What Sabbaths are meant in Col 2:16?

The passage in Colossians 2:16 refers not to the weekly seventh day, but to the annual ceremonial rests of the Hebrew calendar. The Apostle Paul addresses believers in the context of the ceremonial law, which was a shadow of the future salvation through Jesus Christ. To properly understand the meaning of this passage, it is essential to explore the biblical context, the distinction between the laws, and the significance of shadows in the Old Testament system of ministry.

“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Col 2:16-17

The Context of the Chapter: Shadow and Reality

The main theme of the second chapter of Colossians is the sufficiency of Christ for human salvation. The Apostle Paul warns the congregation against human philosophies, traditions, and attempts to earn salvation through the observance of ceremonial regulations. In verses 14–17, the apostle points to the handwriting of ordinances that was nailed to the cross. These requirements were a shadow pointing to a future reality.

The weekly Sabbath cannot be a shadow of future redemption for one simple reason: it was instituted in Eden before the fall of man. When God sanctified the seventh day, there was no need yet for redemption or prophetic shadows of the Messiah’s death. The weekly Sabbath is a memorial of creation looking back to the past, whereas the shadows pointed forward to Christ.

“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” Gen 2:3

Annual Sabbaths in the Book of Leviticus

In the Old Testament, the word “sabbath” (Hebrew “shabbat”) was applied not only to the seventh day of the week, but also to a number of annual feasts. In Leviticus 23, the Lord first sets apart the weekly Sabbath of the Lord, and then describes in detail the system of annual celebrations.

“These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.” Lev 23:4

Among these feasts were seven fixed days of rest that were called sabbaths regardless of which day of the week they fell on. These included the first and seventh days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the day of Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), as well as the first and eighth days of the Feast of Tabernacles. For example, regarding the Day of Atonement, it is explicitly stated:

“It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.” Lev 23:32

Notice the phrase “your sabbath.” In contrast to the weekly day, which God calls “My Sabbaths” or a “sabbath to the Lord,” the annual rests belonged to the ceremonial system of the Jewish nation.

The Structure of the List in Colossians 2:16

Paul employs a sequence very characteristic of the Old Testament: food and drink (grain offerings and drink offerings), a festival (annual feasts), a new moon (monthly phases), and sabbaths (annual rest days). A similar sequence from annual to monthly and periodic is found in the prophets, for example in the book of Hosea:

“I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, her sabbaths—all her appointed feasts.” Hos 2:11

All these elements were part of the service of the earthly sanctuary. They were accompanied by sacrifices and pointed forward to the substitutionary sacrifice of the Savior. When the Lamb of God died on Calvary, the veil in the temple was torn in two, marking the end of the ceremonial system’s validity.

Ellen White, in the book “Patriarchs and Prophets,” notes that the ceremonial law was made up of types and symbols pointing to Christ. When the reality arrived in the sacrifice of the Savior, these shadows ceased to serve their purpose, yet the moral law of the Ten Commandments remains immutable as the eternal standard of righteousness.

Practical Significance for the Christian

Understanding the distinction between God’s moral law and ceremonial ordinances brings freedom from confusion. The Christian should not seek justification in rituals or observe shadows that have been fulfilled at the cross.

At the same time, the weekly Sabbath remains a holy day of fellowship with the Creator, a sign of His power and love. We are called to keep the seventh day not to earn salvation by our own works, but as a blessed rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ.