Sabbathing
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy”
The fourth of the ten commandments is to “remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20. I like to review the Ten Commandments in light of the first and second greatest commandments. Jesus described them in Matthew 22:37-40. Jesus said, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:40) I would hang the first four of the ten commandments on the great commandment. Loving the Lord my God would include: (1) having no other God before Him, (2) not making any idols, (3) not misusing the name of the LORD, and (4) remembering the Sabbath day. I would hand the last six of the ten commandments on the second great commandment. Loving my neighbor as myself would include: (5) honoring my father and my mother, (6) not murdering, (7) not committing adultery, (8) not stealing, (9) not giving false testimony, and (10) not coveting. When I consider “remembering the Sabbath day” as part of loving God, I view it differently. The popular view today is that the Sabbath is a day of rest. It is for my own good. I need to rest to improve my productivity the other six days of the week. That view focuses on my physical needs. I don't think the Sabbath is about my physical needs. I think the Sabbath is about my spiritual needs. Look at the entire commandment.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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 manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 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.” Intermission
The Hebrew word shabbath means intermission. To take a break from everyday activity and reflect. The Sabbath day is suppose to be different than the other six days. The sabbath was blessed and set apart to be kahdash, holy. Kahdash is a Hebrew root word meaning to be, make, pronounce or observe as clean, ceremonially or morally. The Sabbath day is suppose to be a day of cleansing. I need to attend to my spiritual needs on my sabbath. My primary need is to remember that Yahweh my God is the creator of the universe. He created for six days. Then He took an intermission from creating. I am suppose to do the same thing. I am suppose to work for six days and then take an intermission. The purpose of the intermission is to remember that Yahweh my God is the one who enables me to work and create. I don't do anything on my own. He provides the work and He provides the skills, abilities, and interests to do the work. I need to remember that. And I need to remember it every six days, when I take my sabbath. In Leviticus 25:4, Yahweh declared that in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to Yahweh. This sabbath was to remind people that Yahweh was the provider of all things, including the food that they ate. In Leviticus 25:11, Yahweh declared that the fiftieth year would be a year of jubilee. During the Year of Jubilee “everyone is to return to his own property.” (Leviticus 25:13) This sabbath of jubilee was to remind the people that Yahweh was the owner of all things, including the people and the land. The purpose of my sabbath is to remind me that God is the creator, provider and owner. Sabbathing is focusing on God as Creator, as Provider and as Owner. One way I do this is by being thankful. Being thankful reminds me that God is the creator of all things, the provider of all things and the owner of all things. I am thankful for how He made me. I am thankful for the work He has given me to do. I am thankful for the relationships He has given me. I am thankful for the material possessions He has given me stewardship over.
Practical discipleship tips for being thankful
Another way I practice sabbathing is to focus on the principle of intermission. If the previous six days have been physically demanding, I like to sleep an extra hour. If the previous six days have been mentally demanding, I like to include an extra hour of exercise. That might be a walk in the woods, a long bike ride, extra time at the fitness center. If the previous six days have been typical, then I have not been eating as well as I could. I saw a recent study reporting that as a nation, we tend to overeat on the weekends. We typically have more time and readier access to food. I have decided that my sabbath will include eating one less meal. Two meals instead of three. Its an intermission from my regular behavior.
Lord of the Sabbath
The sabbath is not about rules. Jesus made that clear when He was challenged about the activities He and His disciples engaged in on the Sabbath day. He declared that He was the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life and He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Therefore, I think it is best to ask Him what He wants me to do on my sabbath. That usually includes extra time praying and extra time studying the Bible. It usually also includes looking at my list of things I would like to do on my sabbath and cutting it in half. I tend to “over plan” my sabbath. I want to make sure I take maximum advantage of my intermission. My plan becomes the focus of the sabbath instead of God. At that point, I have to set my plan aside and sit at the feet of Jesus until He gives me direction.
Which Day?Which day is best for a sabbath? Some of my pastor friends take Monday as their sabbath. As do some of my friends who do full-time Christian work. My friends who work a Monday through Friday job have to chose Saturday or Sunday as their sabbath. I picked my day based on looking at my schedule for the previous 18 months. I reviewed what I had scheduled on Saturday and Sunday for those 78 weekends. I found that I had meetings or other activities scheduled on 39 out of 78 Saturdays and 40 out of 78 Sundays. I then looked at my schedule again and asked myself, “If I had decided that this day was my sabbath which of these activities or meetings could not be scheduled on a different day?” I found that only half of those things on each of those days were outside my control. They were scheduled by someone else. So I would either have to chose to engage or to miss out. I could not reschedule. Since there was no obvious day in my schedule that worked better, I asked God for His wisdom on the matter. He indicated I should try Saturday as my sabbath and evaluate how that worked for me. Matthew 12:8
Sabbathing is not about following rules and regulations. Sabbathing is about taking a break from my regular, hectic life and remembering Yahweh, my God. Remembering He is the Creator, the Provider and the Owner. Sabbathing is not about legalism. Sabbathing is about making Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, the Lord of my life, just as He is Lord of the Sabbath.
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Posted August 1, 2008
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