I was pondering the issue of rest yesterday in regards to taking a sabbath. Something hit me right between the eyes and I feel like it is worth sharing. God commands this day of rest for his people and also sets the example of resting Himself, even though He Himself is not tired. Why? As I thought of this in regards to my own labor (especially ministry) I suddenly realized that much of my identity is wrapped up in what I do. There is a part of us that feels value when we "do" something. We attain a certain level of worth by "doing" things. I wonder if taking a sabbath rest is partially about resting and partially about reorienting your life around who God is as opposed to who we are? Do people work themselves to death because they are seeking to be made valuable in the eyes of others or in their own eyes? As I talk to other pastors, I have noticed some of the same ideas coming up. On Mondays, many pastors feel like quitting their jobs and grabbing a nine-to-five somewhere else. This usually comes after a bombed teaching, disgruntled parishioner, or just an exhausting day where they find themselves weary. I wonder, would pastors still feel that way if so much of our identity was not wrapped up in what we do? Maybe the sabbath and vacations are more about us being reminded that when we step away from our activities and rest, the world continues to turn. Life still moves forward and in fact, we are not as important as we think... (wish) we are. Something about stepping back from our labor helps us to refocus our energy on things that do matter and things that will last. Things like our relationship with the Lord and our relationship with our families. When Jesus said ," the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath" it seems He meant what He said.
In the list of the ten commandments in Exodus 20 God gives the commandment to rest in verses 8-10. God couches the commandment to rest in the story of creation and the example set by Him from the beginning. He is saying essentially, "be like Me!" My identity is not in what I do but who I am.
In the list of commandments found in Deuteronomy 5:12-15, God couches the commandment to rest in the fact that the children of Israel used to be slaves in Egypt. He says in verse 15, "and remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God hath brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day." It is as if the Lord is saying, " your value as a human used to be determined by how hard you worked. But, I set you free from that. I want you to leave behind the slave-value system and embrace the glorious freedom of a God-centered value system." We have worth. Our worth is not based upon what we do or don't do. Our value scale is based upon what God has done in redeeming us. We have worth by the work of the cross and redemption. Even the word redemption should bring us to that word picture. Like an empty soda can that is trash to be discarded, we have "redemption value" to our manufacturer.
Heb 4:9-10 exhorts us, "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."
Not an excuse to be lazy, but an exhortation to prioritize your life to be God centered and not self centered. What think ye?
4 comments:
It's funny, I was just thinking about the Sabbath the other day. Can't remember what I was reading, but it was talking about how God had made the day holy. I asked myself if I did the same, and for the most part...I'd have to say I don't really. Good reminder.
A while ago I heard a Bible teacher say that resting on the sabbath meant confidence in God and His provision for the Israelites. They were primarily farmers and hunters and to take a whole day off from work meant that they were not trusting in their own ability to provide. In the heathen nations around them, the people worked 7 days a week to eke out an existence. To devote one day a week to resting, celebrating, and thinking about/praising God was a public (perhaps brazen)display of confidence in Him. In the spiritual world, we enter God's sabbath rest when we quit relying on ourselves to earn His favor. (See Hebrews 4) I don't think there is a precedent or command in the NT to keep a sabbath day. More and more I think of "faith" as throwing myself on God's mercy, not as a commodity that I have. Certainly God is good and worthy of my trust and obedience.
Bpwin- Great words! I am also aware of the Hebrews 4 passage and love the point there. Israel never enetered the Sabbath rest that God really wanted for them. A sabbath of eternal rest from labor by faith in Christ!
The NT imperative is that, he that has entered into Christ by faith has ceased from his labor.
Having said that, I also find it refreshing to take one day a week and wrap all of my identity in who Christ is. I get caught up, way to easily, in who I am and what I am doing. I need time to step back and remember that God supplies my every need.
Agree! I guess I left out that, while there is no command to observe a weekly sabbath, there certainly is wisdom in doing so. I love Sunday as a day to meet with my fellow believers, to hear the teaching of God's word, to sing and celebrate God and His mercy in our lives. It is the high point of my week. Yet if I occasionally miss it, I haven't "broken" a command and therefore been willfully disobedient. (I can find lots of other area where I struggle with being disobedient.) But God is good and merciful. He wants our love, not dutiful following of the rules. You are a father. I'm sure that you want your children to run to you, laugh with you, trust you, as well as doing the specific things you ask them to.
Thank you for sharing your joy in the Lord.
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