"The sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet
the requirements of the sabbath.
In short, the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath! Why did the Lord rest from the creation on the seventh day? Why did He labor for six days to make the world and the universe? In that God is omnipotent and does not need rest, why did He establish the symbolism of the seventh day of rest? Did He know the limitations of man? Why should we be burdened by the traditions and admonitions others? Which day of the week is the real sabbath? Who is the Lord of the Sabbath, man or God? How does the sabbath apply to us in our present day?
The Lord tells us that the sabbath was made for man to meet his needs. Man was not made for the sake or requirements of a sabbath. God is complete and not in need of anything, thus He did not require a sabbath, man did. Jesus was questioned about the actions of David and his followers who broke with priestly traditions when they ate the consecrated bread on the sabbath. First Jesus made it clear that He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and then He made it clear that the sabbath was made for man not for God. Then Jesus enlarged the topic when He wanted to know from the priests if it was proper to do good deeds on the sabbath. Was it all right to save the life of an animal or a person on the sabbath? Did the traditions and priestly requirements serve God or man on the sabbath. God made the Sabbath for man!
Even today many questions arise about what to do and what not to do on the sabbath. What is allowed by God and what is prohibited? The most important thing to learn from the truth for today is that God created the sabbath to meet the needs of His people and not the people to meet His requirements on that day. The correct answer is spiritual and not fleshly. It is made to give man a day of rest and refreshment. It is a day to honor God and do what is righteous. Do not let traditions and ideas imposed by priests take away the joy and pleasure that God intended. Do not let questionable laws or instructions destroy the intentions of the Lord. The sabbath was made for you, enjoy it and keep it holy and seek righteousness and rest and refresh yourself. It is THE SABBATH!
