A long time ago, someone told me that I needed to take a “Sabbath’s rest.” I didn’t like the idea originally, because, as a Christian, I don’t keep the Old Law anymore. My focus is on the New Covenant; the Sabbath was something that the Jews were told to do, not me.
Now that I’ve grown a little more and have a few more responsibilities than I used to, I absolutely see the value in taking a day of complete rest to focus on God. I may not keep it “holy” in the same way that they did in the Old Testament, but I definitely take some deliberate time to unplug from everything and just focus on God and His blessings.
The fact that the Jews didn’t always observe the Sabbath saddens me. There are numerous instances where they failed to observe the Sabbath whatsoever (Jeremiah 17:21-23; Nehemiah 13:15-21), and you can see a marked decline in their spiritual life as a result.
It’s always struck me as noteworthy that the punishment for working on the Sabbath was death (Exodus 31:15). Capital punishment is usually reserved for only the worst offenses (Exodus 22:20; Leviticus 20:2-5; Leviticus 24:10-16), so the fact that Sabbath breaking is included on that list is startling.
It makes sense though, doesn’t it? A lot of the death-penalty crimes have something to do with defaming God directly—idolatry, blasphemy, murder. Refusing to rest on the Sabbath, even though God Himself did in Genesis 2:1, is a claim that you don’t need to follow His example.
The reason so many didn’t sanctify the Sabbath back then is probably why so few people refuse to slow down today. We’re obsessed with creation, gaining and doing; as a result, we never take the time to slow down and appreciate what is already there.
You don’t have to observe the Sabbath as a commandment. As mentioned above, that’s an Old Testament law that is not a part of the law of Christ.
But why not take some deliberate time every week to slow down and focus on God? Pencil it in your calendar, write it on your hand, put an alarm on your phone—whatever you have to do. I guarantee those few minutes/hours will deepen your dependence on God in ways you can’t even begin to fathom.
