Separating the Sabbath

but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, Deuteronomy 5:14

Work – What does the Sabbath mean to you? Of course, if you’re Christian, you’ve moved from Saturday to Sunday. Actually, you moved from the Sabbath (the only day named by God) to Day One. But that doesn’t change the importance of the question. What does God’s holy day mean to you?

Deuteronomy gives us one part of the answer. It is a day when we are not to do the “ordinary” everyday things. The Hebrew word is mela’kah. This word covers a lot more ground than just “jobs”. It describes occupations, business, fabrication, property involvement and workmanship. It covers ordinary labor, skilled craftsmanship, divine creation and religious business. In other words, its umbrella reaches across all of the things that occupy us during the rest of the days. The Sabbath is a “set apart” day; a day that is characterized by a break from all the other days because nothing that we do in those others days should occupy us on this day.

That side of mela’kah could lead us to a rigid structure of denial. We could have a day full of “don’t do this” thinking. But Jesus gives us the other side of the Sabbath idea. He said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. What he meant is that God intended us to have one play day in every seven. One day when we put aside all the tasks of life and enjoy God and His provision. One day when we play in the Garden of His creation. One day when we dedicate the whole day to enjoying His company. One day when we stop being concerned with ordinary living and smell the flowers.

Is that the kind of Sabbath you experience? Is your separated day the day when you play in God’s world? Or is it another day of obligations, schedules, expectations, plans and performance? Is it playtime with God or is it religious business?

Think about all the things that occupy your six-day world. Set them aside (if you can). Take a day off to enjoy all that God has done for you and all that He is. Go plant flowers. Lie in the grass and watch the clouds. Play with the kids at the beach. Spend the day reading God’s Word. Pray longer, there’s no rush. Share a meal with fellow travelers. Do something unusual. But, be sure to play. The Sabbath is God’s day for fun with Him. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.