Does God Obey All Of The Ten Commandments?

Does God keep the sabbath? Apparently not.

Jesus had healed an man who had been ill for 38 years, and he did it on the sabbath. (John chapter 5) When questioned by the Jews Jesus said, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."

God works on the Sabbath! Isn't that a sin, not keeping the Sabbath?

We read in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus (God) is holding the universe together: "...and upholds all thing by the word of His power."

So Jesus must be working seven days a week, because the universe does not go on pause every seven days. Colossians 1:17 says the same thing:

"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

So God breaks the Ten Commandments... or does He?

In Mark 2:27 Jesus says, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."

What about Genesis where it says the God rested on the seventh day? In fact, some people say the God is still resting and that we are still in the seventh day. That can't be true because the verses we just looked at say that God is working on the time. So what does Genesis say?

"By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He Rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done."

Genesis just says that God rested from the work that He had done. By the way, does God need rest? No. And notice that it says He rested from "what He had done." This is talking about God having completed creation, and as an example to us He rested from His creation work, but He did not stop doing everything else that He does. God continued to work... on the seventh day.

So is God giving us a commandment He does not follow Himself? What's the purpose of the sabbath?

Let's read Exodus 31:14 - "You shall surely observe My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations."

Now God not keeping the sabbath is starting to make sense. It is a sign between God and mankind. It does not make sense to have a sign between God and God. But what is it a sign of?

Ezekiel 20:12 repeats what was said in Exodus 31:14. And then God repeats it again in Ezekiel 20:20. That's now three times God has said exactly the same thing. But these two verses ad some additional information. We are to keep the sabbath so that we remember, so that we know, the God is our Lord. The sabbath serves as a reminder that God is in charge and that we need to obey Him. By keeping the sabbath we are demonstrating our agreement that our salvation comes through our obedience. Since God is perfect He does not need to remind Himself. But, since we are not perfect, and we are under the New Covenant - saved through the blood of Jesus Christ - we are not obligated to keep the sabbath.

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