In my previous lessons on the Sabbath, I discussed the Sabbath as a matter of Lordship, identity, and freedom. Today, I want to show how this works out from Scripture and my personal life.

The first example is in Exodus 14. In this passage, Israel has escaped the bondage of Egypt and has traveled to the Red Sea. Pharaoh, once again, changes his mind about letting Israel go and pursues them to recapture them. Now, Israel has the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s army behind them. They have no place to go and no obvious way of surviving this situation, so out of fear they complain to Moses (Ex. 14:11-12). Moses tells the Israelites, “stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.” In other words, Moses tells them not to worry or fear but to rest in the Lord because He will provide a way out. In this example, Israel was not to do anything. They just had to trust God to provide an answer to their problem. He did this by miraculously parting the Red Sea.

We see this same scenario time and again with Israel in the wilderness. They face a difficult situation or problem, and instead of trusting God to meet their need, they react with fear, worry, or complaining. And, despite Israel’s lack of trust, God miraculously provides an answer to the problem (see Ex. 15:23-26; 16:1-30; 17:1-7). The lesson God wanted to teach Israel through all this was not to worry or try to solve the problem themselves. Instead, He wanted to teach them to rest in Him: to trust Him for their survival.

The next example is found in Joshua 5 and 6. Israel has crossed the Jordan River and is preparing to possess the land of Canaan. Joshua 5:13-15 tells us that Joshua had gone off by himself and was near Jericho, probably to look over the city to develop a strategy of how to take the city. When he looked up, he saw a man with a sword in his hand. This man told Joshua that he was the captain of the Lord’s army and proceeded to tell Joshua how to defeat the city of Jericho (Josh. 6:1-5).

In this situation, God asked Joshua not to try and work out a solution on his own. Instead, he was to rest in God and obey His instructions, even though it may not have made sense as a military strategy. Of course, we know that, in the end, God performed a miracle, and Jericho fell to the Israelites. Here, Israel was not to stand by while God worked. Instead they were asked to participate in the solution. God wanted them to trust Him enough to obey what He asked them to do, even if it didn’t make sense. The lesson was that their success depended on God and not on their performance.

Personally, I was a lot like Israel for most of my ministry. I realize now that I mainly ministered out of insecurity. In my heart and mind, I knew that I needed to trust God, but in practice, I still felt that the church’s growth depended on my performance. I thought that I needed to perform well to show everyone I was competent and could be considered a successful pastor. My identity was connected so much to my performance that if I did not produce the results that I thought were required, I felt like a failure.

Therefore, whatever obstacle, problem, or challenge I faced, my first response was, “what can I do to solve this?” Yes, I would pray over the situation, but it was usually a prayer asking God to bless what I had decided to do. I was carrying the burden of the church’s growth on my shoulders, and I was constantly worried, afraid of failure, discouraged, and worn out trying to find solutions.

Then, one day while reading Matthew 16, I came across the familiar verse where Jesus says, “I will build my church.” Suddenly, it hit me! It is Jesus’ church, not mine, and He will build it. So, if He is building it, He already has the plans, resources, and everything else He needs to complete the task. All I need to do is be like Joshua—listen to God’s direction and do what He tells me to do. As a result, I don’t need to worry or fear because the results lie with God and not with me. That burden has been lifted from me, and I can rest in Him (see Matt. 11:28-30).

One final thought. In Exodus 16:4, God says He is instituting the Sabbath to test the people to see if they will obey His instructions. I believe we face that same test every time we encounter difficult situations in life. The test is to see if we will fear for our survival, worry about how well we are performing, or try to solve the problem ourselves. Or if we will put the problem in God’s hands and trust Him to take care of it. Also, remember that, as with Israel, the difficult situations will provide opportunities for God to perform miracles if we will trust and obey Him.

So, as I stated in the previous post, Sabbath is not limited to just one day. Instead, it is the habit of daily developing a relationship with God, understanding how valuable we are to Him, and fully trusting Him to take care of us in all situations. This daily habit leads us to a lifestyle of complete rest in God, free from worry, fear, and performance.

