Love God Greatly: In the BeginningSample

God did not need to rest on the seventh day; He didn’t rest because He was tired. Instead, God rested in order to establish a pattern of rest in creation. God could have made the week six days long, but instead, He added a final day: a day of rest. God built a day of rest into the pattern of time. 

Years later, after God chose the nation of Israel to be His people, after God delivered them from slavery in Egypt, after God provided for them in the desert, God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. These commandments were meant to set God’s people apart from other nations. While nine of the commands apply to every person, one of them was a new, specific command for the nation of Israel.

God commanded the Israelites to set apart the seventh day of the week as holy. The Sabbath was a symbol of God’s covenant with His chosen people. While all the nations around them would continue to work, God’s people stood apart when they honored the Sabbath day. 

Today, we are no longer under the Old Testament law, and Sabbath is not a requirement for us to follow as Christians. However, the practice of Sabbath is something we are privileged to practice! We can rest in God’s completed work, not only in creation, but in redemption from sin. Jesus has completed all the work of redeeming us. We can rest in His completed work. 

Practicing Sabbath is our reminder that God’s design for us is to have rest in our lives. Sabbath is a pattern we can practice now to honor God, honor the way He created the earth, and care for our bodies, families, and communities. We have the opportunity to share God’s pattern of rest with the world when we take a day to cease our work and our striving and celebrate and worship Him. 

Prayer:

Lord, You are good. You created a day of rest for my benefit. Help me practice Sabbath, not out of legalism, but with joy! You have completed all the work that ever needs to be done. Help me rest and be confident in Your completed work in creation and redemption. Amen.