We start this week with a Scripture meditation based on Deuteronomy 5:12-14a, part of the Old Testament reading for this Trinity Sunday.
[12] “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. [13] Six days you shall labor and do all your work, [14] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work…
I’m pondering how deeply we understand the Sabbath day. I suspect there are dimensions we have not explored.
Consider this: The Sabbath is more than ancient. It literally goes back to creation, when God rested on the seventh day. We marvel at confessing the Apostle Creed, a practice that could be 1,300 years old. Moses recorded Deuteronomy more than 3,000 years ago. These lengths of time pale when compared to the original Sabbath day.
We are intricately intertwined with the Sabbath. God was very intentional in creating Adam and Eve the day before creating the Sabbath. God worked for six days creating the universe, then rested. We work for six days, then rest.
There is trend today in America toward “self-care.” As Christians some of us struggle with this trend. Jesus taught that there is no greater love than giving our lives for others. The epistles exhort us repeatedly to love, encourage, forgive, and bear with one another. The Sabbath addresses this tension. God has commanded us to care for ourselves by taking the Sabbath day off from work. It is one of a myriad of ways that God demonstrates his love for us.
The Sabbath “self-care” includes community. In describing the Sabbath, Leviticus 23:3 says it is a “day of sacred assembly.” This is where the Sabbath gets connected to weekly worship services. This community includes one another and God. When we rest on the Sabbath, God gives us His gifts to those gathered.
May our Lord continue to deepen our understanding of the Sabbath day, even while leading us to practice the Sabbath.
Kevin Wilson 360 