In the two previous posts, I’ve talked about the Sabbath as a matter of Lordship and a matter of identity. Today I want to discuss the Sabbath as a matter of freedom. In Ex. 16:13-30, God is telling Moses that He will provide the people with manna from heaven every morning. Moses is to instruct the people that they were to gather each morning only enough to feed themselves and their families for that day. If they tried to gather more and keep any for the next day, what was left over would become maggot infested. They were to do this for six days, but on the seventh day, they were not to gather manna for it was to be considered a Sabbath—a day of ceasing work. God also promised them that on the sixth day, they would be able to gather twice as much as on the other days and they could keep it overnight without it becoming infested with maggots.

Later, in Lev. 25, God introduces the Sabbath year. The people were to work the land for six years but during the seventh year, they were not to do any work. It was a Sabbath year of rest for the land (Lev. 25:1-7). God also promised them that if they obeyed His command regarding the Sabbath, He would increase the harvest of the sixth year to last for three years (Lev. 25:20-22). His blessings would flow to meet all their needs.

Then, on top of this, every fiftieth year would be a year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8-17). Not only would this year be a Sabbath year, but God is also declaring it a year of liberty. During the fiftieth year, all lands or homes that were sold due to indebtedness were to be returned to the original owner (Lev. 25:23-34), and anyone who was forced to sell themselves as a slave was to be released (Lev. 25:35-55). This is a picture of God’s redemption and restoration of all things as He originally intended.

Throughout each of these passages, God stresses that obedience played an important part in receiving blessings, redemption, and freedom (Ex. 16:27-30; Lev. 25:18-19). Introducing the Sabbath seems to be a way to see if we trust God enough to follow His way, or if we feel that our survival depends on what we can do. Hebrews 3-4 clearly supports this possibility by attaching Sabbath rest to Israel’s faith and obedience. The author of the book of Hebrews warns believers to not follow Israel’s example of rebellion against God’s word. He states that because of their disobedience, they were not able to enter God’s rest (Heb. 3:18), and the reason for their disobedience was a lack of faith (Heb. 4:2). Israel did not obey God’s commandment not to collect manna on the seventh day because they did not trust Him to provide (Ex. 16:27-28). Later they did not obey God about entering into the Promised land because they did not trust God to protect them from the giants in the land (Num. 14:1-38). Ultimately, they indicated by their actions that they felt their survival depended not on God but on their efforts.

As we consider Israel during these wilderness years, it is easy for us to be critical of them for their lack of faith. However, if we are really honest with ourselves, are we not guilty of the same thing? If we examine our actions, won’t we find that, instead of trusting God, we are relying on our effort for our provision, security, and survival? When we are confronted with our own financial giants, battling health issues, or facing any number of life’s problems do we worry about how we are going to work things out? Are we afraid that we may not survive, or do we submit them to the Lord and rest in Him trusting that He will lead us to the right solution?

I believe that this is what Jesus is referring to when He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gently and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). He is inviting all of us to stop laboring to please God through our “good works”; to stop working so hard to prove that we are valuable; and to quit placing our security and survival on what can do. Instead, He is asking us to put our faith in Him and follow His yoke (teachings). If we can learn to do that we can rest—be free from worry and fear.

It is important to have a day specifically designated for the Sabbath rest, but it is not limited to one day. Instead, I believe that Sabbath is a mindset; an attitude that permeates every part of our life. Sabbath, to me, means that I daily recognize God as my Creator and Lord, that I surrender to His Lordship, and that I invite Him to establish His throne in my life. It also means that I don’t have to try to earn His love and favor by doing things for Him. I can rest in the knowledge that He values me because I am His child and that my identity is wrapped in my relationship with Him and not in how much I produce—how successful I am.

Sabbath also means, then, that because of that relationship, I can obey God and follow His path for my life fully trusting that He will protect me and provide for all my needs. My security, success, or survival depends on Him and not on me. As a result, I am free from worry or fear of failure. I don’t have to carry the burden of guilt from mistakes in my past because He has redeemed me and is restoring me to His original design for me (2 Cor. 5:17). And I am free from my insecurities and the feeling that I must always perform well to prove my value. I can now rest in the assurance that I am His son, and He is well pleased with me. Sabbath means living in FREEDOM!