Shabbat Shalom - Sabbath Peace

The command to celebrate the Sabbath has its foundation in Genesis 2:2-3:

2 "And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He rested from all His work which God in creating had made." (JPS)

We have to do a lot of things every day: show up for work on time, stop at red lights and stop signs, obey the speed limit, get dressed, treat your spouse nicely, discipline our children, eat (our stomach commands that!), and on and on...but has anyone commanded you to celebrate and so that you can truly enjoy the day?

There is freedom when we realize that God tells us to rest on the Sabbath. And there is freedom in knowing that we can enter Sabbath rest every day by trusting in the Lord, praising His name, reveling in all His creation. But if not every day begin with one and follow His beautiful invitation found in Exodus 20: 8-11 ~

8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; 11 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (JPS)

God lovingly instructed that all should rest: Jews & Gentiles, male & female, adults & children, servants & the free, cattle & donkeys, strangers & friends.

The sabbath was not some ordinance that God created and then said to us, "Now keep it." No the sabbath was created for us and for our benefit.

Mark 2:27 ~ "Then he [Yeshua] said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.'" (NIV)

So this Saturday rest and take a few moments to sing, dance, praise the Holy name of the Lord and enjoy the day. It was created FOR YOU!

Shabbat Shalom!