72_The true meaning of Sabbath
Ex 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and 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.
A traveler once came across a woodcutter cutting down a massive tree. The woodcutter was drenched in sweat, his face etched with exhaustion. His axe blade was no longer as sharp as it had been. The traveler paused and asked, “Why don’t you stop for a few minutes and sharpen your saw?” The woodcutter replied, “I can’t stop! I’m too busy cutting this tree!” The traveler shook his head and walked on, marveling at the irony. The woodcutter was so afraid to rest that he sacrificed his own wellbeing and compromised his ability to complete his task.
This story reminds us of how often we neglect the importance of renewal through rest. The concept of Sabbath, instituted by God, is not just about ceasing work, but about living to His divine rhythm—a rhythm that brings us into line with his true purpose.
The Sabbath first appears in Genesis 2 when God rested, having completed his work. This does not imply fatigue, for God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Instead, His rest signifies the satisfaction of a perfectly completed work. God ceased from His creative activity, not because He was weary, but because nothing more needed to be done. Creation was complete, flawless, and reflective of His divine intent. The Sabbath, therefore, is a symbol of accomplished perfection and abundant provision.
The second mention of the Sabbath is found in Exodus 16, along with the appearance of manna. God commanded the people to gather double their daily portion on the sixth day so that they could eat it on the seventh day without having to work for it. The Sabbath was their day of rest, when they ceased all work. “On the seventh day, you will not find it in the field,” God declared. The Sabbath was not merely a day off work. It was an invitation to trust in God’s provision and enter His rest. It was a call to cease striving and affirm that in Him lay their true sustenance.
In Exodus 20, the fourth commandment proclaims the necessity of the Sabbath: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The Sabbath was to be set apart as a day distinct from the other six. Six days were allotted for work—specifically, “your work,” emphasizing personal labor and effort for their survival, enjoyment, and profit. But on the seventh day, the people were to rest, remembering that all they had and did was from the Lord’s bounty.
The holiness of the Sabbath comes from its connection to God’s completed work. Exodus 31:17 describes it as “a sign forever between Me and the people of Israel,” pointing back to God’s creation and forward to His redemptive purposes. Just as circumcision was a sign of Abraham’s faith underlying the covenant of God with him, the Sabbath is a sign of faith for God’s people. It was a reminder that God’s works were finished from the foundation of the world and that His people were called to enter into His rest.
This call is beautifully fulfilled in Genesis 2. Man was created on the sixth day. Thus, first of all, the first couple entered into God’s Sabbath. Before Adam ever worked, he rested in the completeness of God’s provision. In Eden, labor was not toilsome but a joyful carrying on of God’s finished work. Only after sin entered the world did work become burdensome. Their disobedience turned dependence on God’s bounty into a struggle for survival, marked by sweat and toil.
Centuries later, when God gave the Sabbath as a sign to Israel, it called his people back to the rest that was lost through sin. It was an invitation to stop labouring for their own sustenance, to cease self-reliance, and to trust in God’s provision. The Sabbath was more than a day; it was a posture of faith. Yet Hebrews 3 and 4 reveal that though the Israelites observed the external Sabbath, they failed to enter God’s rest because of unbelief. Their hearts remained stubborn, unwilling to rest in God through faith.
Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land, yet they did not enter the rest of God. The Sabbath rest God offers does not come from changing our location. It is not the result of observing a set day. It comes from being who we are, living as part of God’s accomplished plan. Jesus Christ’s words are, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). He calls us to find rest through meekness and lowliness. On the cross, He humbly offered himself to accomplish the work of redemption, content that in so doing he did his Father’s will. His final words, “It is finished,” echo the completion of creation in Genesis. Coming to him as followers, we find the way into God’s rest, not by our own works, but by faith.
This rest is not an invitation to laziness. God’s law encourages us to do good at all times, including the Sabbath. When the Lord healed the sick and fed the hungry, He revealed the true spirit of the Sabbath—a rest from our own selfish works, that overflows into acts of mercy, justice, and love. It is a rest that ceases from striving for self-centered profit, but is busy in God-honoring work. As Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:10, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” These works are not a burden to be borne in order to reach God’s presence. They reflect the life of God in us, the fruit of a life in harmony with God’s purposes.
The Sabbath rest also frees us from the relentless pursuit of proving ourselves capable and self-reliant. As Hebrews 4:9-10 says, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their own work, just as God did from His.” In a world driven by performance and achievement, the Sabbath reminds us that our worth is not tied to what we do but to who we are in God’s sight. It calls us to stop, breathe, and rest in the knowledge that God’s grace is sufficient. This freedom allows us to work with joy and purpose, not for man’s approval but for God’s commendation alone.
To enter God’s rest means cultivating a rhythm of life that prioritizes His greatness and goodness. It means setting aside moments to pause, reflect, and delight in Him. It means trusting Him with our identity, our needs, and our future. The proof that we have entered this rest through faith is a life marked by joy and peace in the Spirit. Our lives become a testimony to the world that true rest is not just being idle, but in trusting the One who holds all things together.
As we go about our week, let us watch that we are not labouring in our own strength, fulfilling our own needs, striving to prove ourselves successful. Let us rather rest in God’s finished work, in which we have been made partakers through grace. Let us take time to rejoice in his goodness and beauty. Let us pause, reflect, and be reminded by the Sabbath that God’s work is complete, His grace is enough, and His rest is ours to enjoy. In faith’s rest, let our lives reflect His joy, peace, and purpose. God bless.