A DAY SET APART

A Day Set Apart

Isaiah 58:13-14 (NIV) "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, ¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Do you see the Sabbath celebration as a delight? Do you see it as the Lord’s holy day? Do you even question its importance? It was obviously important to Jesus and we know this because of His example. It’s important because God created the week and divided it into seven days. The day and week becomes the primary way in which we tell time. God’s instructions to mankind were for them to work six days and to rest on the seventh day. The seventh day was a day “set apart,” different from the other days, a day holy unto the Lord (Genesis 2:3).

What happened? Where did we lose sight of how God views the Sabbath? When did we allow it to be replaced with our own understanding of how God wants us to spend this day He has declared as being special?  The majority of people today, by their example, treat Sunday (or whatever day you celebrate as your Sabbath) no differently than any other day. Sunday for many, has become a weekly holiday rather than a holy day ordained by God. Sunday has become the day we can sleep late, play golf, go to the lake, visit friends, go to the Mall, do yardwork, do laundry or spend the day watching sporting events; you fill in the blank. Over the years I have observed, that we as a nation and as individuals, have completely done away with the special way in which God intended for His creation to spend their Sundays. Whenever anyone makes a decision to do things contrary to the will of God or the design of God, there will be consequences and if left unchanged, they will ultimately lead to spiritual death.  

I love the question Ann Graham Lotz posed about the Sabbath, “Has the day that is supposed to be set apart…fallen apart?” What do you think? How is Sunday spent by you, your family? More importantly, if someone used you as an example would they think Sunday was a day that was special by the way you spent it or would it look as though it was a day that had fallen apart? How does your Sabbath reflect your faith?

The Sabbath is God’s day, a holy day, a day of worship reserved by God for a special purpose and when we do it honors Him. To keep Sunday in a way that honors God is a way we can show our willingness to submit our will to God’s will. It is a day that can refresh us spiritually and physically; providing quality time for us to celebrate the presence of God in worship and much needed time with our families and friends. God will honor your efforts as you dedicate this day to Him.

I ask you again: Do you spend your Sabbath any differently from the other six days of the week? david