Honoring the Sabbath

¹³ If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
    from pursuing your own interests on my holy day;
if you call the sabbath a delight
    and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
    serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs;
¹⁴ then you shall take delight in the Lord,
    and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob,
 for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 58:13-14

The Sabbath was created as a day of rest. God rested from all his work and made the Sabbath day hallowed. He created the Sabbath as a day of praise for himself. The Sabbath is a day away from the cares of daily life. And it is a time of refreshing in the presence of the Lord.

In postexilic Israel the people were not observing the Sabbath. They continue with their work and their daily living. The Sabbath was not a day of rest but a day to pursue their own interest rather than the interest of God. God set aside the Sabbath to worship and praise him, not to go our own ways. But Israel ignored the commandment to rest on the Sabbath. As a result Israel was not enjoying the blessing of the Lord. They complained that God was to weak and deaf to help them.

Do we ignore the Sabbath? Do we go our own way? Is it enough to go to church on Sunday morning, give God an hour or two of our time? Does he want more? Is playing golf and watching football the same as going our own way. What of shopping malls and running weekend errands on Sundays? When we enjoy ourselves by doing our own thing, we are not resting the way God intended.

It is not enough to lie down on the couch and rest from work. We must learn to take delight in the Sabbath and honor the Sabbath. For most of us this is Sunday not Saturday. But still, we must try to understand what it means to delight and honor God on Sunday. Perhaps a walk in the woods and praising God as you go for the beauty he created in this world. You might spend time with family, actively drawing close to each other in activities such as board games or touch football. Rather than shopping for more things, we could prepare a meal together and invite friends to our table.

It is not an easy change to let go of our own ways. But with God’s help we can discover the delight of the Sabbath. More than just a day consumed with selfish interest but a day to find new pleasures. The Sabbath can become a day to refresh us spiritually, mentally, and physically. A day set aside from all other days of the weak. A day to praise God in all we do.

Dear Lord, help me to find ways to delight in the Sabbath. Help me give up my own interest and honor you. Give me wisdom to give up my own ways and to make the Sabbath a holy day to you.