Remember and Keep

““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…
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This sounds heavenly. Although, in our western culture, does anyone really understand what it means? Does anyone know what it means to “remember the Sabbath day”? And what does it mean to keep it holy?

I want to learn what God means. I’m seeking understanding. But I can’t say that I truly understand the meaning of this Scripture. I feel sure you are longing to know as well and probably feel somewhat inadequate to understand. But you like me want to, and that counts in God’s economy.

Rest sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? I am confident that many of us long for an experience of Sabbath one day, down the road, in the future. Hopefully, we pray one day, but not right now. Perhaps one day when the kids can sleep through the night. When the kids’ schedules aren’t so crazy- perhaps in the midst of the long summer days. If not now, maybe we will find Sabbath when we’re empty nesters. And for many of us, this is the rest we believe awaits us in retirement. Some of us believe Sabbath is not possible in this life, but in heaven Sabbath rest will be ours for eternity.

Because God says His ways are not our ways, I think that most of our concepts of Sabbath are contrary to what our good Father means by remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy. This includes me. I’m not an expert on Sabbath rest, and I am quite sure I don’t do it well. But I want to. I have a longing in my heart to learn what God has in mind when He directs us to Sabbath rest. And more so, I want to understand better what it means to keep the Sabbath day holy.

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Genesis 2:1-3

Remember the Sabbath is God’s good idea. Thus, the beginning of my understanding is to imagine that a Sabbath day centers on God’s character. Keeping the day holy might have as much to do with cultivating the fruit of the Spirit as it does with napping. He wants us to take one day out of 7 to rest, breathe, sleep, and eat. He wants one day out of 7 to be a non-production day. A day of enjoyment, and of looking around and feeling grateful.

If we have a desire to learn what God is thinking when He commands Sabbath rest and holiness, our first step must be to ask for wisdom. Our clues come from His word, which He has provided for us as a means to know Him better. And we must sit still and be quiet long enough to hear. We must listen for His answers. We must watch for insight. We must practice with an intent to learn. If we want this, we must make God a first priority.

 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

James 1:5

The clues about Sabbath are those I’ve gleaned by reading His word and through prayer. The insights I’ve gained at this point in life come from God. And I’ve only made improvements in practicing Sabbath rest by actually practicing. Procrastination will not benefit any of us. There will never be time for Sabbath rest if we continue to put off obedience to God. However, starting with a determination to set aside 30 minutes on Sunday afternoon to simply sit in a quiet place, read God’s word, listen and journal, will bear fruit. Why not give it a try?

What did God do and say when He finished creating after six days? What does the Bible say about God’s intent to set aside a whole day for rest? Look in the first few pages of Genesis. Read it for yourself. What do you see? Maybe you want to choose this exercise for your first 30 minutes of Sabbath. Set your alarm. Put your screens away. Read a paper Bible and pick up a pen to write in a paper journal. Go old school. Enjoy being unplugged for 30 minutes.

What do we know about the concept of Sabbath?

• God instituted it, so it must be a good idea.
• He ceased from working because His work was finished after the 6th day.
• He delighted in the fruits of His labor.
• He verbalized gratitude by speaking all His work as good.

What else? The Holy Spirit wants to teach you. Listen. Ponder. And glean His wisdom and goodness.

Eyes on Jesus and Shine,

Lisa