If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. ~Isaiah 58:13-14 (NIV)
The command to honor the Sabbath is seen throughout God’s word. In Isaiah 58 it comes with a promise. God causing us to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and feast on the inheritance of His great promises sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? There are two major purposes for the Sabbath in the bible. One is to give undivided attention to worship and the other is for mental and physical renewal through rest. In Isaiah 58 scripture teaches that if we take time to rest and worship, we will find our joy in the Lord. In Nehemiah 8:10 God tells us “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (NIV) Directing our steps according to God’s word strengthens us both mentally and physically. It’s important for us to follow God’s prescription for mental and physical renewal because when we keep pushing ourselves and do not take time to rest and spend time in the Lord’s presence, we get wore down and that makes it harder to worship and give glory to God for all He has done, much less hear the voice of God. God leads us through peace. The bible tells us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. When peace rules we are able to move forward in faith. The Lord wants us to have direction in our lives. He wants us to slow down long enough to get directions from Him and let Him cast His vision for our future into our hearts. That will never happen going 90 to nothing! That’s a term we use in the south. When we run “90 to nothing” it literally means we are going as fast as we can and oftentimes to nowhere!
In Exodus 34:21 God says, "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” (NIV) The second half of this scripture should stand out to us. The plowing season was when there was more work than hours in the day. Have you ever felt like there was more work than hours in the day? God knew this would be the case and He still insisted we rest. Although Jesus freed us from the legalism of observing the Sabbath on a particular day and in a particular way, there is still a principle and promise that remains. Jesus said in Mark 2:27 “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (NIV) Honor the Lord by honoring the Sabbath and worship the Lord in spirit and in truth all day, every day. Spend time with Him in worship and get the rest in His presence that you need. When you do, God will redeem your time and make the work of your hands more productive and successful because you have given Him the first fruits of your time. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (NIV) God’s word directs us to refreshing times, are you willing to be led?
In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome. ~1 John 5:3 (NIV)
How much time have you rested in the Lord’s presence today?
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