Honor the Sabbath, Part 2
“You are to work for six days, but the seventh day will be a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to honor the LORD….”
Exodus 35:2 (NCV)
When we take a day off each week, we honor the Lord. It’s called a Sabbath of rest. The point is to rest and recover as we prepare for the coming week of work. A Sabbath provides sacred margin in our lives that brings balance and offers huge benefits. Yesterday we looked at the first benefit of physical restoration. Just as our physical bodies need rest to recover and refresh there are two other great benefits from keeping the Sabbath.
Another benefit of the Sabbath is Emotional restoration.
In Psalm 23, the psalmist learned the value of sacred margin when he said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” Our soul represents our emotional tank. It’s our mind, emotion and will that make up our personalities and character. It’s how we are defined by others socially and relationally. If it’s empty, we have nothing to give to those we love much less to others. Sacred margin allows God to restore our souls by keeping the Sabbath holy. To keep something holy means to simply obey. When I obey the Fourth Commandment, I allow God to restore my emotional tank and I honor Him as the only one who can meet my deepest needs. Are you running on empty? Do you feel emotionally spent with nothing left to give? You need a Sabbath, not just one, but one every week! Let God restore your soul as you learn to rest in Him.
A third benefit of honoring the Sabbath is Spiritual restoration.
As with the other nine Commandments, you don’t really break this command. It breaks you. When we violate the Fourth Commandment it breaks us. We feel broken, exhausted and our lives can get so unbalanced that we begin to blame God. The writer of Psalm 73 is a classic example of one who did this. He thought he had served God in vain when he compared his lifestyle to others. He became bitter at God and desperately needed spiritual restoration. How did he find it? Look at what he said in Psalms 73:16-17 (NIV), “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood…” The answer for this poor, defeated and tired servant was a Sabbath of rest and worship. He just needed time with God in God’s house to be spiritually restored and gain perspective. The good news is that is exactly what he did, and God gave him spiritual restoration. We are given the same opportunity today in church. The New Testament says, “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer.” Hebrews 10:25 (GNT) Use every Sunday, unless you are a pastor, to set aside a day of rest and worship in church. It will recharge you for the next six days of work and it will honor God.
So, if you’ve ever said, “I need a break!” Here’s some good news! God designed one for us! It’s called the Sabbath. God commands us to take a break; a day off every seven days. Physical restoration, emotional restoration and spiritual restoration are a few of the benefits you will experience from keeping the Sabbath. What are you waiting for? God offers you a break. He commands you to take it. When you do, you’ll not only enjoy these benefits, but you’ll be growing in your faith as you trust Him to work in your behalf!