(This is Part One of a Three-Part exposition series on the Sabbath)
Hebrews 4:9 - "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his work as God did from His"
"...our heart is unquiet until it rests in You..." - St. Augustine, Confessions
When we think of "Sabbath", the first thing that tends to come to our minds is, "Should I be worshiping on Saturday or Sunday?" How interesting - when did something so instructive become such a divisive issue? We use this teaching as a means of judging and isolating people who don't do what we do and act the way we act. I want to take some time to do some exposition on the Sabbath in hopes that we can redeem its original intent - to point us to true rest.
What does it mean to be at rest? Oxford dictionary defines it as "…ceasing work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength…" In Gen 2:2-3, we find the first reference to the Sabbath in scripture: it states that God "rested" and that he "blessed" the day and "made it holy". QUESTION #1: Does God need to rest? NO....he is God. He is not resting because he's tired - He's pointing us to something that will be revealed later on. This is the foundation for the command in Ex. 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath (Heb. word sa'bat meaning "seven") to keep it holy". The command is to NOT WORK; not you, not your family, not anything you own, not even your house guests. QUESTION #2: Can man rest in the same way that God rests - no labour of any kind - physical or mental? NO...even scientifically it is proven that in sleep (the ultimate form of rest for man) the mind is still active and at work [see http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm].
I read a poem recently by Dezeri Smith that I thought was timely. It says:
I aspire to a peace of mind,
but in this wicked world will I ever find?
Peace that I need so I can be free
and go content among the living.
An uninvited rage within
when will it end?
Mankind is restless and unholy by nature, and we prove this in both our actions and our thoughts every moment of every day. Just look at your life and use it as a point of reference - is it not true of you? The most logical question, if this is true, would be: "Why would God give us a commandment that we could not keep"? The answer to this question is that the purpose of the Sabbath commandment (just like every other commandment given to man by God), is to teach us that in and of ourselves we CANNOT DO WHAT GOD WANTS. This is at the heart of the Old Testament narratives - it is a case study of man's inability (by himself) to do what God commands. It is seen in individual lives (e.g.: Moses, Abraham, David, even the wise man Solomon), and it is seen in the history of Israel - God's chosen people. The point of it all is that left up to us, we will fail and do fail to please GOD. But there's a good lesson in this - when we realize that we can't do it on our own, then we are open to receiving help: that, my friend, is why Jesus Christ came - to give us success where we fail to please GOD.
The Bible says in Gal. 3:24, "So then, the law was our guardian (schoolmaster) until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith". So this is where we must begin - Jesus Christ is the key to understanding and keeping the Sabbath day holy. Think on these things - if you have thoughts or questions, let me know. Look out for Part Two.
Pastor Andrew Smith
[email protected]
Hebrews 4:9 - "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his work as God did from His"
"...our heart is unquiet until it rests in You..." - St. Augustine, Confessions
When we think of "Sabbath", the first thing that tends to come to our minds is, "Should I be worshiping on Saturday or Sunday?" How interesting - when did something so instructive become such a divisive issue? We use this teaching as a means of judging and isolating people who don't do what we do and act the way we act. I want to take some time to do some exposition on the Sabbath in hopes that we can redeem its original intent - to point us to true rest.
What does it mean to be at rest? Oxford dictionary defines it as "…ceasing work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength…" In Gen 2:2-3, we find the first reference to the Sabbath in scripture: it states that God "rested" and that he "blessed" the day and "made it holy". QUESTION #1: Does God need to rest? NO....he is God. He is not resting because he's tired - He's pointing us to something that will be revealed later on. This is the foundation for the command in Ex. 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath (Heb. word sa'bat meaning "seven") to keep it holy". The command is to NOT WORK; not you, not your family, not anything you own, not even your house guests. QUESTION #2: Can man rest in the same way that God rests - no labour of any kind - physical or mental? NO...even scientifically it is proven that in sleep (the ultimate form of rest for man) the mind is still active and at work [see http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm].
I read a poem recently by Dezeri Smith that I thought was timely. It says:
I aspire to a peace of mind,
but in this wicked world will I ever find?
Peace that I need so I can be free
and go content among the living.
An uninvited rage within
when will it end?
Mankind is restless and unholy by nature, and we prove this in both our actions and our thoughts every moment of every day. Just look at your life and use it as a point of reference - is it not true of you? The most logical question, if this is true, would be: "Why would God give us a commandment that we could not keep"? The answer to this question is that the purpose of the Sabbath commandment (just like every other commandment given to man by God), is to teach us that in and of ourselves we CANNOT DO WHAT GOD WANTS. This is at the heart of the Old Testament narratives - it is a case study of man's inability (by himself) to do what God commands. It is seen in individual lives (e.g.: Moses, Abraham, David, even the wise man Solomon), and it is seen in the history of Israel - God's chosen people. The point of it all is that left up to us, we will fail and do fail to please GOD. But there's a good lesson in this - when we realize that we can't do it on our own, then we are open to receiving help: that, my friend, is why Jesus Christ came - to give us success where we fail to please GOD.
The Bible says in Gal. 3:24, "So then, the law was our guardian (schoolmaster) until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith". So this is where we must begin - Jesus Christ is the key to understanding and keeping the Sabbath day holy. Think on these things - if you have thoughts or questions, let me know. Look out for Part Two.
Pastor Andrew Smith
[email protected]
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