Is the Sabbath still relevant in 2021? No doubt the answer is ‘yes’, but possibly not for the reason you might think. Our passage for today’s lesson is from Exodus 20:8-11:
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 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, 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.
Two of the primary messages God shared with Moses in the first five books of the Bible were:
- You shall have no other gods before me and
- Keep the sabbath holy
I mention these two together because I believe the sabbath is a sub-set of having no other gods (with a little “g”) which we’ll cover below. But first, what do you believe is God’s primary purpose in prioritizing the sabbath so highly? [pause a few seconds to think about it]. The most common answer is that our bodies and minds need rest, and while that is true, I believe rest is not the primary or direct reason God created the sabbath.
After reading through the Bible multiple times and studying it for many years, I’ve come to the conclusion (as mentioned in a previous lesson) that we can summarize the Bible in one sentence……The Bible is the story of God pursuing us. And that’s really all it is.
I mentioned that last point to emphasize that God knows how easily we get distracted and that we need frequent reminders of important messages. So while, yes, we need rest, what we need more is to remember that God provides all blessings and that when we remember Him and rely on Him, He will give us exactly what we need. When we rest on the sabbath, we are telling God that we refuse to worship the “god” that our work can so easily become if we let it. And, in doing so, our minds turn to the one true God, which brings a smile to His face.
Questions:
- Do you agree with the idea that the sabbath is more about remembering and trusting God than about resting?
- Did your views of the sabbath change after reading today’s lesson? Why or why not?
- Have you ever consistently and intentionally observed the Sabbath? What effect did it have on your life and wellbeing?
- Do you think it is acceptable to do yardwork (or similar work) on the sabbath? That is, should we try to avoid all work or is the primary focus of the sabbath to take a break from our profession/career?
- Are there any changes you would like to make based on today’s lesson?
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