Sabbath (Part 3)

When God made a covenant with Israel, He instituted the sign of the Sabbath. The strict observance of a holy day of rest at the end of the working week, to remember the Creator.

Adherence to the Sabbath set Israel apart from other nations; failure to do so carried the death penalty (Exodus 31:12-18). But with the establishment of a new covenant, the day of rest and remembrance became the first day of the week, the day of resurrection (Acts 20:7).

Under the old covenant Israel rested from work, as required by law, but under the new covenant the church worked from rest, in response to grace.

In our busy, self-absorbed world, many people are understandably advocating a return to strict Sabbath observance, but in doing so, perhaps inadvertently, are promoting legalism.

Wouldn’t it be better to advocate a return to the practice of the early church, a vitally necessary, God-honouring, Spirit-led, grace-filled, resurrection-remembering, holy day of rest at the start of the week?

When Jesus Christ was asked about the problem of divorce, He referred back to the pattern for marriage, “…at the beginning…” (Matthew 19:4). Maybe we should do the same with our work-life imbalance. The creation mandate for rest still stands. But how are we going to embrace it?

Should we return to the Old Testament understanding of the Sabbath?

Or should we rather teach a new way of living altogether?

Robert