“Remember the Sabbath and Keep It Holy ···”
May the Lord of peace be with you.
The fourth commandment in today’s text has been the focus of diverse understanding, interpretations, and the most debates in church history. And today I would like to focus on one interesting factor about the fourth commandment. This commandment is part of the first four commandments that deals with our relationship with God. And it is significant that it is at the transition point toward the fifth to the tenth commandments that deal with relationships between people. In other words, after the commandments about people’s relationships with God, this commandment was given before the commandments about people’s relationships with others.
This fourth commandment seems to imply people’s eternal relationship with God. It is because, we are commanded to leave secular life and return to a life of God’s holiness. By keeping the Sabbath set apart by God as holy, we are reminded that our daily life is planned and evaluated by God’s wisdom. It is to remember, by turning away from six days of physical activities, that our existence belongs to God and our happiness is under God’s sovereignty.
We cannot separate body and soul in considering human beings. Every moment in life body and soul affect each other and exchange energy in mutuality. In this sense, the Sabbath is not just God’s demand but it is an eternal image of basic humanity. The value of the Sabbath derives from our every breathing moment during weekdays. The Sabbath, the seventh day, lifts up the true meaning of weekday life. Proper understanding of connections between the Sabbath and weekdays teaches the true meaning and the right ways of keeping the Sabbath.
Do you remember two commands in the fourth commandment? Many people think that this commandment only talks about the Sabbath. However, it clearly mentions commands for both the Sabbath and weekdays. Let’s look at the commands. First, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Second, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.”
God’s will is that we work faithfully with our God-given works. Then, on the seventh day we must stop our work and worship God. This is God’s command. Therefore, our six days of work fulfills God’s will. That is why our works in itself, in actuality, are parts of beautiful worship of God. Reflections, meditations, and worship time on the seventh day, and our daily life and works are worships that are pleasing to God. Those who are idle are not worthy to worship. Those who practice traditional worship without stopping are unable to work. Therefore, there is no true rest or Sabbath.
God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh day and made it holy. In the same way, God commands to people, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.” These days there are many privileged people who do not have to work for living. However, we must recognize the holiness of labor. We must learn the spirituality of work and labor. We must remember God’s active grace in our works. For example, our food for existence grows out of earth. However, we must break the earth and labor in order to produce food for consumption. Harvest is earned through labor. We must remember that although human beings labor with earth, it is God who provides the crown of bountiful harvest.
Jewish people’s original understanding of the Sabbath was not a sad one. Instead, it is worth noting that it was festive. The Sabbath was a joyful day. It was the day of rest for the tired and weary body and souls. In other words, it was a day to rejoice by stopping hard labor. It was a day where one can practice one’s unique talents. The Sabbath functions as a day to remember and have fellowship with God the creator. In addition, renew our commitments to God’s kingdom and start a new week. Sabbath has both spiritual and realistic values and meanings. Human beings need to rest peacefully on Sabbath, then work diligently and faithfully with given works on weekdays. So on weekdays we can work meaningfully with strengths drawn from the holiness and goodness of the Sabbath meditations.
Therefore, the commands to “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy” and “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” are closely connected and inseparable. They are essentially one. Therefore, one must follow both commands to obey the fourth commandment. Obedience to one provides strengths to obey the other command, vice versa. Our faithful works lead to faithful worship and faithful worship prepares us for our works.
Considering all these matters, we can understand that the Sabbath in relation to God was not given to specific people in specific times. God gave the Sabbath to all people of all generations. It is God’s grace and divine plan. And replacing the Sabbath with Lord’s Day, Sunday, has spiritually significant implications. The Bible does not clearly state the change but it is clearly implied. Until Jesus Christ came people worked toward the Sabbath. However, after Jesus came weeks begin with Lord’s Day, Sunday.
The master of Lord’s Day Jesus Christ’s teachings on Sabbath gives insights on the Lord’s Day and Sabbath to Christians who follow Him. Some say that Jesus softened the oppressive ancient rules of Sabbath through His teachings. We need to understand that Jesus talked about Sabbath as the Messiah, fulfilling His mission. Lord said, “Sabbath exists for people.” In addition, He said, “The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.” Here Jesus did not say that He was the Son of God. Jesus did not come to destroy the Sabbath, instead He claims to be the Lord of the Sabbath. The Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ, completed the Sabbath and Sabbath began on the day He completed His works, Sunday. The glorious Sunday morning of resurrection, after the Passion on the cross and burial in a tomb, replaced the Old Testament Sabbath with the New Testament’s Sunday. Therefore, everyone who received Christ’s salvation must faithfully observe Sunday according to the law overflowing with Christ’s love.
The fourth commandments, regarding the Sabbath, still presents questions to us living in our time. What is the true meaning of rest? How shall we define proper ways of having rest? I hope you will find answers to these questions in the coming week. The Sabbath and the rest is God’s amazing grace to His children. May the peace of the Lord be with you.