About Sabbath

We live in uncertain times, and life isn't always what we expect. Even during the turmoil currently invading our lives, is it possible to experience rest? Is a day to stop and put our trust wholly in God exactly what we need right now?

It seems clear from the commandment that at least part of what “keeping Sabbath” means has to do with the day being “different” from the other days of the week. Six are designed for working, and one designed for rest. It wasn’t just for the patriarchs, but for the entire household and visiting strangers. What are the “fences” we should use to honor it and “keep it holy?” Paul says the law is good, and he says we are not “under the law.” How does this relate to Sabbath?

Jesus broke the Sabbath taboos, but he also never sinned, which means he “kept the Sabbath holy.” How do blessings get turned into curses? It seems that the way Jesus related to the Sabbath was to return to its original intent: it was made for people—people weren’t made for it! It fits the New Testament idea that the law is meant to be descriptive of the life of a follower of Jesus, not a means to please or appease God. For example, if you are a God follower, you don’t follow other gods. If you are a God follower, you don’t make idols or misuse God’s name; you honor your elders, don’t murder, commit adultery, steal, testify falsely or covet. And you remember the Sabbath.

It is often thought that the Sabbath is a Jewish construct beginning when the 10 Commandments were given on Mt. Sinai. It is important to remember that, whatever Sabbath would become in the culture of a fallen world, it preceded the fall. The Sabbath finds its roots in the story of creation, God’s story of what is ideal for his perfect creation in a sinless garden. How will this clear place of Sabbath’s birth change our relationship to Sabbath today?