22.8 Worship God Alone: Still

Table of Contents

The Text

Genesis 2:2-3 (CSB) On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.

Exodus 20:8-11 (CSB) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You must not do any work — you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. For the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

The Chapter

The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.

The Confession

The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe a holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations

Isaiah 58:13 (CSB) “If you keep from desecrating the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, seeking your own pleasure, or talking business;

Nehemiah 13:15–22 (CSB) At that time I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in stores of grain and loading them on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day. The Tyrians living there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem. I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? Didn’t your ancestors do the same, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling his anger against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!” When shadows began to fall on the city gates of Jerusalem just before the Sabbath, I gave orders that the city gates be closed and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my men at the gates, so that no goods could enter during the Sabbath day. Once or twice the merchants and those who sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem, but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I’ll use force against you.” After that they did not come again on the Sabbath. Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the city gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, my God, and look on me with compassion according to the abundance of your faithful love.

but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy

Matthew 12:1–13 (CSB) At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry: how he entered the house of God, and they ate the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests? Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue. There he saw a man who had a shriveled hand, and in order to accuse him they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He replied to them, “Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out? A person is worth far more than a sheep; so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.” Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other.

Listen, I am the strictest Sabbatarian that I know. I observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. You can take away my Sabbath from my cold, dead hands. It is one of the best gifts that I have received from the Father and I am not giving it up--not on your life.

Now all that said, find a day that works best and take that day off from work. That is all. Don't overthink it.

Luke 14:5 (CSB) And to them, he said, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day? ”

Don't overthink "does this fall under 'ox in a well'?" Just take the day off. Do something that is the opposite of what you do for a living. Easy peasy.

(Case in point: my wife mows the lawn on our riding lawnmower. She is a non-profit director. She swears it relaxes her. I have to trust her on that one.)

Colossians 2:16–17 (CSB) Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ.

The Sabbath is not a punishment. It is a gift. It is not a reward if you had a good week at work and got all of your tasks accomplished. It is a gift and a command from the Father. The Sabbath is not the result of six days of work but rather, you start with a day of rest and then you work your six days from there.

Hebrews 4:9–10 (CSB) Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his.

To that end, the Lord's Day is on the Sabbath (for most folks). You go to church then you plan the next six days around the first day. Prioritize what is important and everything else will fall into place.