Sabbath

The Jewish culture in Scripture took the Sabbath day very seriously. They had some very specific rules about the Sabbath. They would begin preparing for the Sabbath each week on the day before, because you were VERY limited regarding the things you could do on the Sabbath. Sabbath means “seventh” I believe. It represents the day God rested from all creation. In one of the ten commandments from God was “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”.  The religious teachers created such rules and traditions that they began missing the point of the Sabbath.

Jesus took on the Sabbath when He healed – that was “working”. His disciples picked grain to eat on the sabbath. Check this out….

¹At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. ² But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.”

³ Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. ⁵ And haven’t you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? ⁶ I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple!⁷ But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath! (Matthew 12:1-7 NLT)

The Sabbath is made for man to rest, reflect, and worship. The rules kept growing until the Sabbath wasn’t much about what it was originally designed for. There are religious leaders today who get really specific about one part of Scripture and ignore the others. I think it’s wise to keep digging and learning. I don’t think I should take anyone else’s word for what Scripture says. I can read it and ask the Lord for clarity and understanding. I’ve been taught some things in the past that simply were not correct. Not all of the teachers were devious or had a hidden agenda, they were simply misguided and incorrect.

I do think that we should have a “sabbath rest”.  I believe it’s more about time with the Lord than time on the couch resting. I believe the Sabbath was a lot about remembering the goodness of God. What I see as rest, someone else might see as work. I love piddling in my shop and doing stuff around the house. The Sabbath is more about a personal journey with the Lord than a specific day of the week. 

Pressing On!

Dwayne