THE DAY SET APART
“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.”
Exodus 20:8-10a (NIV)
For the people of Israel, when God gave them the Law, their entire lives had been oriented around work. For four hundred years, the people of Israel had been subjected to the burdensome toil of slavery in Egypt. When the Lord took His newly freed people to the base of Mount Sini and gave them the Law, He wasn’t doing so to put more burden on them. He was teaching them how to live.
The Lord understood humanity’s tendency to overwork, strive endlessly, and get lost in pursuing what’s next. Today, our days off often become catch-up days filled with unfinished tasks. Even good things—our jobs, families, and service—can become burdensome when our priorities are out of order. Our souls become exhausted when our lives drift from God’s original design. This was the state of God’s people when He taught them a new way. In a paradoxical command, He established a new rhythm: rest.
The Sabbath is more than an antiquated rule to be observed legalistically—it’s an invitation to life. Sabbath rest is multifaceted: It’s an invitation to physical and spiritual rest, worship, delight, trust, honor, joy, remembrance and more. Sabbath is about being with God, His people, His ways, and His thoughts. It honors God’s authority, faithfulness and provision in our lives. It’s a sign of deep trust, declaring that His faithfulness is so magnificent that we can afford to rest from all our efforts. It is a declaration of love and priority—a day to remember that God has freed us from what once enslaved us so that we may dwell with Him forever. How could a day like this not be holy?
If God’s priority were mere productivity, commanding His people to rest would make no sense. But He is, above all, a relational God. In His kindness, He established rhythms of rest and delight to keep His people anchored in Him. The Sabbath was always intended as a gift. This was true for Israel, and it remains valid for us today.
APPLICATION: How does learning that the Sabbath is about delight change your perspective on this day? What can you do on your Sabbath to engage more with God and others and rest from a place of delight?
PRAYER: Father, thank you for teaching me to live from rest. Teach me to embrace and experience true delight. Renew my heart and mind through the joy of Your presence. In Your name, Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?