Do you think you have more endurance than God? Certainly not! We know from Isaiah 40:28 that God does not get tired or weary; however, we humans do. We would not claim to have more stamina than our Creator. By not having a day of rest, we dishonor God. How? Because He made the day holy.
In Exodus 20, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. One of those commandments was to observe the Sabbath and rest. Exodus 20 connects this command to God’s pattern of creation, while Deuteronomy 5:12-15 also connects it to Israel’s slavery in Egypt and God’s deliverance from forced labor. God delivered them from slavery and gave them the gift they needed most: rest! God gave additional details in this commandment. He wanted to make it clear that the Sabbath was for everyone. The Sabbath was for family members, servants, animals, and foreigners. The human body is not meant to run without rest. That is why God allowed mankind to create robots. You and I are not robots; we need rest!
I am the poster child for not taking a break until I am physically and emotionally exhausted. I don't know why I try to be everything to everyone and neglect resting myself. God created the Sabbath to keep us from burning ourselves out.
What should be done on the holy day? Resting, worshiping, honoring God with the time he has given you to rest, and giving others the opportunity to rest. Remember in the original commandment, not only does it say we should rest, but we should also make sure other people around us are resting.
Well Paul tells us not to let anyone judge how we spend the Sabbath. See Colossians 2:16-17.
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11 (NIV)
Spiritual rest is the peace and assurance that come from trusting God. It means depending on Him instead of carrying every burden in our own strength and resting in the work He has already done for us through Christ.
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28 (NIV)
Author: Travis White |
