What is the Sabbath … REALLY??

Hello friends! It’s been a while. This week I’ve been able to attend the D6 Conference in FLA. Had a chance to catch my breath. To be challenged. To think about things and consider the future.

A few weeks ago a friend asked me to do a podcast on the Sabbath. What does it mean? And, seriously, what does it mean to YOU?

In Exodus 20 we find these words: 8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. (NASB)

A basic analysis of the Ten Commandments shows us that the first four commandments deal with humanity’s relationship with God, and the last six deal with humanity’s relationship with each other. But if you REALLY look at this thoroughly, you would probably come to the conclusion that the first three pertain to humanity’s relationship with God, and that numbers 5 – 10 (the last six) could be considered a REFLECTION of God in how we deal with each other. And then there is number FOUR.

REMEMBER THE SABBATH AND KEEP IT HOLY. YES, the Sabbath is a day of worship and reflection. A day on which we should honor God, worship God, and put Him first. But we should be doing that EVERY DAY. What we who follow Christ consider as our holy day is for God and for us. It IS a day to focus on God but also a day to heal from the past week and prepare for the next week. When God elaborated on the Sabbath to Moses, He did not prescribe offerings, prayers, and ceremonial worship. He laid it out as a day of rest. Of recovery. And if our relationship with HIM is hitting in the right spots, we WILL FIND THESE THINGS IN WORSHIP. If our relationship is NOT finding those spots, the true question for each of us is WHY NOT? And what can I do about that?

Another element of our recovery is our gathering with the local church. With our people. With people who DO believe as we believe and impact our lives. They make a difference. If we need to be bandaged from the wounds of the world, they are prepping the bandages and the first aid cream. When we find the right bunch, they will do this because they, too, love us. And they know that we would do the same thing for them. IF we haven’t found the right bunch, again, WHY NOT? Is it because we are in the wrong place at the wrong time? Are we not allowing people to get close due to lack of trust? Again, that is on us.

Finally, the Sabbath is clearly about REST. Our bodies need rest. Physical rest. Mental and emotional rest. Spiritual rest. If you are burning both ends of the candle, you eventually discover that you cannot do that forever. You will end up in the hospital or (heaven forbid) in the grave. You are not invincible. Take time to rest and regroup. God rested after six days of creation, but His rest was not a rest of exhaustion. It was a rest of completion. We need rest for exhaustion. When our lives become so busy that we meet ourselves coming down the street, we are barreling toward a bad place.

REST. Please!!!

The There is so much more theologically that could be discussed here. But, let’s get this one on the right track. Then maybe we can move on to something deeper.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!