Real Hope: Sabbath Restናሙና

Sabbath, More Than A Day Off?

For generations, residents of the small Danish surfing community of Klitmøller closed their town every Sunday. Their townwide day off reconnected families, lowered stress and health-related issues, and developed a profound increase in contentment.

So, is the Sabbath just a day off? In Genesis, the first Sabbath was God’s final act of the creation week. Our creator did not require a rest day, but He foresaw that His easily distracted creation was going to. In Genesis 2:15, the Hebrew word for ‘rest’ [yânach] translates to ‘dwelling place’ as God gives Eden to Adam to live in. The Sabbath is a ‘coming home’ time.

In Deuteronomy 5:15, God reminds Israel ‘… that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.’ The act of observing a weekly Sabbath reminds Israel of God’s deliverance from slavery. Our own Sabbath offers a weekly reminder that God offers us freedom through the life and death of His son.

In Luke’s account of Jesus’ visit with Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38–42) Mary chooses to sit at Jesus’ feet, while Martha remains consumed by the important work of the day. While Martha was anxiously managing her chores in her own power, Mary put her tasks aside and chose to sit at Jesus’ feet. Before we haughtily judge Martha’s mistaken priorities, how often do we fall prey to our own distractions and sacrifice precious moments of peace and freedom at Jesus’ feet?

The Sabbath is God’s gift to us. A reminder there is a place at His feet for me to rest and soak up His love.

Written by DWAYNE JEFFRIES