Scripture to Read: Exodus 20:10
God gave the Israelites a day of rest, not just to rest but to focus on what God had done, was doing, and what He called them to do. As Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders of His day about the meaning behind the sabbath, He clarified who was in charge of the Sabbath. So, we read in Matthew 12:8–14, “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” Jesus is God, and He knew why He established the Sabbath in the first place. Jesus said it this way in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” God gave the Sabbath to meet our needs and not for us to follow a list of do’s and don’ts.
Challenge & Application
· What benefits have you enjoyed by practicing a time of rest, renewal, and refreshment in your life?
· How have you missed God’s refreshment due to overworking and not taking the necessary sabbath?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!