God commanded us to REMEMBER it. Exodus 20:8 is clear. He didn’t beat around the bush or hide the words in mystery. Quite plainly, and with enough importance to be added to the 10, He gave the instruction. He had given us the hint in the beginning, telling us in Genesis 2:2 that He rested on the seventh day. After six days of hard work in the most creative imaginations, The Almighty God looked at every masterpiece. And then? God sat down. He rested.
Perhaps the hardest part of remembering to Sabbath, is just knowing that we CAN. After six days of running the rat race, meeting hectic demands and often brutal taskmasters, God gives us permission to stop. Was there something He already knew in the dawn of time? Ah, The Holy One of Heaven knew! He understood even then the dictations His world would slip into. He understood that every person He created would climb on the wheel called “hurry.” How He longed for us to understand the need to practice the art of His pause. He gave His gift up front. He instructed us early. “REMEMBER” ~ He knew we would forget.
The first step in understanding the Sabbath Day is grasping the gift inside it. From sunset to sunset, before we ever were born, The God of All Glory gave us a celebration time every week. He wrapped His gift in His Words, reminding us to REMEMBER to unwrap the day. It has been well-said “inside every seed is a tiny plant.” If we REMEMBER the Sabbath, inside these 24 hours lie a hidden beauty. For six days we can look forward to this one priceless day as a gem!
It doesn’t have to be weird. Sometimes we complicate God’s Words because we don’t understand the meaning behind them. None of us will ever reach the point that we know everything. Only Jesus, The All-Knowing One, can claim that title. In our Home, coming to the Sabbath Day is simply a REMEMBRANCE, a reminder. After all the struggles a previous six days has laid before us, we know that we have God’s permission to simply get off the wheel. We cherish this promise from God, the one where He says it’s ok to rest.
In our Home, Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday night. A favorite time is the lighting of two candles. They seem to bring with them the beautiful announcement: “IT’S TIME TO REST!” The first candle reminds us to remember {zachor}. The second candle reminds us to observe {shamor}. We take time to pause after the lighting and pray. We thank God for bringing us through the past week victoriously, and ask Him to be with us in the week to come. We take time to REMEMBER the special things He has done in the week that is ending. We make plans for the week to come, always trying to keep Him at the center of it all.
Sabbath candlesticks can be elaborate or simple. We have a treasured one that we set aside to only be used on this day. It has a designated place every other day of the week, standing tall where we see it often. It serves as a reminder that no matter what hardships we may encounter in the other 6 days, there is ONE that God Himself earmarked for us. Lighting the candles tells the atmosphere around us that our God-given treasure has returned, just as He said it would! We like to pause in this moment to REMEMBER that The One who told us to REMEMBER never forgets. The lighting of the candles is one of our favorite things about the day.
The Sabbath Day should have its own special way of being celebrated. Again, it never has to be fancy. Very often we as followers of Jesus get so overwhelmed with this world’s idea of perfection that rather than do “something,” we simply don’t do “anything.” We like to REMEMBER the Sabbath with a special meal, one unlike any we have during the other days of the week. The table is set with special tablecloths and decorated. Nothing is expensive, only “different.” We have found thrift stores to be our friend finding special bargains on dishes and coverings for the table. Our only goal is to be sure this day feels “set aside” … it helps ensure that we are truly REMEMBERING His command. We admit sometimes the week we just came out of has been so hard that a paper plate and hot dogs is our very best! It is always our effort to REMEMBER that captures the heart of our King, not the pretty dishes or what we eat.
The most beautiful REMEMBRANCE of Sabbath Day, is another that He commanded. In 1 Corinthians 11:24, Jesus was gathered with His disciples for His last meal on earth before He would die. He took bread and wine, blessed them, and shared The Last Supper with them. This meal had always been shared to REMEMBER how God brought His people out of slavery and bondage from the cruel taskmaster Pharoah. On this night, the Passover meal would take on another meaning. Not only would Jesus remind His Chosen that they had been delivered then, but that He would soon provide them deliverance from another taskmaster, the evil one, the devil. Jesus was soon to be crucified as the perfect sacrificial lamb. His beaten, broken body and shed blood on a cross would give us salvation if we received His gift. We are so thankful He left His instructions on the table!
Though the Bible does not command us to observe this on Sabbath Day, it does tell us to REMEMBER Him when we do. We chose to add this each week to keep us mindful of what Jesus did for us at Calvary. We never stop at His death though. Jesus walked out of His grave on the third day defeating death, hell, and the grave! We can never go wrong when we REMEMBER His finished work! Because of it, He is able to fulfill the promise He left on the table at His last supper on earth. When we take communion on this night, we also celebrate our favorite promise in the Bible. In Luke 22:16, Jesus told His disciples He would not eat the Passover meal again until He would eat it with us in His Kingdom. What an exciting moment when we declare this aloud every Sabbath! In this moment, we hold tightly to His promise ~ soon we will pass over this world and into eternity with Jesus. The BEST part? He is waiting! Imagine this truth: Jesus Christ is waiting for YOU ~ He is setting the table now, awaiting our arrival to eat the marriage Supper of the Lamb with us! Sabbath night communion takes on a whole new level of celebration knowing this fact. We can’t wait to sit down at Jesus’ table to eat the meal He’s been waiting for all these years! We like to think of Him there – waiting, waiting, waiting – waiting for His Dad to say “Son, are you ready? It’s time! Go get My Kids!”
After the meal has been eaten, true “sabbath” begins. Sabbath simply means “rest.” We choose to observe this time of rest in many different ways. Often we may watch a Christian movie, or study something we have questions about. If the weather allows, a walk in the woods is always on the list. How we decide to spend this time really has no set of rules. Believe it or not, some weeks we just go to bed early, thankful for a good night’s sleep that doesn’t require a 4:30 a.m. alarm!
It’s good to know we have a Master who understands the need for rest. Knowing that Jesus observed the Sabbath Day {Luke 4:16} makes us want to follow His example. Knowing that He, too, sometimes felt tired and weary from His work helps us be ok with taking time to breathe ourselves. This world often shuns the idea of slowing down, calling it laziness or defining it as a time of being non-productive. Jesus is our proof that this is simply not true. Until sundown on Saturday, we find peace in knowing our God was gracious in His gift of Sabbath ~ and take every opportunity to enjoy it every way we can!
As we thank God for our rest here on earth, we also REMEMBER He has promised us rest in eternity. If we are blood-bought and saved, we will one day be with Him forever in a land where all our struggling will cease. He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and gather us into His Kingdom where He is The Light. We will rest from all our earthly labors – whether mopping or monsters, mowing or ministry. The days will be joyous instead of strained, and the rat race is finally over. The heartache of this world will be remembered no more. The saved ones we love who moved Heaven-side before us will be there and the most beautiful reunions await us. Jesus will walk the streets with us, happy to know we are finally Home. Most of all, there will no longer be the enemy of our soul and His, for the puny one will be tossed into everlasting darkness. Our Sabbath Days here are a foreshadow of our Sabbath Eternity there. Oh, what a glorious thing to celebrate!
So, what’s all the fuss about the Sabbath?
In this video teaching, we explain what Sabbath is, its importance, and why we are commanded to REMEMBER and KEEP the day holy.