An ancient post of mine, for this resting day.
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[Disclaimer: This essay will involve you looking up some Scriptures – let’s hear it for active reading!]
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Rest. It is a command.
God Himself set the example after He created the firmament, earth, and living things. He chose the seventh day, making it holy and blessing it. He rested. He then directed His people to do the same. Exodus 20 calls them to leave one day for a Sabbath to the Lord; all the other days are for work. Jeremiah 17 speaks of consequences of not observing the Sabbath — destruction — and of promises of prosperity if the command is obeyed. It is a day specifically set apart, sanctified, to worship God. Not only was keeping the Sabbath a matter of behavioral discipline, but of heart discipline as well. If people were always working, they would not be in a position to worship God with singular focus. It’s a day that requires significant preparation – setting aside food the day before, taking care of errands ahead of time. The entire day belongs to the Lord.
Today we still should keep the Sabbath. This idea may bring about thoughts of Matthew 12, where Jesus does not observe the Sabbath as the teachers thought He should. Jesus says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” And Colossians 2 advises against concerning ourselves with human teachings and regulations, specifically with respect to the Sabbath. Keeping this day holy is an Old Testament commandment, and we’re in the New Covenant, so why would we need to worry about it? Isn’t that legalism?
No. Jesus picked up grain on the Sabbath because He is its Lord and Creator. The teachers of the Law knew all about behavioral discipline, but their hearts did not understand. Paul writes to the Colossians about the Sabbath because the human regulations dealing with it are shallow and ineffectual; they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. And let’s look at Matthew 5, where Jesus states that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them. Anyone who breaks a command and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
The Psalmist(s) never would have associated the term ‘legalism’ with following God’s commands. David says in Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statues of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” The Law brings life and wisdom. Psalm 119:32: I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free. The Law brings freedom. (For more, look at Psalm 119:97-104 and Proverbs 28:7.) God’s Law was not meant to be stiff, stressful, or life-quenching. And Jesus preached peace through salvation. He broke through the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:15) which was created by the Law’s condemnation of sin. And now we uphold the law by faith (Romans 3:27-31). So still it stands, but differently. The former regulation of the law, while requiring perfection, made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7:18-19); now a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God and are reconciled with Him (Ephesians 2:16).
Now that we have a stew of passages and thoughts, let’s sort through them. The Psalms tell us that God’s commands are freeing, and from Paul we learn that we have grace in Jesus, who did not come to nullify God’s freeing commands. The difference is that now, we are not condemned when we break the commands; we have been forgiven and blessed to try again, to sin no more (neither do I condemn you – John 8:11). I believe that God gives us commands and disciplines us for our good. Exhibit A: Genesis 2:16-17. I believe also that we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). If God commanded rest and took it Himself, it is reasonable to believe that we also need rest.
If this explanation isn’t enough, let us look to our own experiences. The majority of humankind is designed to need sleep. Not only that, but we need resting even while awake, whether that be physical, mental, or emotional. We push ourselves to our limits, filling days with meetings, learning, and people. We grow tired.
But I’m not talking as much about being tired. I want to keep the Sabbath because I need spiritual rejuvenation and renewal (rejuvenewal?). Because I want to hear from God and give Him a day of full access to me. Would that I could do that every day, but we also work, and have from the very beginning (Genesis 2:15). Sacrifice is not what Jesus desires, so much as mercy, which is a much better outward indicator of inner wholeness. I don’t keep the Sabbath in order to be a good person, sacrificing a day of my time to God; I keep it in order to be, and to be whole.
And let’s be clear about something else: Sabbath rest is not equivalent to being a vegetable in front of an electronic appliance. I’m talking about an encounter with God, one which leaves you changed, hungry for more, and filled with supernatural joy and peace. Good luck showing me a TV program that can do that. Isaiah 58:13-14 calls for abstinence from personal pleasures and idle talk on the Sabbath; it is to be a holy day, a delight and an honour. These verses promise that if we do not go our own way, we will take delight in the Lord, be carried and fed. This clearly is not a “personal day,” and it doesn’t mean that we just don’t work. We have lost the discipline of true resting.
Let’s follow this rhythm created for us (Matthew 5). The seasons follow one another in an anticipated rhythm; all spring things grow and push through, and we plant; all summer we tend; all autumn, we harvest and store. And winter is the Sabbath of seasons. Nothing more can be done. Everything has to rest, to prepare for the upcoming growth and impending life. Just so, it is needful for us to sit at the Lord’s feet and be in His Shekinah* presence (Luke 10:42). God’s refreshing power far exceeds anything created by man. Experience His fullness and glory. Be changed every week. Inhabit the lifestyle of true Sabbath rest.
* Dwelling, resting, settling (Hebrew)