Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Exodus 20:8
NIV
The Sabbath was a big deal to the Jewish people. It meant
no work, absolutely none. It involved everyone. Rest was demanded; you had no
choice. It was a statement of faith. If you loved God, you observed and honored
the Sabbath.
What’s changed? Has the word of God gone dull? Absolutely
not! The word of God is active, living, never changing! So where do we fit into
this fourth commandment today? We are to keep the Sabbath Holy!
Sabbath means to rest.
First of all, this means we are to
rest. We have somehow determined in this society that it is wrong to rest. We
need to join a committee, plan an activity, sign the kids up for ball (soccer,
basketball and baseball– all at the same time), be reading the latest novel at
all times, fix gourmet meals, compete for the yard-of-the-month club, advance a
career, and be lean, trim men or women of God. Whew, that made me tired just
typing it!
In all the madness is God able to get your attention? Take
some time off, my friend! You deserve a break. Give yourself a rest. Take a
Sabbath for yourself. Slow down! Take time to enjoy life! Take a long walk on a
long pier! Watch the world go by for a while! Be still and know that He is God!
Remember that every day is God’s. If you are one of His
children, your life is in His hands. He is taking you to where there is no more
time, but for now your time is His. If you want to fully follow His will (and
why would you not?), you will need to take time to rest. God’s creation example
to us is to rest. God didn’t need the rest, but it was an opportunity for Him
to, by example, reflect on all He had made. We need that time to renew
ourselves, as well as our relationship to Him.
And keep the Sabbath (your time of rest) Holy. God is Holy,
so be Holy in all you do! What is wrong to do on Sunday is wrong the rest of
the week. Don’t have two standards. Be the same on Monday that you are on the
Sabbath. Keep your time of rest holy! Whatever you do to unwind, do it to the
glory of God. Let others see the reflection on your face and know that you have
spent time with the Father. Your time of rest will renew your strength and keep
your heart pure.
Finally, look forward to the Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4). One
day Jesus is returning to redeem God’s people from this world of sin and
disappointment. He will wipe away our tears and clothe us with eternal joy. We
will enter our Sabbath rest. It means the final rest, the one for which
we have waited, the one where we share our inheritance with Jesus!
Now that is what I call rest! Are you ready?
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