The Attitude of Sabbath

May 30, 2007

Dear Friend,

Last week we took a look at the verse in Isaiah 58 where God calls His people to honor His holy day by keeping it holy. “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD . . .”

In the Ten Commandments it reminds us to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The word “holy” simply means set apart, dedicated entirely to someone. So keeping the Sabbath holy simply means that those 24 hours each week, from the time the sun sets on Friday to sundown on Sabbath, are dedicated to God. That’s God’s time.

And Isaiah tells us we keep it holy by our actions, our words, and our attitude; not “doing as you please,” not “going your own way,” not “speaking idle words,” “keep your feet from breaking,” and the attitude of “a delight” and “honorable.”

Let’s talk for a moment about the attitude part. The Sabbath is supposed to be kept by us, first of all, as an attitude. Reminds me of where God says that He loves a cheerful giver, where He says that if I hate my brother in my heart, it’s the same as committing murder against him. That He wants us to worship Him in spirit, as well as in truth.

What is your attitude when the Sabbath is mentioned? If you look forward to Sabbath as a time of rest, relaxation, time to stop and spend with God, a time to recharge your spiritual batteries, then it’s a delight for you. But if it’s something you dread, a time you view as an interruption to your plans, or if you think all about your coming plans that you will enjoy as soon as the Sabbath is over, then that’s not a delight.

The Hebrew people long ago would number each day of the week as a sort of countdown toward the Sabbath. Monday was the “Fifth day until the Sabbath,” and Tuesday was the “Fourth day until the Sabbath.” They looked forward to it all week, and planned for the next Sabbath from the time the sun went down on Sabbath evening. Finally, when Friday came, it was called the “Preparation Day.” That whole day was set aside as a day to plan for Sabbath, so that when the Sabbath arrived, they would have all the planning and preparation done, and they would welcome it with joy and delight. And that’s the way God designed the Sabbath to be. A time we look forward to, and delight in. Almost like a birthday or wedding celebration, where all the planning and thoughts are looking forward in anticipation to the event, and all the plans are done beforehand.

Next week we’ll talk about how to honor it with our actions and words. But remember, if I don’t have the right attitude regarding the Sabbath, then it doesn’t matter what my actions and words are. I’m simply going through the motions, and it cannot be a joy to me.

What are some things that you do to make the Sabbath “a delight, and the holy of the Lord honorable”? I’d love to hear from you!

Have a great week! I’m praying for you!

Mark