Legalistic, a burden, or even just plain old boring… These are all common misconceptions that people have of Sabbath-keeping. What does it look like to keep a whole day holy? Surely tiresome.
A Day of Blessings
What the seventh-day Sabbath has to offer.
A day of...?
But what if I were here to tell you that it is, in fact, the exact opposite of burdensome, tiring, or boring? I can just about hear some say incredulously, “Do you mean it is a blessing?” To that, I say: Yes. That is absolutely correct!
The Apostle Mark was aware that the Sabbath was a gift from God to man and that it was a special sign or symbol of love and blessing when he recorded Jesus saying:
“...The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27, NIV
Jesus confidently stated that the Sabbath was made for us. Why?
God, our Creator, knew that we needed a day that would give us rest physically, mentally, and spiritually. He knew that the rat race we live in six days a week would be exhausting. He knew that on the seventh day, humanity would need to spend a whole day reconnecting with their Creator—renewing, restoring, and reconnecting. It was intended to bless humanity.
The background…
Jesus Himself kept the very first Sabbath in creation week:
“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”Genesis 2:2-3, NKJV
This was the first Sabbath the world and humanity enjoyed. It wasn’t the last either, as throughout Bible history, we are told of many other times when God’s people kept and worshiped on Sabbath, the seventh day.
The Israelites, on leaving Egypt and their captors, were reminded that they were to keep the Sabbath as a day of rest and blessing, which, as slaves, they were not permitted to do. When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He once again reminded them of His original design for humanity:By giving these guidelines, God was simply reminding humanity of His gift of the Sabbath day to them. It is the gift that keeps giving!
A delight…
The reminder in the Ten Commandments isn’t there simply to remind us to stop and rest from all our daily work, though. The Bible clearly outlines another very important ‘blessing’ aspect.
In the book of Isaiah, God declares that the Sabbath is also to be a delight. I don’t know about you, but a whole day out of every week that is a blessing and a delight sounds pretty good to me! It was at this point in my journey that I began to get even more curious: what else could the Sabbath be offering us? The more I looked, the more I found, so read with me as we discuss just three more of the many, many blessings that the Sabbath offers us. If you are still keen to find out more about these numerous blessings, head to our lesson, A Gift From Eden.
Mental and Physical Rest
After a busy week of creating the world, God rested. I am sure you’ll agree that after a busy week of work you, too, just want to rest!
But what does rest actually mean? A quick search on the internet reveals that ‘time off work’ is defined as a total disconnect and absence from work. So, in essence, the Sabbath is to be a day of total disconnect and absence from work and its pressures. It has been proven with studies and trials like the Four Day Week that productivity, health and well-being, and financial benefits increase exponentially simply from taking a much-needed break. As Jesus put it:“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 CSB
Don’t you want to take Jesus up on His offer? Come to Him every Sabbath, and He will give you rest! Now that’s a blessing!
A blessing of time…
Imagine if your partner promised that they would spend one day every week with you, free from the hassles and pressures of work. That day was to be spent in total enjoyment, connecting and learning about each other, growing together, and strengthening your relationship. You would take hikes together, swim in the ocean, read books together, and do whatever it was that would make your relationship stronger. Wouldn’t that be a blissful day?
This is exactly the gift God has given us. He, our Creator, Saviour, and Friend, asks us to spend one day with Him. A day to connect, learn, grow, and strengthen us—time, sacred time.
A blessing for all…
A day off work, a day to rest and reconnect, and a day to spend time with God… Sabbath is the perfect way to strengthen your community and your relationship with those you love.
Sabbath is intended to be a day of fellowship with not just God but also our fellow people. We can worship Him together, pray together, and encourage and strengthen each other. A community that can rest, restore, and reconnect on the Sabbath each week surely is a growing, rich, and healthy one!
Above are just a few simple reasons why the Sabbath is a blessing not only to us personally but also to those we interact with and love. Based on these three blessings alone, I am convinced that observing the Sabbath as the gift God intended it to be is a blessing I am truly excited to partake in! How about you?
If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at student.support@hope.study, or check out our course page here. We’d love to hear from you!
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About the Author
Carly is an avid student of scripture and a vibrant soul. A lover of God and nature, she seeks to understand her Creator through His creation—a desire she hopes to share through her writing.
Carly McLean
Tasmania, Australia
