There shall not be found among you anyone…that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.”
Isaiah 47:13-14: “Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.”
Daniel 2:27-28: Daniel, while in Babylon, made it clear that only God can reveal mysteries, contrasting the Babylonian reliance on astrology and divination.
Sunset-to-Sunset Reckoning vs. Morning-to-Morning:
Babylonian Practices: The Babylonians followed a sunset-to-sunset system for reckoning the day, which was based on their observations of the moon and stars. This system divided the day into 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness, starting at sunset.
Scriptural Conflict: Initially, the Israelites followed a morning-to-morning system for keeping time. Scriptures like Exodus 16:23-25, Genesis 19:33-34, and Leviticus 7:15 suggest that the Israelites’ day was reckoned from morning to morning, rather than from sunset to sunset.
Exodus 16:23-25: In preparing for the Sabbath, the Israelites were told to bake and boil before the morning, which aligns with a morning-to-morning day.
Idol Worship vs. YeHoVaH’s Commandments:
Babylonian Practices: The Babylonians were notorious for their worship of idols. They built temples and statues to their gods, and the kings were seen as divine figures or the representatives of the gods on earth. Idol worship was central to their religious life.
Scriptural Conflict: The Israelites were repeatedly commanded to reject idols and worship only God. The Second Commandment is clear about this:
Exodus 20:4-5: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.”
Throughout their history, the Israelites struggled with idol worship, and this was often seen as the primary reason for their downfall, such as in the case of the golden calf in Exodus 32 and later in the Babylonian exile.
Conclusion
The sunset-to-sunset day was adopted by the Babylonians as a natural extension of their astronomical observations, religious rituals, and timekeeping methods. The key reason for the Babylonian practice was that sunset marked an important celestial event that could be easily observed and was central to their rituals. Over time, this system influenced other cultures, including the Israelites, particularly during and after their Babylonian Exile. The adoption of the sunset-to-sunset day among the Jews is a result of this cultural and religious interaction, which continues to shape Jewish practices today. Their polytheistic beliefs, astrology, sunset-to-sunset day reckoning, and idol worship conflicted with the monotheistic, Elohim-centered practices commanded by YeHoVaH in the Scriptures.
Here at Evangelizing The Nations we begin our 7th Day Sabbath observance along with the other commanded Sabbaths at sunrise to sunset. Except for the Day of Atonement, where scripture explicitly states that it’s observance is even to even. (Sunset to Sunset)
Why sunrise to sunset instead of sunrise to sunrise?
Let us go back & look at key scriptures pertaining to the Sabbath.
Genesis 2:1-2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
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.
Exodus 20:8-10
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 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:
Exodus 31:14
14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Exodus 35:2
2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
Leviticus 23:3
3 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.
Deuteronomy 5:14
14 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, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
In each of these key scriptures notice how the Sabbath is always in reference to work.
Let’s look at the definition of Sabbath to understand the concept of a sunrise to sunset Sabbath.
Sabbath H7677
Definition; from H7676; a sabbatism or special holiday:—rest, sabbath.
Sabbath means to rest. What are we resting from? When looking at all the key scriptures related to the Sabbath, a Sabbaths rest means to cease from your labor. We are commanded to do no work.
Here is a very simple question. Were we created to work 24 hours a day? No we were not…
Remember that YeHoVaH Elohim did His creation work in the day, & then evening & morning came.
Let’s look at Genesis 1:29-31 to drive this point home further.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
On the sixth day, Elohim created beast & man. When He was done creating, verse 31 says that Elohim saw everything that he made, and, behold, it was very good. Elohim looked back over the six days of His creation & then verse 31 goes on to say, “And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
YeHoVaH Elohim was done on the sixth day with all of creation before night came.
And then when the seventh day came, he did not work because He instituted a Sabbaths rest on the seventh day.
Now we must understand that each day was named Days 1-6. The days had no name. The seventh day is not called the Sabbath day, it is initially referred to as the seventh day.
However, in the seventh day is a Sabbath, a time of rest.
Genesis 2:3
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.
So, remember that Sabbath means rest. And we can see in Genesis 2:3 that this day is called the seventh day, & in the seventh day there is a Sabbath. There is a rest. Resting from work.
And we can see based on scripture that Fathers creation work was done during the day. And we know that man was not created to work from sunrise to sunrise.
The Israelites were never permitted to do civil work during the night.
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Joshua 8:28-29
28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.
29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
Joshua 10:26
26 And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
All of these scriptures have the same thing in common, whatever they were doing was to be done before night time. The evening marks the transition from daytime to nighttime.
Look at what Psalm104:23 says…
23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
Man works unto the evening….
In biblical times, labor was predominantly structured around the natural cycle of daylight. The workday typically commenced at sunrise and concluded at sunset, a rhythm influenced by the absence of artificial lighting and the agrarian nature of ancient societies. This pattern is reflected in various scriptural passages as we have seen that emphasize timely labor and compensation.
Here is another example, Deuteronomy 24:15 instructs employers to pay workers their wages before sunset: “You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets.” This directive underscores the expectation that labor occurred during daylight hours, with payment rendered at day’s end. Additionally, the division of the day into twelve seasonal hours, as noted in historical records, further indicates a structured approach to daytime activities.
Prophetically speaking look at what Yeshua said…
John 9:4
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
This metaphor draws a parallel between daylight—a time for labor—and night—a time when work ceases. Again, in biblical times, people typically worked from sunrise to sunset, aligning their activities with natural light due to the absence of artificial illumination.
Conclusion
Sabbath was directly related to the time when man would normally work. Biblically it was during the daytime until sunset. In which on the seventh day during the sunlight hours, a rest from our labors was instituted.
We have been far removed from biblical times in terms of when man works, however Fathers Sabbath commandment has not changed.
The command again is that 6 days we labor, but on the seventh day is a rest from work.
During the daylight part of the day on Saturday the seventh day we are to cease from our labors. However, if one chooses to work on Saturday night after sunset, remember the command is to work only 6 days. So even if you honor the Sabbath during the day on the seventh day, but you work 7 nights, you are still dishonoring the Sabbath command. Man is commanded to work 6 days out of a seven-day week.
Someone may say but He sanctified the whole seventh day, so it should be sunrise to sunrise. He also sanctified the fourteenth day of the first month because at even was the Passover. However, only specific instructions were given for the evening.
Specific Instructions for the seventh day to cease work during the day were given.
YeHoVaH Elohim blessed the seventh day & sanctified it, meaning He set it apart because in it, He instituted the Sabbath.
We praise Father for the opportunity to share what we believe Father has revealed to us at this time. With the information that has been presented, we encourage you to go before Father concerning all that you have read & be led by His Spirit. And however He leads you, be obedient. Blessings!