| “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.” |
| —Exodus 23:12 |
There is a moment in every person’s week when he or she must simply take time to set aside the cares of the world and rest. Not the rest of a deep sleep—a rest that frees the soul from the problems that plague our minds and hearts. This is exactly why God, in His great wisdom, specified the Sabbath rest. Please take note of these words from Exodus 23:12:
Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.
In our current society, we have largely lost the idea of Sabbath rest. Oh, we like to fill our weekends with lots of activities, many of them leisure-time fun. But, is that really the kind of Sabbath rest that God specified? Please allow me to illustrate my point:
Long ago, when I was a child, stores were not open on Sunday. For my Jewish friends, their stores were closed on Saturday, so they could continue their Sabbath celebration that had begun at sundown on Friday evening.
Churches had many more who faithfully atteneded every Sunday than many churches experience today. Many families used Sunday afternoon to go on a picnic, or visit with friends or relatives. It was a quieter, more leisurely time.
In the home where I grew up, no matter in what activity we engaged on Sunday, it was done at a much more leisurely pace. And, we always—always—had to return to church for the evening service. In fact, as a teen, I had to be back at church by 5:00 p.m. to attend Youth Fellowship, followed at 7:00 p.m. by the evening Worship service.
I wonder in our hectic world if we have lost the spirit of the Sabbath rest. Perhaps we can do something to reclaim, at least, a bit of it. Let’s give it a try today. Let’s determine this Sunday to spend some time in peaceful rest. We have a whole week to make the conscious choice to honor the day of Sabbath rest. Let’s plan right now to give our minds and hearts a break from the hustle. I think it will be good for us.
Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, September 4, 2017
