“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 5: 13-14)

When God told the Israelites to keep a Sabbath, He added an important reason: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt.” There they’d been forced to work ceaselessly under Pharaoh’s excessive time constraints. Now freed, they were to give themselves a whole day each week to ensure they and those who served them could rest. Under God’s rule, there were to be no flush faced, out of breath people.

How often do you work to the point of exhaustion or get impatient with people who keep you waiting? Let’s give ourselves and each other a break. A culture of rush is Pharaoh’s doing, not God’s.

Daily Questions

1. How can you resist the urge to overwork?
2. How will you be patient this week with people who keep you waiting?

Daily Thoughts

God of the Sabbath, thank You for commanding us to rest so we can be whole.

Deuteronomy 5: 12-15

“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”

Bonus Information

When Moses taught God’s commandments in Deuteronomy 5, it was a “reissue” of the Ten Commandments first delivered in Exodus 20. In fact, Deuteronomy means “second law” because it was the second time Moses taught the law to the people. But when we compare the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, we notice some subtle differences. For instance, the commandment to keep the Sabbath in Deuteronomy 5: 12-15 is grounded on God’s act of redemption when He rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. But the commandment in Exodus 20: 8-11 is grounded on God’s rest on the seventh day from His work of creation. Putting both passages together, we see that God’s intention in creation and redemption is our blessed rest. This culminates in Jesus’ words, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”