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.