“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 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. 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.” (Exodus 20:8-11)
The fourth commandment is a hard one to apply to our own lives. This commandment is stressed over and over in the Old Testament, but not in the New Testament. In other words, it was very important before Jesus Christ completed his ministry of salvation, but seems to have lost or changed meaning since then.
God’s rule in itself is clear: the people should set the last day of the week (the Sabbath) apart as a day of rest. This gave them the chance to relax, to recover from their work and to celebrate God’s faithfulness and provision.
The apostle Paul explains that the Sabbath was like a shadow that showed what was coming. The “real thing” is found in Jesus Christ (see Colossians 2:16-17). He gives us rest for our souls! The Sabbath law is fulfilled in Jesus. Christians need not keep this commandment anymore. But it still is a powerful lesson for us. It is good to enjoy the rest God gives us and to take time to focus on Him instead of on our daily chores and troubles. Most Christians worldwide do so especially on Sunday, since that’s when Jesus rose from the dead.
Have you found rest for your soul?