The True Leisure of the Christian's Rest
How the Sabbath is the Given that We Might Be Built Up in a Community of Faith
Good Morning,
As we continue to speak on the Sabbath Day we kind of have to in these days reaffirm that I am not introducing some new Legalism or wanting to take away fun or whatever. God in His grace gave the Fourth Commandment for our benefit. Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the day of rest for man. As the Directory of Public Worship explains why we are to not just individually, but as a community of faith keep the Sabbath Day holy one of the principles that will be hard for us in America today to remember is that we are not a bunch of individuals making our own moral decisions which only affect our lives. Everything we do has a consequence. It is part of what the Lord means when He says in the book of Proverbs, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.” What do we call wisdom in the Bible but listening to what Jehovah witnesses to be true? Well, in the Fourth Command as Moses is repeating the law given to him on Sinai in Ex. 20:10 he writes, “. . . but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.”.
What we read there is a word from God that says that those in authority, whether it be fathers, rulers, or us in our various capacities are to be clear that our observance of the Sabbath is to ensure that others are able to keep the Day holy as well. There is a mutual love witnessed here.
Let’s go ahead and see the selection from the DPW for today
That the diet on that day be so ordered, as that neither servants be unnecessarily detained from the publick worship of God, nor any other person hindered from the sanctifying that day. That there be private preparations of every person and family, by prayer for themselves, and for God’s assistance of the minister, and for a blessing upon his ministry; and by such other holy exercises, as may further dispose them to a more comfortable communion with God in his public ordinances.
Given that our Tuesday devotion spoke about hungering and thirsting after righteousness it is interesting that the first phrase refers to a diet. When used in the way it is above it is speaking about a schedule. A way of ordering your life so that your soul can benefit from the blessings God intends with His creation. I know most of you do not have servants who operate in your house. So how do we apply that kind of thing today? That would include anyone who does something for you. Is your eating out after worship keeping the owner or other folks at the restaurant from worshipping God and honoring the Sabbath in their own way? Is our own lack of planning causing trouble for others? It’s a difficult thing to consider on our own account. We don’t like being our own Nathan, but sometimes the punishment fits the crime. Proper preparation prevents poor performance and when it comes to our experience on the Lord’s Day the truism is just as true as it is in any other area of life. If we would bless others, love your neighbor as yourself is in fact the counsel of Jesus, then we should keep the Sabbath Day.
In the next part of the section there is some advice given to the members of Christ’s church as to how to make preparation on Saturday, and really Monday-Saturday in order to enjoy the day of rest not just physically, but in a spiritually renewing way as well. As with other avenues there is a rising level of training. It begins with the heart of the believer, then shows itself in the leaders of families leading their children in daily family worship as the Scriptures are read and applied and prayer is offered. If we reserve religion to Sunday at 11am it is no surprise we struggle with the Sabbath. If religion is our life and we make space for its practice every day then it won’t seem like an imposition for it to have its own day wherein we are free from the secular stuff getting in the way of its celebration. There is joy available to those who want joy.
We see the Sabbath as a taskmaster stealing our fun if we don’t really see Christianity in the visiting of the sick, merciful works of kindness to strangers, and the fellowship of the saints building one another up in faith. If Church is just another activity we are engaged in it is no wonder that we just want to tick the box and move on. There is a richness available through the community of the people of God that we miss out on if we only get our time together for a moment as we leave and enter. When you read the book of Acts one of the curious aspects of it is that Christians are always gathered. There is a mutual support that cannot be had elsewhere.
In closing, when you travel overseas one of the things Americans will take note of is how much smaller the average living space is, and it is not really a matter of poverty. I heard someone say to me one time that home is where you sleep, a community is where you live. We need to begin thinking about the Sabbath Day in a similar way. It is the one day in seven where we aren’t forced to go to school, or work, or do those things which while lawful on the other six days we are free from on Sunday. We place things like sports and other activities on an interestingly different plane than labor. Anything which we classify as leisure seems to be where our heart and focus lie, even when we work and move and have our being. What if we started thinking about things like Church and faith in that way? Consider how reading the Scriptures, singing songs of praise, and studying the Bible are actually what we are made to do and rest in, to find our leisure in as we grow in faith and love through the means of God’s grace.
Another thought:
https://gentlereformation.com/2019/11/22/reclaiming-sabbath-rest/
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church