Rest Prevents Idolatry

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  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, 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.  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 day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV)

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Deuteronomy 5:15 (ESV)

I grew up in a home that valued work.  My dad would always remind me that no matter how difficult it may be, that work is a blessing.  He even made me memorize that passage from 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”  Then there is that passage from 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”  Obviously, there is an abundant amount of proof that work is valued and being a provider is important.  But when does it go too far?

Why do we take a Sabbath?  Well, let’s look at the biological point of view first.  We, as human beings, need rest.  Although the human body can survive and accomplish incredible feats, it still has its limits.  Even machinery that has proper maintenance needs to stop occasionally.  We need physical rest in order to recharge, even the best trained athletes rest as a part of regimen.  So, it would make sense that God would instruct us when to rest since He created us.  When we rest, we are admitting that God knows what is best for us.

There is more to taking a Sabbath then physical rest, there is a spiritual side too.  Rest can help prevent idolatry.  We live in a society that is materialistic and self-driven.  We always want to make sure the bank account is full, we always want the best stuff, and want to be self-sufficient.  When we depend on our ability to earn money too much, we do not depend on God.  We can start to worship money instead of the One who really owns the money.  We also have to remember when this was written.  In ancient times, workers got paid for what they did that day.  If a worker took a Sabbath, they were giving up a day of work, a day of pay.  They did not have sick days, vacation, or any other paid time off.  By doing this, they were depending on God to provide for them.  With the majority of us having much more worker’s rights now, there really is no excuse to not take a Sabbath.  When we don’t rest as commanded, we are telling God that we know better than He does.  It can be difficult to do this when we are faced with difficult times, but God is with us.  Let us remember the words of Jesus,

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:29-31 (ESV)

I love you all,

Justin