Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 20:8-11. Today, I am leaving for a 7 day cruise vacation. My next devotion, God willing, will be on Sunday, December 22, 2013.
“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 of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the 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.
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Much can be said about how we should keep the Sabbath. I will only mention three things.
1. First thing is “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him”.
Here is what the Heidelberg Catechism states about this fourth commandment.
Question 103. What doth God require in the fourth commandment?
Answer. First, that the ministry of the gospel and the schools be maintained; and that I, especially on the sabbath, that is, on the day of rest, diligently frequent the church of God, to hear his word, to use the sacraments, publicly to call upon the Lord, and contribute to the relief of the poor, as becomes a christian. Secondly, that all the days of my life I cease from my evil works, and yield myself to the Lord, to work by his Holy Spirit in me: and thus begin in this life the eternal sabbath.
This second point is very important. Many think that they keep the Sabbath just by not working their regular job and by going to church. However, they are still working hard by trying to prove their own self-righteousness. They don’t trust the finished work of Christ, but they continue to work to try to supplement it by their own works or alleged free-will. “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:9-11.
Rest in the Christian life comes through complete acceptance and reliance on what God has done for us and will do for us.
“Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; …” Psalm 37:7.
“Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.” Psalm 116:7.
We live in a world in which it is hard to rest. “Just do it!”: urges the world. Even in church, the emphasis many times is what we should do rather than what God has done.
In Romans 10:2-4, Paul bears witness to Israel “that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Jesus wanted to gather the children of Jerusalem under His wings, but they were unwilling. See Matthew 23:37.
Are we willing to enter His rest? Are we willing to believe that righteousness comes from God on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ? Or, are we seeking to establish our own righteousness based on our own works? See Philippians 3:4-9.
2. Second thing is use your power and influence as family leaders and employers to allow and lead those in your care to keep the Sabbath.
Here is what the Westminster Larger Catechism states in part about this fourth commandment.
Question 118: Why is the charge of keeping the sabbath more specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors?
Answer: The charge of keeping the sabbath is more specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors, because they are bound not only to keep it themselves, but to see that it be observed by all those that are under their charge; and because they are prone ofttimes to hinder them by employments of their own.
We also tend to forget or minimize this consideration that we as family leaders and employers have power and influence over others and that we need to use our power and influence to allow and lead those in our care to keep the sabbath.
One of the things we can do is remind our family on Friday (and Saturday) that the focus of the weekend should be on Sunday and that we should prepare for it.
3. Consider specific good habits that will help you prevent “worldly businesses” coming between you and the keeping of the Sabbath and the focus on the LORD.
This is more from the Westminster Larger Catechism about this fourth commandment.
Question 121: Why is the word Remember set in the beginning of the fourth commandment?
Answer: The word Remember is set in the beginning of the fourth commandment, partly, because of the great benefit of remembering it, we being thereby helped in our preparation to keep it, and, in keeping it, better to keep all the rest of the commandments, and to continue a thankful remembrance of the two great benefits of creation and redemption, which contain a short abridgment of religion; and partly, because we are very ready to forget it, for that there is less light of nature for it, and yet it restrains our natural liberty in things at other times lawful; that it comes but once in seven days, and many worldly businesses come between, and too often take off our minds from thinking of it, either to prepare for it, or to sanctify it; and that Satan with his instruments much labor to blot out the glory, and even the memory of it, to bring in all irreligion and impiety.
Yes, there are so many “worldly businesses come between us” and keeping the sabbath as we should. If I asked each of you the readers some of the things that you (or don’t do) to remember the Sabbath, I would learn a lot about what has helped you that could help me. Your good habits of keeping the Sabbath are not legalistic, but your good habits have become a joy and a peace and a rest to you.
One of the things that I do not do on the Sabbath is read the news nor watch the news on TV (which tends to upset me at worst and distract me at best). I have learned that if I do so, “worldly businesses come between” me and keeping the sabbath as I should.
Again, I do not want to be legalistic and impose my specific habit as mandatory. But, I intend this example to stimulate the readers’ thinking as to some things he or she can do to take a break from “worldly businesses”.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 