450. Why did God “bless the Sabbath day and declare it sacred” (Exodus 20:11)?

God did so because on the Sabbath day one remembersGod’s reston the seventh day of creation, and also the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the Covenant which God sealed with his people.


Veja este tema no Catecismo

Paragraph 2168

2168. The third commandment of the Decalogue recalls the holiness of the sabbath: "The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD."92

Paragraph 2169

2169. In speaking of the sabbath Scripture recalls creation: "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it."93

Paragraph 2170

2170. Scripture also reveals in the Lord's day a memorial of Israel's liberation from bondage in Egypt: "You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out thence with mighty hand and outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day."94

Paragraph 2171

2171. God entrusted the sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of the irrevocable covenant.95The sabbath is for the Lord, holy and set apart for the praise of God, his work of creation, and his saving actions on behalf of Israel.

Paragraph 2172

2172. God's action is the model for human action. If God "rested and was refreshed" on the seventh day, man too ought to "rest" and should let others, especially the poor, "be refreshed."96The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.97

Paragraph 2189

2189. "Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Deut 5:12). "The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord" (Ex 31:15).


Acesse nossos estudos biblicos:

How the Annunciation Story Can Inspire Us to Trust God (Luke 1:26-38)

How can we flee the appearances of evil, as described in 1 Thessalonians 5:22?

What does the phrase “we live by faith, not by sight” in 2 Corinthians 5:7 mean?

What does the testimony of John the Baptist in John 1:29 mean, and how important is this testimony for Christians?

How important is gratitude in the story of the healing of the ten lepers, described in Luke 17:11-19?

What is the importance of Christian witness?

What is the example of Sodom and Gomorrah and what are the consequences of immorality and perversion according to the Bible?