What Does it Mean to Remember the Sabbath?

Scripture Reading

Exodus 20:11

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Deuteronomy 5:14-15 (from the Ten Commandments)

14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Luke 4:14-16

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read

Luke 23:55-56

55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Devotional

The topic of Sabbath really weighed on me for months because although I had heard this term for as long as I can remember, I never really understood it and its life application until today.

When preparing for this devotional, I had three basic questions and we’ll talk about each one below in further detail:

1. What is the Sabbath?

2. Is Sabbath still applicable today?

3. What is God’s expectation of me, as a believer, in remembering the Sabbath?

What is the Sabbath?

Simply put, the Sabbath is a day of rest that both holy and set apart. It is part of the Ten Commandments and it was modeled throughout the Bible by God and his followers from the Old Testament through the New Testament.

In fact, God first modeled Sabbath for us all the way back in creation. Genesis 2:2-3 states:

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Although God did not need rest since he’s all powerful, he rested in contentment because his work in creating everything was complete and it was pleasing to him. I believe the fact that rest is mentioned and modeled by God himself within the first two chapters of the Bible is intentional and significant, which brings me to the second question.

Is the Sabbath applicable to us today?

The answer is yes. I think we can all agree that we as humans need our rest. I can say that from my personal experience, I often feel like my life is on a fairly rigid schedule, which starts at 5:30am and winds down at around 8pm. And let me tell you, when 8pm rolls around, I’m like “Alright Jesus, hit me with that rest you were talking about!” Just to clarify, I don’t mean the permanent rest, just the “leadeth me by still waters” kind. I’m super tired by the end of the day and the thing is that God knew I would be. Just he knew each one of us would be.

From the start, God wanted to model for us that while we were created to work, we should not work seven days a week for the sake of our physical, mental, and spiritual health. He created the Sabbath for our own well-being. Now that doesn’t mean we should just be a couch potato and avoid all responsibility. It does mean though that whatever your work is that you do to provide for your household is to cease for one day a week. And the day you choose to set aside is for renewal and restoration both physically and spiritually.

Something I found really interesting is that in Leviticus 25:1-4 it states:

The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.

While it was important for the Israelites to remember all that God had done for them and observe the Sabbath, here God exercises an additional level of Sabbath by instructing them to allow even the land to rest. Why? Because while it helps demonstrate the Israelite’s faith, dependence, and trust in God to provide, it also allows the soil to restore and replenish its nutrients. So literally, it’s even advisable for soil to rest to stay healthy and fulfill its purpose. Like us, if it is worked continuously, it may be fine for a few years but eventually it takes a major toll. If we look at our Earth today, many areas around the world have severe soil erosion from overcultivation and therefore, it isn’t able to provide a harvest like it used to if at all. Similarly, if we aren’t drawing closer to God and we’re exhausted all the time, how can we be ready to serve God when he calls us and how does that impact the relationships around us?

Furthermore, Jesus and his followers always observed the Sabbath as mentioned throughout the New Testament. His followers continued to observe the Sabbath even after his death and resurrection.

The Sabbath did not end with Jesus. It’s been applicable from the time of creation to the restoration of creation upon Jesus’ return.

So to summarize:

• God rested after creation

• Sabbath is a part of the Ten Commandments

• Jesus always observed the Sabbath with his disciples

• It’s important for us to continue to observe today

This leads us to the third question though – How do I do this?

What is God’s expectation of me, as a believer, in remembering the Sabbath?

Pick one day a week not to work and dedicate that day to restoration both physically, mentally, and spiritually. This is about drawing closer to God, being the hands and feet of Jesus, and receiving some much needed rest, relaxation, and restoration so you can be the best for all of those around you. Some practical ways to do this is to worship God, spend time in the Word and prayer, fellowship with other believers, spend some quality time with your friends and family, or help someone around you in need. Remember, it’s not about filling up your schedule, it’s about filling up your spirit so you can be who God wants you to be. Let’s pray.

Prayer

Father God, you are a good God. Thank you for helping me to understand the importance of Sabbath for both my physical and spiritual well-being. In a world that desires me to be busy all the time, help me to say yes to the things that are of your will so that I can run and not be weary. I want to be the best spouse, friend, parent, coworker, student, neighbor, and disciple that I can be. If it was important for you to rest, then I know how much more important it is for me to start and continue to observe the Sabbath like you called me to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen!