4 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Exodus 31:12-13, 17 (CSB): “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites: You must observe my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, so that you will know that I am the LORD who consecrates you… It is a sign forever between me and the Israelites, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Suppose I held up a large paper that had the Ten Commandments written on it. Now imagine that I ask you, “Which of these commandments must you obey?” You might be tempted to say, “All of them.”
But the fourth commandment poses an interesting problem. While the Sabbath command (Exodus 20:8-11) is by far the longest of the Ten Commandments, it is the one command that many do not think applies to New Testament believers after they have studied the Scriptures on this topic.
Looking back at the verses I have chosen for today, you will see in Exodus 31:17 that God said: “It (the Sabbath command) is a sign forever between me and the Israelites.” Clearly, God said that this command was given to the people of Israel.
So, if you study God’s Word and come to the conclusion that the Sabbath command only applies to Israel and does not apply to New Testament believers, you may be tempted to get rid of it completely. And I believe you would do that to your own harm.
Just because we may not be bound by the Sabbath command (I tend to think we are not) doesn’t mean we can’t choose to obey it anyway because we see the blessings attached to it. The Sabbath command was intended to be a day when the people of Israel rested. They did all of their work in six days and, as a community, took the seventh day off together.
While you may not believe you are bound by the Sabbath law, why not consider working for six days this week and then trying to rest on the seventh? Ideally, the seventh could be Sunday so that you can rest physically while being recharged spiritually.
If you do this, I would encourage you to consider that viewing technology is probably not restful. Don’t spend the day staring at the television or your mobile device. Instead, try to go for a leisurely walk in nature while spending time talking to the God who created it all. In my estimation, that would be a much better alternative.
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you study His Word and come to your own conviction about whether you are bound by the Sabbath law.
- Even if you don’t believe you are bound by it, ask God to help you choose to obey it at least this week so that you can have one day to rest and get recharged?
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into how a Christian should think about the Sabbath command, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
“Does God require Sabbath-keeping of Christians?”
“How is Jesus our Sabbath Rest?”
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)
Matt’s Musings 