An Amazing Fact: The hippopotamus is a formidable creature. Yet, despite their tough appearance, hippos have very sensitive skin, which is why they spend most of their lives in water. For centuries, the mystery of how hippos avoided sunburn and infection when they came ashore baffled scientists. The answer came in 2004, when researchers discovered that hippo skin secretes a unique fluid that acts simultaneously as a sunscreen, moisturizer, and antibiotic. Turns out, these sensitive-skinned behemoths were designed with built-in protection.
Just as God designed the hippo with built-in protection, He also created a safeguard for the human soul. He declared, “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you” (Exodus 31:13).
Today, the Sabbath continues as a weekly sanctuary that preserves and shapes the identity of those who observe it. It tells us of the loving God who made us, came to save us, and seeks to perfect us.
Let’s explore what that means.
A Commemoration of Creation
God created humankind in His image on the sixth day of creation. He then “blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:3). We see, then, that the Sabbath was the grand finale of creation week, a gift of sacred time and communion with our Creator.
“In Genesis … there is a divine commitment. … When God rested on that day, He inserted Himself into the timeline of this world. He didn’t walk away to watch earth from a safe distance. No, the Sabbath demonstrates God’s personal involvement and commitment to the world and its inhabitants.”
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Every seven days, the Sabbath returns as a weekly reminder that we did not create ourselves. And the One who made us ceased from His work as an example for us. When we refrain from labor and celebrate the day God blessed, we reciprocate the Lord’s commitment to us. And in turn, we will find that “those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
A Reminder of Redemption
In Genesis, God rested on the seventh day because His creation was “finished” (Genesis 2:1). Centuries later, Jesus’ words on the cross echoed that same declaration: “It is finished” (John 19:30). Both events were followed by a Sabbath rest, binding creation and salvation together.
This dual significance is also written into the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20, the Sabbath celebrates God’s creative work. In Deuteronomy, it addresses a different aspect: “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:15).
The Sabbath, then, is also an acknowledgment of God as Redeemer. Just as He freed Israel from Pharaoh’s grip and Egypt’s idolatry, Jesus died to free us from the bondage of sin. “The creation account is also linked to God’s redemptive act, for His redemption aims at the restoration of his original creation.”
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This means we do not keep the Sabbath in order to be saved; we keep it because we already are. But there is more to it than that.
Scripture tells us that on the first Sabbath, God “blessed the seventh day and sanctified it” (Genesis 2:3). In redemption, the Sabbath becomes a sign of sanctification—the process by which God purifies our affections and draws them away from sin and the world. God intends to set apart and sanctify believers, just as. To keep it is to consent to and cooperate with the truth: “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
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A Rest From Performance
The spiritual benefits of the Sabbath today are more precious than ever. Modern life is relentless in its demand that we compulsively produce. We define ourselves by our titles, salaries, and possessions. In addition, we let others’ perceptions define us. As a result, we grow spiritually .
The Sabbath prevents these false notions from taking root. Our weekly appointment with God, who “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16), ensures that we never forget our true worth. We are His precious children, and weekly Sabbath rest reminds us of that fact.
“Setting apart one day in every seven to focus on our relationship with God and to recall His provision … enables us to find our worth in being God’s children, which means becoming our reality and our identity.”
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Today, research affirms these spiritual benefits. A study on Sabbath observance found that Sabbath-keeping enhances self-awareness, improves self-care, enriches relationships, develops spirituality, and positively shapes the rest of a Sabbath-keeper’s week. It’s only when we cease performing that we can surrender to God’s transformative power.
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A Lesson in Compassion
One of the most underappreciated aspects of the Sabbath is its radical social vision. In Deuteronomy 5:14, the Sabbath rest is extended to everyone: from the head of the household to the slave, the foreigner, and even the work animals.
This demonstrates how the seventh day “serves as a bill of rights for all God’s creatures, human and non-human alike” (Tonstad, Sigve K.
The Lost Meaning of the Seventh Day. Andrews University Press, 2009).
Every status distinction that dominates the other six days dissolves once a week. No one is excused, and no one is excluded. As theologian Walter Brueggemann states, “Sabbath is … an occasion for reimagining all social life away from coercion and competition to compassionate solidarity.”
Rest shared across social boundaries loosens any prejudices we may unknowingly harbor. It helps us to see others just as God sees them—as His children who are worthy of love and respect. In keeping the Sabbath, we fulfill Jesus’ command to “love one another” (John 13:34).
A Taste of Heaven to Come
Every Sabbath we observe now doesn’t just honor creation and redemption, but it also shifts our minds from the cares of this world to our eternal home. Isaiah 66:22, 23 makes that destination concrete: the new heavens and the new earth, where from one Sabbath to another, all flesh will worship before God.
“The Sabbath is a metaphor for paradise. … Unless one learns how to relish the taste of Sabbath, … one will be unable to enjoy the taste of eternity in the world to come.”
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Scripture reveals that the Sabbath truly was “made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27), reminding us that we are God’s children by creation and redemption. Like the hippo’s natural oils that protect it from sunburn and infection, the Sabbath directs our attention to the One who guards us from being overwhelmed by the cares of this world. It’s a weekly date with Him who made us, sustains us, and has an everlasting home prepared for us.
This is part three in a three-part series. Read part one and part two if you missed them.
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Continue your Sabbath journey with the free study guide—
The Lost Day in History.
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[1]https://www.adventistfaith.com/media/recorder/the-good-sabbath
[2]https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2004/03/the-sabbath-gods-everlasting-covenant.html
[3]https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/sanctification
[4]https://www.pointloma.edu/resources/theology-christian-ministry/reclaiming-sabbath
[5]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30972608/
[6]https://www.messagemagazine.com/justice/liberation-library-review-of-sabbath-as-resistance/
[7]https://static1.squarespace.com/static/585448efd1758e8eb89fef72/t/62d977fa9ef60149cdae259f/1658419194486/Heschel,+Abraham+Joshua+-+The+Sabbath+(Intro).pdf
[8]https://www.sabbathtruth.com/free-resources/article-library/post/faith-and-physiology--how-weekly-rest-impacts-physical-health
[9]https://www.sabbathtruth.com/free-resources/article-library/post/faith-and-psychology--how-weekly-rest-impacts-mental-health
[10]https://www.amazingfacts.org/study/bible-study-guides/the-lost-day-of-history/