His Hardest Covenant: to Remember that Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy and set apart, dedicated to God. Exodus 20:8-11

Exodus 20:8-11 Amplified Bible

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy (set apart, dedicated to God). ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath [a day of rest dedicated] to the Lord your God; on that day you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock or the temporary resident (foreigner) who stays within your [city] gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy [that is, set it apart for His purposes].

Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

What does God mean when he says “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”?

The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word that means “to rest from labor.”

The word holy means something that is sacred or dedicated to God.

God covenants with us to make His Sabbath day, feel different from all other days of the week by resting from our normal daily routine and dedicating our thoughts and time to Him.

What does Exodus 20 verse 8 mean?

This verse firmly establishes the Sabbath as law, a command to be kept.

Yet, it is very clear that this law has its first roots in Genesis 2:1-3, for there, God set the example in what He did. He rested, and He blessed the seventh day. God could have rested at any time. Or, we might say, He needed no rest, naps, at all.

How do you and I honor the Sabbath and keep it holy?

The Bible requires that we observe the Sabbath day with gathered worship, but that is not all we should do. 

Prayer, solitude, journaling, reading and reflection are all crucial ways that we replenish our inward resting in Christ and his work alone for our salvation.

What does “honor the Sabbath” mean?

How are any of us to honor the Sabbath in our smart phone, internet, social media, satellite, fiber optic, technology driven times – How should any of us keep ourselves from perpetually, ritually, looking down at the phone, risking bodily injury versus establishing, practicing, disciplining ourselves to look up at God the Creator, Author and finisher of our faith?

A few suggestions …

• Rest: Avoid work and allow the whole family to rest
• Worship: Attend church, read scripture, pray
• Enjoy: Delight in God’s gifts and enjoy life with God
• Set apart: Make a distinction between the Sabbath and the rest of the week
• Sanctify: Dedicate the Sabbath to the Lord

The first Four Words of the Ten Commandments are calls to worship. 

• The First Word commands the proper object of worship: “You shall have no other gods before me.”
• The Second Word commands the proper manner of worship: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image.”
• The Third Word commands the proper attitude of worship: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”
• The Fourth Word commands the proper time of worship: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” 

We must worship God exclusively, correctly, reverently, and regularly. If you are not careful, life will crowd God out. But redeemed people must never forget to make proper time for the God who created us, sustains us, and redeemed us. Ray Pritchard said: We give 1 day in 7 to God because 7 out of 7 belong to him!!! 

A man was approached by a beggar on the street. The man reached into his pocket to see what he had. Finding seven dollars and feeling sorry for the beggar, he held out six bills and said, “Here you go.”

Not only did the beggar take the six dollars, but with his other hand he struck his benefactor across the face and grabbed the seventh dollar, too. 

As terrible as that story may seem to you, many of us should hear the prophet Nathan saying to us at this point, “You are the man!” God has graciously given us six days. In arrogant ingratitude, we snatch the seventh day, as well!

We must learn to make time for God. If you are too busy to make time for God, you are too busy. Consider the principle, prescription, practice of the Sabbath. 

The Principle of the Sabbath 

1. The Fourth Word charges us to be faithful stewards of the gift of time.

It teaches three ways to sanctify our time. 

A Call to Worship. Exodus 20:8 commands: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” 

This command to remember the Sabbath indicates Israel already knew about it.

After God delivered Israel from Egypt, God provided manna for them to eat.

When the Israelites woke up each morning, manna was on the ground.

The Israelites collected manna to feed their household for the day.

On the sixth day, the Israelites were to collect twice as much, because God provided no manna on the seventh day. 

Exodus 16:23 says, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.’” 

Now God commands Israel: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

The word “holy” means to set apart for the purposes of God.

In scripture, certain people, places, and things are called holy.

The Fourth Commandment teaches certain times are also holy.

The Sabbath was to be remembered so keep it holy. 

• It is a call to worship.
• It is a call to seta side time for God.
• It is a call to schedule time for God’s sake.

Matthew Henry wrote, “The Sabbath was made a day of holy rest so that it might be a day of holy work.”

God works. The devil is busy. But the devil cannot out-busy God. 

• God never takes a break.
• God never calls in sick.
• God never takes a vacation.
• God is always at work.
• God works the night shift.
• God finishes the work he begins.

God is both a white-collar executive and a blue-collar laborer.

God speaks and it comes to pass.

God moves and things happen. Our God works. And God commands us to work. To be godly is to work. Arthur W. Pink wrote, “He who never works is unfit for worship. Work is to pave the way for worship, as worship is to fit us for work.”  

Exodus 20:9-10 “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.” 

This commandment is not restrictive.

In sovereign authority, infinite wisdom, and unchanging goodness, our heavenly Father commands us to rest.

It is a personal call to rest.

God knows you cannot make it without rest, refreshment, and rejuvenation.

So he gave us this human maintenance schedule. 

• God calls those who will not work lazy. 
• God calls those who will not rest disobedient. 

It is a communal call to rest.

Verse 10 says: “On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.” 

There are seven categories listed here.

This all-inclusive call to rest affirms equality and justice for all, the precious nature of creation, and the dignity of people from foreign lands. 

Our family, coworkers, and possessions belong to God.

Every person is a person of value created in the image of God.

The Lord affirmed this by calling the entire community – including cattle – to rest on the Sabbath. 

It is a spiritual call to rest. 

Exodus 20:11 explains: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.” 

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day.

God did not rest because he was tired. 

Isaiah 40:28 says, “He does not fair or grow weary.” 

God rested to set a pattern for us to follow.

The Lord blessed and sanctified the seventh day to remind us he alone is our  Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer.

Our lives do not depend on our work.

It depends on God’s work. 

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Pray …

Psalm 29 Amplified Bible

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.

A Psalm of David.

29 ^[a]Ascribe to the Lord, O ^[b]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² 
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty and majesty of His holiness [as the creator and source of holiness].

³ 
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.
⁴ 
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
⁵ 
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ 
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion (Mount Hermon) like a young, wild ox.
⁷ 
The voice of the Lord rakes flames of fire (lightning).
⁸ 
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
⁹ 
The voice of the Lord ^[c]makes the doe labor and give birth
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple all are saying, “Glory!”

¹⁰ 
The Lord sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.
¹¹ 
The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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