Personal and Practical
and you shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day. Deuteronomy 5:15
Remember – Most Christians think that God instituted the sabbath as a memorial to His rest after creation. Of course, that’s the reason given in the declaration of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:11. But that’s not the only reason. Here, Moses reveals another connection between Israel’s past slavery and honoring the day of rest. Why is it important for Israel to keep the sabbath as a day set apart from work? Because Israel was a slave under a cruel yoke until God brought them out with a mighty hand. On the sabbath, Israel is to remember (zakar) not only the eternal and cosmic application of the sabbath (creation) but also the temporal and practical demonstration (freedom). The first might be theologically glorious, but the second is the very reason for Israel’s existence.
Maybe you thought that honoring the sabbath was only about creation theology. That’s lofty and inspiring, but it won’t do much good for the man or woman who is enslaved to the work world. There’s not much relief in the gristmill just because there are stars in the sky. So, God brings us out. He frees us from the crushing yoke of slavery. We don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate how important this is. All we have to do is be human. Everyone feels the sting of the tyrant’s whip and the ache of the load of bricks as we trudge through life in the fallen realm. We know what it’s like to carry sin’s weight. It’s killing us. We know what it means to toil in sorrow. It’s crushing us.
God is not deaf to our cries. He is compassionate by nature. He rescues by choice. If you’ve spent your life on the grinding wheel, then you have a very practical reason to keep the sabbath. It is your personal reminder of life after relief. So, while you’re fishing or enjoying the sunrise or hearing the rustle in the leaves, remember. Remember what life was like when there was only tomorrow’s work. Remember what it felt like to carry the weight alone. Remember how bitter were the mornings when the only purpose for living was to survive the day. Remember the bite of the accusations, the lash of guilt, the hopelessness of hell on earth. And then you will know why God commands rest. The sabbath is the living memorial to your redemption. When you keep it, you deliberately recall the days in Egypt, when God seemed as distant as those ancient patriarchs. You meditate on the agony of going to bed tired and waking up even more tired. And then you feel the strain lifted. The sabbath was made for man, so that man could feel the freedom of God.
Perhaps that’s a good test of your sabbath-keeping attitude. When you set aside the day for delight, do you feel God’s wave of freedom? Are you gloriously grateful for the relief He provides? Is the day a celebration for living out from under the wheel?
Topical Index: Commandments, Sabbath
