Resting On The Seventh Day

"You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death." - Exodus 31:14-15

Have you given much thought to the idea of not working on the Sabbath? Now the Sabbath in the Bible is Saturday - the first day being Sunday. Christians honor Sunday as their Sabbath because that is the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Be that as it may what exactly does it mean to rest from labor in which ever day.

There was a time when something called "blue laws" were prevalent.  Blue laws (also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws, and Sunday closing laws) are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons, specifically to promote the observance of the Christian day of worship. Blue laws commonly banned certain business and recreational activities on Sundays, and impose restrictions on the retail sale of hard goods and consumables, particularly alcoholic beverages. I don't know of any states that still enforce them today.

Jesus was criticized by the religious leaders for healing on the Sabbath - seeing it as a form of work. But I think the intent was for people to not do things for themselves.

“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." Genesis 3:17-19

One of the penalties of Adam's sin work to live. But one day was to be set aside from work to rest. I believe that the difference between work and what Jesus did was love, compassion, grace and mercy. Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were to love God and love others. He demonstrated that through his healing. He called the religious leaders - blind guides - because they did not understand the spirit of the law and the Father's intent.

When we were in the midst of the aftermath of a disaster - very often volunteers that helped us would travel great distances and sacrifice time and money to help the victims of the disaster. On Sunday, they would ask if we would be working - I told them that the ox was in the ditch.

"And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”4  they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” And they could not answer Him regarding these things." - Luke 14:3-6

My point was that God had called us to the aid of the victims of the disaster because they were "in the ditch or pit" and had no one to help them get out. That did not mean that we did not honor God on that day as well. There is more to say about the culture's encroachment on the Sabbath and Christians embracing it - but that can wait for another time.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Confess it - Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone