The fourth commandment God gave to Moses is to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Sabbath means rest. After God completed all His creation on the sixth day, He rested on the seventh day. God then commanded Moses and His people, Israel, to rest on the seventh day of each week. Sunday is the first day, and Saturday is the seventh day of the week, so the Israelites would work from Sunday to Friday and rest on Saturday. During the time of Jesus, the religious leaders took Sabbath to the extreme, which was not acceptable to God. For example, during the Sabbath, no one was allowed to pick the head of the grains on the field, even if it was only a handful. The religious leaders rebuked Jesus' disciples when they picked up grains on the field because they were hungry. They also rebuked Jesus when He healed a man with a withered hand during the Sabbath. The religious leaders completely misunderstood the Sabbath, and they made Sabbath a burden to people instead of a blessing. Jesus asked this question to correct and rebuked the religious leaders, "'Is it lawful on the Sabbath, to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?' and they could not answer his question" (Mark 2:23-3:6).
Jesus tried to correct the religious leaders, but they did not listen to him; instead, they made a plot to destroy Him. Since the Sabbath is meant to rest and was given to Moses and the Israelites, we can apply it to our lives as God's children. God wants us to use a day of rest to thank and worship Him. For us, our Sabbath is typically Sunday. It is common for us to go to church on Sunday and be with our family for the rest of the day.
So let us make sure that we practice a day of rest every week. God wants us to use a sabbath day to rest and thank and worship Him for everything He has done.
Ask yourself these questions: What does Sabbath mean? Am I practicing a sabbath day? What do I need to do to make sure that I am taking a Sabbath each week?
Write down all the worries you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you for teaching me today about the Sabbath. Please help me take a day of rest every week and thank and worship you for all the goodness you have done in my life. Please protect me from the busyness of life that I do not take a day of rest. Thank you for caring and providing for all my needs. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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