“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.” Isaiah 58:13 (NLT)
I would like to start with a confession; when I was growing up, I viewed Sabbath rest as a punishment. There were many things that we did not do on the Sabbath. Many, if not most stores were closed on Sundays. Youth sports were not scheduled on the Lord’s Day.
It is possible that I viewed the Sabbath from a legalistic perspective. It is one of the Ten Commandments. There have been times that it has been used as a weapon. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day accused Jesus of continually breaking the Sabbath, but they did not understand its purpose. Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 (NET)
When we gain a proper understanding of the value of Sabbath rest, it will radically impact our lives and ministry. I want to look at 3 benefits of Sabbath rest. We might be tempted to look at all the things we have to do and conclude, that we do not have time to observe a Sabbath. However, the reality is that we cannot afford not to set aside time. I want to briefly look at separation, restoration, and contemplation.
Separation
My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Song of Solomon 2:10 (NKJV)
I have often repeated that I believe that the operative word of the Gospel, and particularly the great commission is “go.” But before we can go, it is imperative that we “come away” with Christ. Relationship and creation require intimacy.
If we spend all of our time on the go without rest and separation, our capacity for creation will be restricted. Jesus repeatedly modeled the necessity of getting away from the world and separating himself for close communion with the Father. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Matthew 14:23 (NLT)
it is a mistake to think that that we are so busy and have so many things to do, we cannot afford time for Sabbath rest. Prayer, along with simply spending time in the presence of Jesus is more precious and valuable than we can imagine.
Martin Luther famously said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Luther prioritized time for prayer, intimacy, and separation even though his workload was overwhelming.
Jesus is calling us to come away with him. Time separated with him is never wasted. It is ironic that we can advise married couples of the great importance of intimacy and separation but not find the time to spend with the lover of our soul ourselves.
Restoration
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.” Matthew 11:28–29 (MSG)
Everything in this world eventually wears out. It is an unpleasant reality. Without maintenance, and even restoration, our homes, and our cars, not to mention our relationships and friendships can fall into disrepair. It will happen with constant use or neglect. Role
Once again, as with separation, there is an appeal to come to him, and get away with him. Proper restoration requires an interruption of routine. When we restored and renewed our kitchen, it was not fully available for normal usage. You don’t change the oil or rotate the tires on a moving car. If we do not take time for restoration, eventually we will no longer be useful.
David understood the value of the shepherd. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. Psalm 23:2–3 (NKJV). When David sinned, he appealed to God: Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Psalm 51:12 (NLT)
Routine Sabbath rest is preventative maintenance and restoration. Like the old commercial that declared, “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later.” Time spent with Jesus renews and restores.
Contemplation
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
In the world there are many things that compete for our attention. Internal distractions have always been a part of humanity, but external distractions have multiplied greatly. In the middle of all the turmoil that life presents, it is important that we hear the voice of God.
Paul said to fix our thoughts on what is true, honorable, and so on. Without Sabbath rest in getting away from all of the noise, how can we know the good from the bad? God’s voice is, “a still small voice,” or a “quiet whisper.” While God can give us peace in the middle of a storm, his voice is clearest in times of quietness and rest.
In times of contemplation, God can download into our spirits and minds, new thoughts, and ideas. We must be in a position and place to hear from God. A. W. Tozer prayed:
Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy, and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, “Speak, for Thy servant heareth.” Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of the earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking voice. Amen.
Separation, restoration, and contemplation are just a sample of the benefits available to us when we take time for Sabbath rest.
Steve Ekeroth