Lord, help us all to learn how to fully rest in You every day of our lives.

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!

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/

Sabbath (shabbath) is from the Hebrew word shabath which means to cease, desist, or rest. I’m sure most people, even those outside of the church setting, are familiar with the word Sabbath and have usually understood its meaning to be just what the definition says: to cease from work, to rest. We naturally tie it to Sunday, our day of rest, when we take a day off work to enjoy time with the family, attend church, or “veg-out” watching a football game. We have probably also heard it used in reference to someone taking a “Sabbath” from work. This would be an extended period of time away from the job—separate from vacation time—where they get away from the pressures and stress of work to recuperate or refresh.

However, since God placed so much emphasis on the Sabbath, I often wondered if there was more to it than simply resting from our labor. Therefore, I went back to study and meditate on a few passages of Scripture that deal with the subject, and, along with other reading I did, developed some concepts about the Sabbath that have helped it become more meaningful to me. I want to share these ideas in these next three posts, and I hope they bless you as well.

In Ex. 20:8-11 God establishes the Sabbath as one of the ten commandments when He speaks to Israel at Mount Sinai. I find it interesting that God says more about the Sabbath than any of the other nine commandments, except possibly the second commandment (verses 4-6). In His directions regarding the Sabbath, God says three things. First, we are to keep it holy (verse 8). The word holy means to set it apart (see verse 11). Therefore, we are instructed to make the Sabbath different from any other day. It is to be special—given greater importance—and not just considered another day of work. Second, the Sabbath is not just an individual responsibility but involves the entire community (verse 10). When the head of the house, business, or any other organization rests from his labor, everyone else is able to rest as well—this includes the family, servants (employees), livestock, and visitors to the home or business. Finally, verse 11 says that God blessed the Sabbath which indicates that there are some benefits that come to those who keep this special day. In today’s post, I want to touch on the first point of why we are to make the Sabbath day holy—set apart.

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. Of course, God did not rest because He was tired from all the work in creating the entire universe. He didn’t say, “Whew, that was exhausting. I need a break!” No, He rested on the seventh day for a specific reason.

In its discussion of rest from Genesis 2:2, the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible mentions that divine rest was a common idea in ancient literature. The authors state that the deity’s rest was obtained when the work on their temple was completed, and they would inhabit the temple to take their place as lord to rule over and maintain order in their world. Could this also be applied then to God’s rest?

Isaiah 66:1 says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,’ says the Lord.” Could the six days of creation represent God’s work in building His temple? The seventh day, then, would be the day in which He takes His place on His throne to rule and reign over His creation: where He establishes Himself as Lord over His Kingdom.

This could also be what we are seeing in the passages of Scripture when both the tabernacle and the temple were completed. In Exodus 40:34-38, when Moses and the children of Israel completed the work on the tabernacle and it was erected with all of the furniture and utensils in place, the Bible says that “the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” Then, in 1 Kings 8:10-11, we see a similar experience. When Solomon had completed the building of the Temple, the priests carried the ark of the covenant into the Holy of Holies. As soon as they exited the holy place, “the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”

Just as God completed the work of creation and “rested”: took His place on His throne as Lord over His creation, these two incidences demonstrate God coming to “rest” to take His place as Lord over the nation of Israel once the work on the tabernacle/temple was completed. If this understanding of these actions is true, then what does it mean for us today?

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 is not just a day to rest our bodies (although that is important too), or even to attend church to worship Him. It is more than that. It is a special day that forces us to pause from our regular activities to acknowledge Him as the Creator of the universe and that all things exist because of Him. It gives us an opportunity to recognize Him as the Sovereign One who holds everything in His hands, and that He is guiding and directing our lives. 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 minds and heart on Him, and allow our Creator God to fill us again with His glory and take up residence as the Sovereign Lord of our lives.

NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. 2017. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan.