For the past year, my husband and I have been really diligent to keep the Sabbath. My church never taught nor encouraged the practice of the Sabbath. Now having studied it out, It’s shocking at how easily the church has dismissed the third commandment! Let’s talk about the importance of the Sabbath, friends, and why you should be starting it NOW!
Modern Day Rest
Have you ever heard a fellow Christian talk about how they need a “self-care day” or a “mental health day”? I’ve heard it too often, and I’m guilty of saying it myself. These phrases are all over our society through self-help books, in TED Talks, and in conversations with co-workers.
I see two issues with this. The first problem is that these days are only ever taken on the brink of burnout. I see it all the time. Women I know will work and work and work until they’ve almost completely burned themselves out and will suddenly drop everything, cancel everything and ignore everyone to achieve a day to themselves. The second problem is that the poor woman who is saying she needs these kinds of days doesn’t realize that she doesn’t need to work until burnout. She can relax on the Sabbath and rarely, if at all, reach burnout.
Now, once you’ve reached your self-care day, what now? The fact of the matter is that most Christians don’t know how to rest. I’ve had Christians tell me that they go to meditation classes, binge Netflix, eat chips all day, or just sit in their house and do nothing. And, a lot of the time, people can’t handle “wasting” a day, and end up working anyway.
Can I tell you an important statistic? Communities that practice Sabbath (Like, a real biblical Sabbath) live years longer than communities that don’t. Plus, mental health and physical health in these communities are far better than of others. Sounds good doesn’t it?
Today’s society has created a culture of burnout. Everyone was once required to practice Sabbath almost a hundred years ago. In fact, businesses and schools would be out for the day! Fast forward to our society today and poor mental health rates have shot up incredibly. What’s even worse, women in particular are pressured into the workforce while required to also be great moms and housekeepers (no wonder fertility is going down in women too).
God knew what he was doing, friends. Let’s get more into this.
The Third Commandment
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20:8-11
There’s been a lot of controversy over the commandments in the Bible. Especially with the one about the Sabbath. Many believe that, because it isn’t a “thou shalt” commandment, it isn’t as important. I, however, believe wholeheartedly that it being the third commandment proves its importance twofold. First, because had God put the commandments in a specific order, he found it essential it be third above the rest. Second, I believe God knows his children well. Had the commandment been first or last, it would have been too easy for his fallible children to omit it for their convenience.
Another controversy lies with Jesus. Jesus, many times in the gospels, does things that go against the Rabbinic laws of the Sabbath. Like, healing (Mark 3:1-6), or harvesting (Matt 12:1), or not washing his hands before eating (Matt 15:2). For supposedly going against these laws, the Pharisees rebuke Jesus countless times in the Bible. Each time Jesus confronts them on their hearts. Many people will argue that Jesus abolished this commandment, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Matthew 5:17
I embarrassingly told someone “Jesus came to abolish the law” once just to get away with why I wasn’t practicing Sabbath. The naivety of it all haunts me to this day, especially since Jesus had made it so clear and plain that abolishing the law was not what he came to do.
It’s important to understand what Jesus meant by “fulfilling” the law.
In layman’s terms: we keep failing to uphold the law, and trying to do so will never save us. In the old testaments, to have your sins forgiven, you had to kill the most spotless lamb and sacrifice it in a very specific way (read up on Exodus for more context). There’s a reason Jesus is considered the “Lamb of God” throughout scripture. He was a spotless lamb who committed no sin and because of this, was able to take on the sin of the world and save us.
He fulfilled the law by never breaking it.
Here’s the thing, friends. Jesus practiced the Sabbath every Sabbath (he had to if he were to fulfill the law). Yes, he went against Rabbinic laws, but those don’t hold a candle to God’s Law. The Pharisees and all those who followed the man-made rules were obsessed with tradition and had lost the heart for the Sabbath. It was just another thing to make them look super religious. (You can find information regarding rules for the Sabbath in the Talmud).
27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Mark 2:27
God created the Sabbath for us. He commanded it for our benefit. It was a blessing given unto us, why do we fight to not accept it?
What Is The Sabbath?
The Sabbath is the day of rest.
35 Moses gathered all the Israelite community together and said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 You are to work for six days, but the seventh day will be a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to honor the Lord. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. 3 On the Sabbath day you must not light a fire in any of your houses.”
Exodus 35:1-3
Thank goodness for God’s grace on us! Too often have we gone blatantly against the Law and yet God does not punish us as he would have before Christ.
The idea was, you work for six days, but you do no work on the seventh. On the seventh, you rest. I had a friend once wonder if having Sabbath hours during the days or “Social Media Sabbaths” would still work. I couldn’t help but shake my head at the thought. You see, “taking a break” and “practicing the Sabbath” are two completely different things with two completely different outcomes.
We take breaks all the time during our days, but none of them are meaningful nor do they keep us from burning out.
The Sabbath is an intentional resting from the work week. This means that, you will prepare for the Sabbath the day before to ensure nothing can interrupt your day. It means you commit to it and have it every week (just as Jesus did with his disciples). Remember God tells us.
Why We’re Not Having Sabbath
Society wasn’t set up to accommodate Sabbaths. Sure, if you lived in a society that practiced it, it would make it way easier. However, living in Toronto, it’s obvious having a Sabbath is near impossible to achieve.
A friend once told me that it’s too unrealistic to commit to a Sabbath with the society we live in, and therefore they don’t put the effort in to practice it. And honestly, there is so much truth in her words. We are told to work five days a week, and to sometimes work beyond that – even into the weekend! Plus, everything happens during the weekend. Events, parties, get togethers, work parties, etc. How do we have a time to rest in the Lord through it all?
Well here’s the hard truth friends. You do it anyway. You have your Sabbath anyway. Society is not set up for a Sabbath, but you have your Sabbath no matter what. My husband works 5-6 days a week, especially when he is required to come in for weekends, and he could easily put in a seventh day if he let himself. But our family remains committed to the Sabbath, and he tells his boss that he won’t be accessible on our day of rest.
Friends, it seems impossible, but the world’s standards cannot stop us from obeying God. God is our good Father who cares for us, and he knows how desperately all of us need rest in Him. Commit to yours now. Read my post: “How to Have a Sabbath” to get started!
