4th Commandment: Sabbath Day

But there is a fourth commandment. He says in verse eight, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Under Jewish law the Sabbath day was on a Saturday. But the purpose of the Sabbath was not a day of rest, a day to kick back, take it easy, and enjoy yourself. The Sabbath day was meant to be a holy day, a day in which they set aside the normal labours they would be involved in, so that they could pursue the labour of praising God, worshipping God. That was the purpose of the Sabbath.

Now today we worship on Sunday because Jesus rose from the grave on Sunday. But we find in the New Testament, in Romans 14:5‑8, that as a child of God, whether we set one day aside for God or whether we choose to honour God on every day, God wants our life to be committed to Him totally. All of our time belongs to Him. Hebrews 10:25 tells us that we are not to forsake the assembling together in church.

Have you ever heard anyone say, when they are invited to church, “Oh, that’s my only day to rest.” What blasphemy! They are perverting God’s Word by calling Sunday a day of rest. Rubbish! It is meant to be a day of setting aside your work so you can pursue God with all your heart. Can you say you have faithfully sought God at least one day a week all of your life? Do you give God time every day in devotions? Does your time belong to God or do you use it the way you want? Now remember, we are just trying on the law. These are the things that we will give an account for one day. How are you doing so far?