Forever: A command to rest

“Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭31‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭‬‬

Forever. That is how long the covenant of the Sabbath is to last. The observance, forever. Somewhere we have lost the significance of observing the Sabbath and this covenant with God. It is included in the Ten Commandments.

““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 ‭

We have forgotten how to rest. Rest means to sit down, to sit still, to cease from labor. In our world of 24/7 convenience, we have broken this covenant.

One of the things I noticed in Israel was how serious they observed the rest of Shabbat. The elevator button even got rest, even if the elevator didn’t. There were elevators that opened and closed on every floor during the Shabbat hours. We were told this was to prevent anyone from accidentally working on the Shabbat. We were also told there were areas of the town where even driving a car was not allowed and most everything shut down during those hours.

When I was younger, I remember the town I lived in used to have “blue laws” to promote religious observance and rest. Most stores didn’t open until after church hours despite the blue laws being repealed when ai was about four years old. Now it is reserved mostly for the prohibition of alcohol sales, which is also being challenged.

I would like to learn to keep the Sabbath more diligently. Not as a religious duty, but to honor God.

Prayer – Lord teach me what it means to You to keep the Sabbath. I want to honor You in rest.