In the previous post, we noted how, in Ex. 20:11, God tied the Sabbath to His work of creation. God made all of creation in six days and on the seventh day, He rested. We discussed how this concept of divine rest was common in ancient literature, and that it was connected to the building of a deity’s temple. Once the temple was built, the deity would rest by inhabiting the temple and take their place as lord.   

We wondered if it could be that the six days of creation represent God’s work in building His temple—the heavens and the earth. The seventh day, then, would be when He takes His place on His throne to rule and reign over His creation: where He establishes Himself as Lord over His Kingdom. We also provided two examples that could indicate this is possible. In Exodus 40:34-38 and 1 Kings 8:10-11 when Moses completes the tabernacle and Solomon finishes the temple respectively. In both cases, once the work on the house of God was completed, God inhabited His temple and took His position as Lord over Israel.

Therefore, I believe that the reason God wants us to make the Sabbath distinct and more important than any other day is that it is an opportunity for us to recognize Him as our Lord. It also is a time in which we can renew our commitment to Him and surrender our lives to His Lordship. In other words, it is a special day that we set aside so we can rest from our regular daily activities, focus our mind and heart on Him, and allow our Creator God to fill our lives again with His glory and take up residence as our Sovereign Lord.

Today, I want to look at another reason to keep the Sabbath. Though God connects the Sabbath to His act of creation, He also connects it to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt (Deut. 5:12-15). Brad Gray touches on this in his teaching on the Sabbath. He mentions that the word Sabbath itself is not used until Exodus 16:23. In this passage, Israel was complaining that they were hungry, and God told them that He was going to rain bread from heaven for them. He then instructed them to gather only what they needed each day for six days, then on the seventh day they were to rest because on the sixth day, God would give them enough for two days.

The thing Brad Gray reminds us of in his teaching is that prior to this, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and their only responsibility was making bricks. That was all they did. Their value to Pharaoh was in their ability to make bricks. If they could no longer make bricks, they were no longer valuable. As a result of the exodus from Egypt, God delivered them from that. By giving them a day of rest during which they no longer had to produce, God was saying that their value was not in what they did but in who they were—His people.

Even today, though, don’t we still identify people by what they do? When we are first introduced to someone, what is one of the first questions we ask them? “What do you do?” And, if we are honest, don’t we tend to place more value on people who have jobs that we consider more important?

This also affects how we feel about ourselves. Maybe we feel that people might reject us if we don’t perform according to certain social standards. Or we might believe we won’t be accepted unless we can demonstrate that we are successful. We work and work and work to please others and prove that we are worthy of our place in society. Our identity too often is associated with what we do rather than who we are. Therefore, if we are not able to produce what is presumed to be required we feel that we are not valuable.

By giving us a Sabbath rest, though, God is giving us an opportunity to step back from our busyness and rest in Him. It is a time when we can allow God to speak to us and let us know that our identity is not based upon what we do, but on who we are: that He values us even on days when we aren’t producing. God loves us, not because we do things for Him, but simply because we are His children.

For me, a good example of this is found in the story of Jesus’ baptism in Matt. 3:13-17. After Jesus was baptized by John, the Bible says that immediately the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as a dove and the voice of the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Notice that this confirmation of the Father’s love for His Son came before Jesus began His ministry. Jesus had not performed, produced, or done anything before this. Therefore, His value to the Father was not based on what He did, but on who He was.

I also think it is interesting that in the very next chapter, after Jesus had spent forty days and nights fasting in the wilderness, the first thing Satan says to Jesus is, “IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD turn these stones into bread” (emphasis mine). Of course, we know that Jesus responded by saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” What was the word from God’s mouth that Jesus heard forty days prior to this? “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus knew His identity as the Son of God was not based upon performance but on His relationship with the Father. He was valued by the Father because of who He was.

This Sabbath, I encourage you to cease your busyness and take time to focus your mind and heart on who God is—Creator, Provider, Lord, etc. Worship Him and give Him the honor and praise that He deserves. Then, allow Him to speak to you. Wait in His Presence and allow Him to tell you, “You are my beloved son/daughter. I am proud of you.” Let Him show you that you are valuable to Him because of who you are!

Brad Gray, Walking the Text teaching series. https://walkingthetext.com/the-sabbath-pt-4/