Growing in RighteousnessSample

Justice: Sabbath (1)

God creates. When I read the Genesis story I get the impression that God enjoys it. Making beautiful things, plants and flowers, then the animals and finally man. God enjoys, and all the time He says, Wow "it's good"!

At the end of the 6th day God rests. He ‘Sabbaths’. Of course, that has nothing to do with resting. God has all power and strength, and even at the end of this tremendous work, His power is still the same as before: infinite. Sabbath for God is not about rest, but about enjoyment, relaxation, relationship - especially that.

That picture is far from the reality I see around me. And not only in others, but also in myself. Being busy, wanting more, with little or no margin left to rest, to enjoy. And very regularly I see someone fall over, drop out, burn out. He or she couldn't take it anymore. Do you recognize that image? It's not meant to be that way. God gives us a gift, and that gift is Sabbath.

Literally, it simply means "to stop" or "to cease”. Not because there is no more to do, but because it is time, time to "Sabbath".

So what does the Sabbath have to do with righteousness? Well the Sabbath gives everything (you and me, as well as nature) time to take a breath. Time so nature can recover. All that going on exhausts us and it exhausts nature. It makes us tired and eventually we break down. Think about the long hours people have to work elsewhere in the world so you and I can have cheap shoes. Or the work that happens on plantations so that our coffee or chocolate can go on sale? That has everything to do with justice.

We find a striking verse in 2 Chronicles 36:21. The Jews are taken from Jerusalem, away from the land, and in verse 21 you then read as one of the reasons for this exile: "...until the land should delight in its sabbaths. It rested all the days of destruction, until the seventy years were fulfilled..." As if God is saying: if you do not give the land rest, I will take care of it myself.

How do you live the Sabbath?

To think about:

Tomorrow we will reflect on Sabbath for another day but for now, consider the following two things:

1. Sabbath is a rhythm. A rhythm of regularly stopping, ceasing, enjoying. What does that look like in your life?
2. Sabbath is a time to practice trusting God. You stop (working) and you trust that God will provide. Do you trust God?

Prayer:

"Lord, You Yourself set the example. You 'Sabbath,' You rest. Will You help me to do the same? To regularly just stop, quit, and then enjoy You, each other and the time and space You give. To choose for being instead of for doing. Lord - Master - would You teach me to live Your way in this turbulent world.... Amen."