Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
I wonder what weekend plans you have which will be different from your normal weekday activities? While in Israel, I have been reminded of the significance of “Sabbath” as God described and designed it. Would you join me this weekend in some fresh reflection on what God intended for us when He set aside one day every week for a “Sabbath” day?
As Moses was leading the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, they knew life would never be the same again for them. But I don’t think they had any idea how dramatically different was the life God had in mind for these people whom He loved so much. When, after several weeks of desert traveling, following the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, these Hebrews came to Mount Sinai, they camped for several months there.
God wanted to instruct and inform them about WHO God would help them become as a new nation of God honoring people. God instructed Moses to invite these nearly 1 million slaves to an unforgettable meeting with God. Exodus 19 tells us after several days of preparation, they gathered at the base of Mount Sinai and God came down in a cloud and spoke audibly to the people! Can you imagine hearing the audible voice of God? What did God say? Exodus 20 begins with these words: “God spoke all these words: ‘I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of your slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven or on earth…” (Ex. 20:1-4) And so begins what we know as the 10 Commandments which God first spoke and then wrote down on tablets of stone, which Moses then brought down off the mountain. These Commandments from God were intended to be guidelines for living God honoring lives.
The fourth command which God spoke to the people is this: “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 this day you shall do no work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth… but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.“ (Ex. 20:8-11)
For these Hebrew slaves this was a radical concept! They had known nothing but slavery for several generations. Slaves were the workforce of Egypt and there were always great projects requiring a huge labor force. The slave masters had little patience for anything less than high productivity and that meant EVERY day was a workday! One day of rest every week was a radical concept and it was Almighty God who both modeled it and called His people to start living it immediately. These Hebrew slaves had begun to understand this Sabbath concept a few weeks before when the food they had carried out of Egypt began to run out and they cried out to God for food in the desert. God sent them a daily bread delivery which fell from heaven, and they called it Manna. (Ex. 16)
Do you remember there were three vital guidelines which God gave those fleeing Hebrew slaves, for the proper use of that daily Manna? First, it was to be gathered and cooked early each day, for the hot sun would burn it away. Second, each person must gather and cook only what they needed for one day. Any effort to store it for more than one day was futile as maggots would grow on the second day. However, one day per week there was no Manna drop from heaven, that was the Sabbath day.
Each week the day BEFORE Sabbath, the Manna God provided would be very special in that the Hebrews could collect and cook enough for two days, and it would not spoil. This was their first lesson in learning to honor God’s Sabbath day; fully trust God and obey His instructions. Exodus 16 tells us it required quite some time for the Hebrews to learn to collect and cook the Manna exactly as God prescribed. Honoring the Sabbath was a major, significant aspect of Jewish life and since the days of Moses it has been a challenge for each generation of Jews to teach their children the Sabbath, right up to 2023. I saw it with my own eyes when I was in Israel this week.
Sabbath, or “Shabbat” as the Jews call it, begins with sundown on Friday afternoon and concludes with dark on Saturday evening, thus it is actually a 25-hour special day each week. Shops and schools are closed, there is little traffic on the roadways and life is quite different on the Sabbath in Israel. But do you know, my friends, what the purpose is of this special day each week? The word “Sabbath” can be used both as a noun, a special day, and a verb, the activity of that special day.
I think it seems to be best described in these words: REST; RESTORE; and REFLECT. Physical rest from the labor of the other six days is very important to keep a balance in life. Our bodies are designed by God to need rest daily, and a change of pace from the busyness of life every six days. RESTORE is not only physical rest but a restoration of proper alignment and balance of a person’s life with God. So easily the frantic pace of life, the demands of life, the busyness of life can squeeze out sufficient time for worship and spiritual restoration of the soul. But when one day in seven is set aside for spiritual restoration, it’s amazing how your relationship with God will be nurtured and nourished and the entirety of your life will come into proper alignment with God!
Time to REFLECT on the important things in life is another important aspect of Sabbath. Have you noticed every waking moment of our lives are so easily filled with information, entertainment, activity, and choices that unless you intentionally set aside time to really reflect on your life direction, your life priorities, your life values, your life challenges, you will so easily find your life rushing by with little fulfillment. God spoke these words to Moses to further explain the importance of this one day each week called Sabbath: “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, ‘you must observe My Sabbaths. This will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who makes you Holy… The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant with God. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day God rested and was refreshed.” (Ex. 31:12-17)
In Jerusalem, where I spent the Sabbath this past week, it was amazing to see life change as Friday sundown approached. The evening meal, either with family at home, or a large group of people as in the hotel where we stayed, was the formal beginning of Sabbath, with candles, song and prayer. With the busyness of the week set aside, a very special time for REST, RESTORE and REFLECT begins. For many, that Friday evening meal is the highlight of the week as time is taken to share their hearts, listen to one another, encourage each other and celebrate that this Sabbath tradition goes back nearly 4000 years, generation after generation! Saturday morning the streets of Jerusalem were deserted, except for many men dressed for prayers, walking to Synagogue. Throughout the day, Jerusalem was remarkably quiet on Sabbath Saturday.
As we enter our weekend, may I ask if your weekend will include a Sabbath for you and your family? A day of REST, RESTORE and REFLECT? Do you feel you understand how to “Sabbath” in such a way that when you awaken to begin your new week you really are rested, restored in your spiritual vitality and you’ve had sufficient time to reflect on what is really important in life? Are your children and grandchildren growing up with a great anticipation of your family Sabbath each week and will they prioritize carrying on the tradition when they are adults and are building their families? May I offer us this song to help us consider the importance of a day set aside to focus on spiritual refreshment and renewal of your relationship with God…Sabbath?!?
Today’s Scripture is Ex. 31:12-18.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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