The Sabbath Of The Lord

"The Sabbath Rest" by Samuel Hirszenberg (1865-1908)

Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
[Exodus 20:9-11 NKJV]

The Sabbath is a word taken from the Hebrew meaning to repose, or rest*. In Genesis chapter 1 we are told that God rested on the seventh day (seven revealing wholeness, completion, perfection). We translate this pattern by churchgoing on Sunday’s, while to the Jews their Sabbath is a Saturday; but looking at the Bible in more depth, we see that the seven days become a pattern of our growing into a relationship with God.

If we look at Hebrews chapter 4 we read of the deeper revelation of ‘entering into His rest’…

For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”
Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”
[Hebrews 4:4-7 NKJV]

When do we enter? Hebrews says ‘today’; and today is this day and thus every day, from which we can conclude that once we have entered His rest, it is the place where spiritually we should remain. The Sabbath is an every day state of life.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
[Hebrews 4:16 NKJV]

We all are called to be a Seventh Day company of believers, resting in His presence because we know that our purpose is to seek only more of Him.

* h7673. שָׁבַת šâḇaṯ; a primitive root; to repose, i.e. desist from exertion; used in many implied relations (causative, figurative or specific): — (cause to, let, make to) cease, celebrate, cause (make) to fail, keep (sabbath), suffer to be lacking, leave, put away (down), (make to) rest, rid, still, take away.
AV (71) - cease 47, rest 11, away 3, fail 2, celebrate 1, misc 7;

Sunday 20th June 2021

The Christian life is a holy life. Do not substitute the word happy; happiness is a consequence of holiness. So many good people are caught up in what we may call “the gospel of temperament.” In other words, they subscribe to the belief that they must be happy and bright. But these moods are consequences, and not causes, of the Christian’s relationship with God. Our Lord insists that we keep our eyes fixed on “the strait gate and the narrow way” which, in essence, is pure love and holy living in every area of our lives. Happiness is not to be our primary aim. Our aim is to please the Lord Jesus Christ, to serve Him in the beauty of holiness, in love, and in humility. Is this your aim?