Declaration of Value for the Weary and Restless Soul

The Sabbath may be one of the most difficult scriptural commands for Christians in the west to fulfill. Our western culture is oriented around our work. We are taught to measure ourselves by what we produce, by what role in society we fill. Think about this: what is the first question you typically ask someone when you meet them for the first time, after learning their name? Isn’t it something like: “So, what do you do?” This thinking is so innate to us that we rarely stop to even consider it. Our culture teaches us that our value comes from our work.

The Sabbath stands in radical opposition to that way of thinking. God instituted the Sabbath as a command – a law – for the Israelites shortly after he brought them out of Egypt, out of their slavery (Exodus 19-20). The Sabbath, to them, was a sacred practice. Failing to respect it and keep it could bring the penalty of death (Numbers 15:32-36). God gave the Israelites the Sabbath as part of the new identity He forged for them as His chosen people. As God’s servants, the Israelites were no longer slaves to Pharoah. In Egypt, the Israelites existed to work, to produce, to bring results. God gave His people the Sabbath as a definitive break from that identity.

It's one of the Ten Commandments. Why do Christians so readily neglect it?

The Sabbath is, therefore, an ethical and moral lesson and a testament to the innate worth of humanity. This practice, instituted as a law for His people by God, teaches us that God does not measure the value of human lives by how much they produce. It provides a strong scriptural basis for the innate value of people who do not and cannot work because of physical and mental handicaps. For those who do work, the Sabbath is both a challenge and an opportunity to truly trust in the God we profess to love and serve.

It is a challenge because we are busy, our lives are full of tasks, and we are constantly engaged in work – often good work, work that God has called us to and that brings us joy and accomplishment. However, the Sabbath shows us that we need something greater than this sense of accomplishment and purpose that comes from work. Just as fasting from food serves to remind us that we need God’s sustenance more than the energy our bodies derive from the nutrients that we consume, so the Sabbath, when kept rightly, serves to remind us that our greatest need in life is God’s presence and love.

It is an opportunity to accept that need. It is an opportunity to throw ourselves into the arms of our loving Father and trust Him that the order of the universe is not dependent on our work and that life will not fall apart if we step away from our tasks for 24 hours. It is a tremendously countercultural act of faith. Best-selling author of God in My Everything and Survival Guide for the Soul, Pastor Ken Shigematsu, says this about keeping the Sabbath as an act of trust: “There are no guarantees that if we keep the Sabbath we will be successful. But honoring the Sabbath (and not overworking the other six days) will give us an opportunity to grow in our trust of God and experience his faithfulness.”

What keeps us from practicing the Sabbath? When we begin to examine our lives, many quick answers come to mind: general busyness, obligations, important tasks. Look more deeply and you may find within yourself things you are loath to acknowledge. Many people who love Jesus and seek to follow Him have been blinded by the lies of our culture and world and unconsciously believe that their standing before God is determined by their production and effort. Practicing the Sabbath means choosing to believe and trust that God’s love for us is not diminished in any way when we are not engaged in working for him. This may be the most difficult obstacle of all.

“I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, just and upright is he.” – Deuteronomy 32:3-4 (NIV)