The Sabbath

TUESDAY March 3

The Sabbath

The Sabbath and marriage are the only earthly institutions that come to us from the time before sin entered the world. Hence, sometimes they are called the twin sisters of Paradise. When you look at our world today, it’s obvious that Satan has worked hard to deface and defile them.

Read Exodus 20:1–17. What is it about the Sabbath commandment that makes it stand out from the others?

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The fourth commandment is, in a sense, a test commandment. It tests humanity’s spirituality. Because it deals with time, which is invisible, rather than with tangible objects, it is well suited to measure humanity’s attitude toward God. How we feel toward the Sabbath is an indicator of how we feel toward God. It is the only commandment an individual can break and yet be fully accepted as a good person in any conservative Christian society.

In a certain sense, the Sabbath is arbitrary. Why the seventh day over any other? It’s because God said so, that’s why. There’s a lot of obvious and apparent logic in not stealing, not killing, not coveting, and so forth. You don’t have to be a Christian to follow those precepts; many non-Christians do.

But to obey the seventh-day Sabbath, which isn’t rooted in any natural phenomena, is to reveal a willingness to obey simply because God tells us to. Sabbathkeeping is an act of faith; we keep the seventh-day Sabbath, not because it’s socially acceptable, not because it’s popular, not because it fits in with any natural cycle. No, we keep the seventh-day Sabbath because God commands us to, and as New Testament Christians saved by grace, we reveal our faith through obedience to God’s commandments (James 2:10, 11; 1 John 5:2, 3; Rev. 14:12).

In fact, by resting on the Sabbath, we’re revealing to the world that all this talk about resting in Christ isn’t just talk. As Sabbathkeepers, we truly rest in Christ’s work of salvation for us, not just daily but also in a special way each week, we reveal the fullness of our assurance in Christ by resting on the Sabbath (see Heb. 4:1–11). Sabbathkeeping is an outward expression of our rest in Christ.

Though the Sabbath is, in a sense, arbitrary, what are the tangible and practical benefits we get from keeping the Sabbath holy, as God commanded? What can you do to better enjoy the benefits of Sabbathkeeping?