Exodus 31:12 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
This passage of scripture teaches us that the keeping of the biblical Sabbath is supposed to be a sign of the work of sanctification taking place within our hearts. The passage mentions the children of Israel by name, but this is not meant to be understood as an exclusion of all other people from the benefits of proper Sabbath keeping, for the Sabbath was made for all people from every nation tribe and tongue, and furthermore, the following two passages of scripture adequately clear up the common misconception, that the Bible is here referring only to the Jewish people. Let's read:
Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
However we must always bear in mind that the counterfeit Sabbath which has been established by Rome, and which is now almost universally followed by most Christians, does not bear the signet of heaven, nor is there any scriptural authority to support it in anyway, a fact that is acknowledged even by the Roman religious authorities, as written in their Catechism. The keeping of Sunday does not require any faith in God, for unlike the true Sabbath, it is made subjective to the desires, opinions, and doings of man, incorporating entertainment, secular movies, partying, shopping, and all manner of secular work on the same day that is supposed to be a holy day. This is not what God intended when He said to keep the Sabbath day "Holy". Let's read:
Exodus 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. 14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you" ..... "for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord".
The keeping of the true Sabbath requires faith in God, for it allows us to place all of the temporal concerns of this life completely in God's hands, thus showing our total dependence on Him for life, sustenance, and protection. In the giving of the Manna in days of old, The Lord worked several miracles during the Sabbath hours on behalf of the temporal interests of His people so that their minds might not be bogged down by the cares of this life. He miraculously preserved their food that would have spoiled on other working days, and He did not send any Manna on the Sabbath day, thus teaching the people that they should rest from their labors over the sacred hours. Let's read:
Exodus 16:22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread" ..... 23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
But God's providence in behalf of His people did not stop here, for it also extended out to the protection of His people from foes who might seek to take advantage of the fact that they were resting, and thus would not be inclined to fight on the Sabbath day. Also, there might be those bandits who were opportunists, who would obviously seek to rob the children of God as they attended church services from week to week. These were also held at bay by the unseen forces of heavenly angels who patrolled the camp of the Hebrews, searching for, and deterring any would-be robbers. Let's read:
Exodus 34:23 Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year.
All of these experiences and protections required the exercise of faith in God, and that's one of the reasons why the counterfeit Sabbath can never replace the keeping of the true Sabbath, for the keeping of Sunday does not need God for any of these providential and miraculous workings. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls us back to the keeping of the original seventh day Sabbath of the fourth commandment, as God has ordained, for it contains mega promises for those who by faith, find their rest and salvation in The Lord of the Sabbath. Let's read:
Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!