God Gave You a Day of Rest for Him

Finger-pointing, strict adherence to the Law and religious piety; those are typical descriptions of the Pharisees of Jesus day. The origin of the Pharisees is unclear, though the sect clearly began after the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, probably around the 2nd Century B.C.

The Pharisees were not priests, but were devoted to the Law of Moses. Their own experts, the scribes, became the teachers of the Law. Their teachings, known as the traditions of the elders, were passed orally to successive generations. The traditions were eventually written down between the 3rd and 6th centuries A.D.

In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were highly regarded by the people for their devotion to the Law. Their poor reputation came partly from their tendency to stand aloof from anyone who was not a Pharisee. They were also known to be judgmental of those who did not keep the Law and the traditions as carefully as they did.

Of particular interest to the Pharisees was the Sabbath, one of the Ten Commandments. And if that was not enough for serious consideration…

Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.

—Exodus 31:14

With such consequences it is understandable why strict instructions developed. No one wanted to be guilty of breaking the Sabbath. So, there were rules about the definition of work, how far a person could walk on the Sabbath, how much they could carry, how work animals were to be fed and used, etc. These additional laws were, at least at first, meant for the good of the people. They were meant to give practical application to the Sabbath commandment.

However, over time, the rules became a burden and overshadowed the purpose of the law.

Do you know the purpose of the Sabbath?

The word sabbath literally means rest (not seventh). Though set in place in the creation sequence, the Sabbath Day was not explained in the Bible until the Law of Moses. The Sabbath was given to Israel as a day of rest from their work, and it included rest for their servants and work animals. It was a day that was “holy to the Lord.” In other words, it was a day that was to be set aside for the Lord.

Jesus understood the purpose of the Sabbath when He said: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) With that, let me share a few non-legalistic observations about the biblical Sabbath (rest day):

• Jesus did not assign a specific rest day for his followers, nor did His Apostles.
• If Jesus had commanded Sunday to be the Christian rest day, human tendency would be to make additional laws regulating that day.
• The rest day was set in place at creation. So, it was not intended for the Israelites only, and not just for ancient times.
• Without a sabbath day, man would foolishly work 24/6/365. (And that’s no typo.)
• Participating in work and entertainment is not the same as setting a day aside for God.
• God did not categorize work into job, work at home, and play (like we do). All of that is still man’s work. He asked that we stop our efforts and give Him...just one day a week.

Think about your Sabbath. It is not about resting rules, but rather, your relationship with your God. Do you think two or three hours on a Sunday is a day? On what day do you rest from all your activity in order to maintain and nurture your relationship with God?

Mark Stinnett

December 11, 2022