Discover How to Best Honor God through Sabbath

I remember Sunday mornings when my children were small. My sweet Pastor husband went to the church earlier than any of us wanted to go, so we always drove separately. Consequently, I woke my children, prodded them to get dressed, provided breakfast for them and delivered them to church.

When we lived five minutes away from the church, I arrived on time. When we moved twenty to thirty minutes away from the church, I struggled with punctuality. I would like to blame my difficulty on the fact that our children were older with a strong desire for more sleep. However, I know it wasn’t all their fault.

If you were to listen to my children, they would embellish our Sunday-morning-story and probably describe me as a screaming Hitler. I admit I responded with frustration on the way to church. I don’t like to be late, but I didn’t motivate them well toward a faster pace. Sunday morning was anything but restful.

Sabbath and the Torah

I’ve been studying the Torah, and I am continually surprised by the number of times God reminds them to keep the Sabbath. My parents set my life on the pattern of work Monday through Friday, clean the house and run errands on Saturday, followed by attend church on Sunday. I wonder if the Israelites’ pattern was simply work to survive every single day.

God’s instructions to the Israelites concerning the Sabbath were specific. He was teaching them a rhythm of life totally different from all the cultures around them. We seem to believe we follow the same rhythm, but I don’t think we do.

Rest and Refresh

God instigated Sabbath as a day for the Israelites to rest and refresh their bodies, minds, and spirits. I’m sure you’ve heard the idea that Sabbath is based on God’s pattern at creation. He worked for 6 days and then rested on day seven.

God desired the Israelites to rest fully. They were even to follow Sabbath during planting and harvesting seasons. Everyone, slaves and animals included, was to rest and refresh one day each week.

A Holy Day

God created Sabbath as a Holy day; a day set apart. I find it interesting that the day was not only holy unto the Lord, but also unto the Israelites. I interpret that to mean the day first of all distinguished God as Holy and worthy of all reverence and worship.

Second, I see Sabbath as also distinguishing the Israelites. God wanted them to be different from the nations around them. He was teaching and providing to make them holy as He is holy.

A Day of Celebration

I love the idea that Sabbath was considered one of the festivals or feasts God established, enabling them to remember He is LORD. The Israelites were to see Sabbath as a day of celebrating God and the life He was providing them. They weren’t to view Sabbath as just a day off or a vacation day. Instead, they were to honor God in worshipful gratitude.

A Day of Covenant

In Exodus 31:13, God describes Sabbath to Moses (and the Israelites) as a “sign between me and you throughout your generations, so that you will know that I am the LORD who consecrates you.” Later in Exodus 31:16, God declares Sabbath “a permanent covenant.”

God taught the Israelites that maintaining the Sabbath was a reminder about the covenant relationship God held with them. The Israelites were not to focus on what they perceived needed to be done. Instead, they were to fixate on the God who had already done so much for them.

Sabbath in the New Testament

When you read the New Testament, Sabbath was a part of the Jews’ rhythm of life. I find it fascinating the early church doesn’t often discuss how to honor the Sabbath. However, the early church does provide a picture, through their behavior patterns, which proves their continual remembrance to honor the Lord.

As I read about the early church, I see they experienced Sabbath each and every day. They honored and worshiped God. They chose to refresh themselves by His wisdom and provision. Moreover, they lived resting in the grace and power of Jesus’ name.

Sabbath for Us

What wisdom can we gain from these ideas of honoring the Sabbath? We live in a differently structured culture. Many of us must work on Sundays to feed our families. Sometimes, we imagine honoring Sabbath means we sit in hard back chairs and do nothing but read God’s Word all day long.

I believe the key ideas found in Exodus, combined with the attitude of the early church,  can guide us. If we want to honor the Sabbath, we must create rhythms that lead us to remember God is God. God is our provider, and He is the Sovereign One over all of life. Whatever we choose to implement must honor God, encourage the relationship we have with Him and lead us to be different from the world.

Honoring the Sabbath in Today’s World

Consider the following suggestions.

• Be a consistent church attender.
• Get involved relationally in some way at your church. Don’t just sit in the pew.
• If you must work on Sunday, set aside a different day or a specific time frame to specifically rest and refresh your body, mind, and spirit through some sort of communion with your Creator. Reminder: this is not a vacation day, nor a day to get caught up on the chores you didn’t do earlier in the week.
• Don’t let the world determine the pace of your life. Choose instead to trust God’s wisdom and provision. Doing more, gaining more, experiencing more, isn’t necessarily better.
• Set your mind to not plan or organize for the upcoming week. Focus completely in the moments the day, or the scheduled time, provides
• Do an activity that you view as a celebration of God, life, and or His blessings to you.
• Participate in a pursuit that refreshes your mind, body, and or spirit. You can take a nap, engage in a hobby, read a book, listen to a podcast and more. However, you must consider if the endeavor is preparation for work to be done later, or completing a task you didn’t finish earlier. Neither of these is choosing to trust God and His provision.
• Enjoy fellowship with family and friends.
• Play with your children and give them undivided attention.
• Attend a small group or host a small group in your home. Discuss the Word of God and your relationship with Jesus.
• Visit someone you don’t see often or call a relative or friend who lives in another state. Remind your heart this person is a gift from God.
• Encourage someone in a creative way.
• Set aside a specific time to pray.
• Set aside a specific time to journal your thoughts and feelings considering all that is currently happening in your life. Process all those thoughts and feelings with the Holy Spirit.

The Benefits of Sabbath

As New Testament believers, we have a different take on Sabbath. Jesus has paid our sin debt, and we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. God dwells within us and has designed every day to be a day in which we honor Him.

Church Photo by Soff Garavano Puw on Unsplash