"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

"Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

"But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

"For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Ex. 20:8-11.)

How much more plainly could the Lord have spoken?

If the importance of Sabbath observance, for some inexplicable reason, is not made clear to us in the Ten Commandments recorded in the 20th chapter of Exodus, we can find other instances in which the Lord has given voice to this admonition. Later in the book of Exodus, we read:

"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.

"Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you. . . .

"Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant." (Ex. 31:13-14,16.)

The law of the Sabbath is not as much a law of restraint as it is a covenant of promise, even, as the Lord said, "a perpetual covenant."

The Lord promised that He would bestow blessings upon those who keep His commandments. (See Lev. 26:2-11.) Most of all, He promised: "And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people." (Lev. 26:12.)

Divine directives for the Sabbath have been given in our own day:

". . . thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

"For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; . . .

"And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full." (D&C 59:9-13.)

These are but few of many scriptural admonitions pertaining to the Sabbath day. Some people seem to act as though there are "greater" and "lesser" commandments. Many would relegate keeping the Sabbath day holy as a "lesser" commandment. But that is erroneous.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has spoken many times on the topic of this great commandment. On one occasion, he said: "I thank the Lord for the Sabbath day. That comes from the Ten Commandments, but it is reaffirmed in strong and moving language in the modern revelation of this Church. No one has to shop on Sunday. You don't have to buy butter on Sunday. You don't have to buy milk on Sunday. You don't have to buy clothes on Sunday. You don't have to buy furniture on Sunday. No, of course not. Thank the Lord for the Sabbath day reaffirmed in this dispensation as the day of the Lord, sacred unto Him as it should be sacred unto us." (From a fireside address in Liverpool, England, Aug. 31, 1995.)

In Old Testament times, the spirit of the law became lost as some devised unnatural interpretation of the Lord's commandments. That resulted in a long listing of what was deemed appropriate, down to the distance one could walk on the Sabbath. (See Josh. 3:4, and Dictionary in 1979 LDS edition of King James Bible, "Sabbath Day's Journey," p. 765.)

Although we have instructions, such as those given by President Hinckley quoted above, the Church has not issued a comprehensive list of activities to be pursued and avoided on the Sabbath, although the scriptures, such as those quoted above, give direction. As we draw closer to the Spirit, we will know how the Lord wants us to spend our Sabbaths.

Let us claim the Sabbath as our day to rest, meditate, and to read and ponder the scriptures more extensively, perhaps, than we can on other days of the week. Let us utilize this day to be with our families, to enjoy one another's company, to communicate with our loved ones and strengthen bonds that will extend into the eternities. Most of all, let us dwell on the things of God.