What does it mean to Sabbath?
What is the purpose of a day of rest?
What are we supposed to do?
What are we allowed/not allowed to do?
These are all things I have asked and the questions themselves show how little I really knew. However, as I grow in my understanding I wanted to share some of the things I have learned. So lets talk about it!
First, lets look at what Sabbath actually means.
Google says, “a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.”
Webster says, “the seventh day of the week observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening as a day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians. Sunday observed among Christians as a day of rest and worship; a time of rest”
In Exodus 20:8-11 it says, “8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.“
Those verses are in reference to the 10 commandments, given to Moses by God on Mt Sinai. In them, he says to keep the Sabbath holy and rest is a common theme.
So what do these 2 things (keep it holy and rest) mean?
“Holy” comes from a term meaning “seperate”. So to keep something holy means to keep it set apart. Simple enough, right?
Rest. This word is so common to us yet the true meaning escapes so many of us.
Google has many definitions:“verb
cease work or movement in order to relax, sleep, or recover strength.
be placed or supported so as to stay in a specified position.
noun
an instance or period of resting.
an interval of silence of a specified duration”
These are all fine definitions but are they seem incomplete.
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
So, we shall find rest in Jesus Christ. Then, he says some stuff about a yoke?! A yoke is a wooden peice attached to 2 animals (such as an ox) and a plow. What He is saying is to come alongside of Him. To find rest in Jesus is to let Him come into your life and allow him to take up your burdens.
These are things you struggle with, deep things, everything! And he will give you Rest.
This all comes together and we see the true meaning of Sabbath:
It is to be a day that is set apart, seperated to find rest in Jesus by coming alongside Him, allowing Him into every deep dark crevase of your life!
When you do this He will fill you up! Fill you with Joy, Peace, and Love! And this, this can lead to but 1 thing; pure unashamed Worship of The Father, Savior, Lord, and Friend!
So those questions above aren’t the right ones to ask, instead ask this:
What is an area of my life I haven’t let God into?
What are other things I run to for “rest”?
How can I come alongside Christ and allow Him to take on my burdens?
Let me leave you with this challenge:
Try to practice true Sabbath, set one day apart to dive deep er with Christ and allow Him to penetrate deeper!
Then let me know how it goes. And remember, Jesus and I love you!
