Sabbath Commanded

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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. 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." -Exodus 20.8-11

Commandment four is God telling them something they have already heard. Back when the manna was being given God told them to gather enough on day six for two days. He told them to prepare whatever needed to be done the night before because the seventh day was to be a sabbath day of rest. Here, as it is commanded, not suggested, that the seventh day is to be a day of rest. And here there is some explanation.

God created everything in six days and on the seventh He rested. If God rests after creating the universe, man should rest too. There are six days to get done what we need. There are six days to do our job in, and six days to work around the house and do yard work. But on the seventh day, we need to rest.

Men, do you have a sabbath? It doesn't have to be Sunday, back when I was in professional ministry I had to work on Sundays, and so I took Friday as my sabbath. I would spend the day resting, maybe take a long walk with my dog. I'd get alone and just try to enjoy nature, something that refreshes me.

The sabbath doesn't mean we sit around and do nothing, that often ends up leaving us more drained. Instead we need to rest, we need to do something that is refreshing. It needs to include a time of worship, set aside to fully focus on God more than every other day. And on it, we need to let others rest as well, they also need a sabbath. We need to make sure our families have time to rest, and to worship together.

The Sabbath is not a suggestion, but a commandment from God. We are to remember it, to fiercely guard it, and keep it holy.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor