Sabbath Day Meaning

“And these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 28:2)

Back when I was a single mother of two “tween” girls, I was trying my best to lead them in the ways of the Lord. I studied the bible diligently for guidance and strength and it was during this time I started to think about the fourth commandment “Honor the Sabbath and keep it holy.” I began to examine my life and how I lived and wondered if simply attending church was enough to keep this commandment.

Some people think of the week like this: Monday #1, Monday #2, Monday #3, Monday #4, Friday, Saturday, pre-Monday! I find this a humorous way to look at the week however the more I thought about the Sabbath (Sunday), and realized it made God’s Top Ten list- namely the Ten Commandments- it must be important.

“Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)

All throughout the Bible, God tells us that obedience to His teachings will lead to blessings. Therefore we know that God gave us the Ten Commandments as a guiding gift. By following them we will free ourselves of unnecessary pain, stress and negative consequences. Most importantly God gave us the Sabbath to protect our loving relationships. All of the commandments relate to love: the first three show our love of God and the remaining seven commandments show how we extend love to others.

If we look at how Sundays are spent in America, we would probably agree that most of us do not keep this day holy. Back in the early days of our country, there were Blue Laws that regulated behavior on Sunday. These laws restricted secular activities like working to earn money, buying or selling (especially alcohol), traveling and attending/participating in sporting events. Not everyone agreed with these laws and most states have repealed them.

But law abiding doesn’t equate love. Obedience must be a choice made from the heart of a person who desires to honor God. Therefore, how we spend the Sabbath must come from a true desire to spend time with our Savior by reading Scripture, attending church and having true heartfelt worship. Weekdays are so busy that we can’t rest or step back from society to spend an extended amount of time with the Lord, therefore Sundays are the perfect day to recenter our soul.

The Sabbath Is A Holy Day

The Greek translation of the word holy is pure or worthy. I know when I watch a football game on a Sunday or grab a few groceries, I am certainly not keeping this day pure. I am acting as if Sunday is any other day of the week. But, we have a choice as individuals, church congregations and a country, as to how we approach the Sabbath day of rest.

We may argue that Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets (Matt 5:17-20) meaning that He met all necessary requirements to receiving eternal life therefore we aren’t obligated to treat it as a holy day- and that conclusion is correct. Jesus did fulfill all of the law and our belief and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior will grant us a spot in eternity no matter if we keep the Sabbath day holy or not. Just like we have free will to covet, to not honor our mothers and fathers and to even kill an unborn child. But these are not God’s way. These are worldly ways of thinking and they are not going to bring us into a full abundant life of blessings.

When I actually thought about the Sabbath, a day to honor and think about God ,I realized He most certainly deserves a day a week where we stop from business as usual in order to show the world we are Christ followers.

If we collectively as a nation decide to close businesses and start to show reverence for this holy day, it would be a sign to all nations that Christ is our Lord and Savior and walking in His way is important to us.

“The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.”(Ex 31:16)

Going to church as a family and then continuing this pure and holy atmosphere when we arrive home from church is a great start. We can use the remainder of the morning to teach our children how to apply the biblical principles we have learned from the sermon. Passing on to the next generation how wonderful, restful and reverent Sundays were meant to be, seems to be what God desired.

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”(Mark 2:27) Meaning, God gave us the Sabbath as a rest. It is one full day set apart to relax and enjoy being a Christian. And with this rest, He will bless us in many different ways.

I am first on the list of those who have greatly defiled the Sabbath. But recently I prayed ” Lord, keep me in your perfect will“. The morning after I prayed this prayer I receive a shocking wake up call- literally. The Lord lead me in a strong and obvious way to this verse in the book of Isaiah:

Isaiah 58:13-14

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

I was shocked and amazed that the Lord not only heard my prayer but answered me. He told me where I had stepped outside of His perfect will. Now I have a choice to either follow His wisdom or not, knowing full well, that blessings will be waiting for me if I am obedient.

I choose to keep the Sabbath as holy and set apart as possible without being legalistic about it. I know that I will enjoy the rest and extended time in the Word.

“Where there is no law there is no transgression.”(Romans 4:15)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”(Matthew 5:17)

If there is no law, then everyone would go to heaven and Jesus’ death would be for nothing. But God did make the 613 laws in the Old Testament in order to teach the Israelites how to stay clean, healthy, worship Him and live in community. However, only the moral laws or the 10 Commandments still remain.

But it is difficult to stay true to the Sabbath as we should. Our country is so entrenched in secular society with kids and professional sports happening on this day, that it seems something will need to go drastically wrong in this country for society to “wake up” and allow families to rest together on Sundays. This country has changed dramatically over the past 50 years, and in the next post I will explain how America used to honor the Sabbath day of rest.

Application: If you have small children that are not involved in organized sports, start to develop a Sabbath plan. Get ready the day before. Prepare meals for Sunday that only need to be reheated so mom can rest too. Enjoy the day as a family day while teaching the Gospel to your children.

Food For Thought,

Lisa

This is a link to my favorite Bible with excellent teaching points. Click here