Holy Rest

And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28

God made the Sabbath. He observed it, not for Himself, but for man. He wants man to have time to rest and time to set aside for Him. It is a Holy Day.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11

God could have said “I will make man for the Sabbath to spend time in worship of me.” He didn’t. He made Sabbath for man so we would remember to rest from our labors and take time off completely. It is Holy for us to rest. Jesus said we can rest in Him.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. What an amazing God we serve. He knew we would be inclined to work. We would be inclined to try to get ahead by packing more into our days. So He said “Take a day each week to rest. When you do it is holy.”

Have you ever thought of a Sabbath rest as holy?

Prayer – Lord, I admit I don’t fully comprehend the Sabbath. Even rest is a struggle. I do know both are from You and to You. Help me to really grasp it. I want to honor the Sabbath as holy. I want to take the rest I have in You.