ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH REST?

Sunday, March 10, 2019

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH REST?

Ex 31:15-17

15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

           Wow! Put to death? Really? Is the day of rest really THAT important? We now hum along at a feverish pace without any significant rest. Overtime, double-time, and all the time is the order of the day. If we applied verse 15 to the workforce, we would have a significant labor shortage.

           It is curious to me that even God took Saturday off. It is more than curious that Pure Energy was “refreshed.” The word in Hebrew is naphash and means “to breathe or to be breathed upon; to be refreshed as if by a current of air.” Creation was hard work and God took a day off to fan himself and catch His breath.

           It is important to note that the Jews had been slaves in Egypt. The new relationship – or covenant – between Israel and Jehovah would be marked by a period of rest. The Hebrew word “sign” means “evidence of.”

           Saturday has always been different – special – to me. Even as a kid Saturday meant no school and a day of barefoot play. There is still a different feeling to Saturday.

           Sunday is Sabbath for our spirit. It is a time when we catch our breath and allow the breath of the Holy Spirit to breathe upon us and refresh us. Church is a place apart from the perpetual cares of the world. It is where our eyes are tilted upward and our spirits take a deep breath.

Dear Lord, thank you for the refreshment of the Holy Spirit and the cooling comfort of Christian friends. AMEN