Lesson 2 – Blessed by the Sabbath

Genesis 2:3 (NKJV)
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

While this verse isn't a direct blessing on God's people, I think it provides an indirect blessing we shouldn't ignore. The creation account records that God rested on the seventh day, having finished the work of creation.

In the Ten Commandments, we learn this Sabbath was to be considered holy. It belongs to God. It is set aside for his purposes. Jesus later explains that while the Sabbath belongs to God, he gave it for our benefit. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, thus reflecting the purpose of God's blessing.

Clearly, we must not treat the Sabbath like all other days. God blessed it and gave it to us, so we need to recognize its importance in shaping our lives. As a day set aside unto the Lord for his purposes, it is to be a day in which we are also set aside for the Lord.

Traditionally, the church meets together on one holy day per week, referred to as the Lord's Day and traditionally observed on Sunday ever since Christ's ascension. Churches assemble to remember Christ's sacrifice for sin. We assemble to lift our voices in worship. We call out to the Lord in prayer. We commit to obeying the Spirit as we consider holy Scriptures.

While these are of utmost importance in drawing near to the Lord, I also encourage you not to forget the example of our Lord on his first Sabbath. He rested. While God's work is also complete in terms of our salvation, there is surely more work to be done in us, for sanctification seems to be a life-long process. When it comes to committing ourselves to live as Christ, allowing the Spirit to be ever-changing our hearts, there should be no rest.

However, don't forget that God commanded Israel to be at rest on the Sabbath from their secular work. No trade, no harvesting, no carrying a burden. Stay put. And, while we live in the freedom of the New Testament, we'd do well to follow this example of rest, for among other benefits, it gives our hearts and minds time to hear the Lord's voice.

Sure, some have to work on Sunday, and some tasks which we face can't be deferred. I'm sure God understands. But we need to do our part to free our minds to hear from the Lord. That is what the Sabbath is all about.

For many of us, we need to find a way to move our minds from the tasks of the week. This might mean taking a swim, going for a jog, playing the piano (or the radio for that matter!), or walking the dog. The key is, we need to move from what we do daily to position ourselves to hear from the Lord.

At its heart, the Sabbath is a change. We move from doing old things, to doing new things. And in this change, we recognize the importance of the Lord in our lives and we give God time to make us into something new. I thank God for the Sabbath and invite you to join me weekly in giving a day unto the Lord.