Spirituality Column #757

May 18, 2021

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Give It a Rest

By Bob Walters

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” – Hebrews 4:9-10

We all understand, right, that the Bible says nothing about resting on Sundays.

Not that it’s a bad idea to set aside one day a week resting for ourselves and focused on the glory of God.  But the Old Testament commandment to “keep the Sabbath holy” was one of several ways God demanded the Hebrews to lay aside their own labors for an enforced observance of the God of their Nation.

When God called the Israelites to be His own chosen people, the glory of that designation came - for the Israelites - with the heavy burden of works of the Law and vigorous observance of and obedience to God's covenants, commands, and Law.  Even the "rest" of the Sabbath day - the seventh day, what we know as Saturday - demanded exhausting preparation and meticulous execution.

As we all know from Sunday school, the Lord’s Sabbath commemorates God’s rest on the seventh day after His six days of creation (Genesis 2:2).  Humanity’s early labors were especially hard and physical so a day of rest made great practical sense.  God requiring that the day be dedicated to Him was a constant, clear reminder that He was Israel’s God.  And it was an unusual practice at that time; foreigners and slaves marveled at the Hebrew nation’s day of rest, largely unknown elsewhere in the world.

After Jesus arrives in the New Testament, there are no new sabbath days, holy days, remembrance days, festivals, or resting days with the intent of connecting man to God, and vice versa.  Why?  Because Jesus, in His New Covenant of Faith, perpetually occupies our hearts, not our calendars.  Jesus is our Sabbath.

Jesus is with us all the time, with every breath and heartbeat.  He, now, is our rest, and the fulfillment of all the Old Testament law, prophecy, and commandments saying the world’s salvation would come up out of Israel.  And it did, in Jesus.

My NIV Study Bible has this good note on Hebrews 4:10 (cited above): “Whereas God rested from the work of creation, the believer [in Christ] ceases his efforts to gain salvation by his own works and rests in the finished work of Christ on the cross. … the believer’s final rest is in view here.”  We are at rest from the Law; we rest in Jesus.

Early Christians quickly traded in their Saturday Hebrew Sabbath for Sunday’s “Lord’s Day” observance of worship and praise.  And granted, Christendom’s history is replete with traditional observances, the “ecclesial calendar” that includes everything from Christmas to Easter to saints’ days, seasons, and festivals.  None of it is biblical.

Still, it seems so spiritually healthy and a fine cultural gift to have one day a week dedicated to our Maker, Lord, and Savior; to cultivate our relationship with God and our families, to focus on our church, and to rest in the arms of our loving, saving Jesus.  No strings attached, no laws or commands of observance; just “Love God and love others.”

This is the freedom we have in Christ, and it is a freedom upon which American culture and commerce evermore crassly encroach without apology. Even though the Sabbath is the only one of the 10 Commandments not listed for enforcement in the New Testament, our faith in Jesus makes this rest a constant gift, not a one-day holiday. 

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) loves church and a slow Sunday afternoon.