03/29/2018
What does the Sabbath mean to you, is it simply a day of rest, a day off from work, or is there much more to this day than sleeping a little longer than usual, and going to church for a couple of hours? The Sabbath is the only day of the week that is called holy. God blessed it, and set it apart from all the rest, but did you know that there were three Sabbaths celebrated during the first Holy Week of Passover?
“So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”
Genesis 2:3 ESV
Every seven days we rest, and attend church, but it is more than a time of rest, it is a time of basking in the holiness of God, and reveling in the blessing He bestowed upon that day, and those that adhere to His sanctification of it claim in that blessing. It is a day of restoration, of completeness, and these things speak in the Old Testament to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As I read Andrew Murray today, I rejoiced in how he revealed the story of Jesus in the Sabbath...
“God’s finished work of creation was marred by sin, and our fellowship with Him in the blessing of His holy rest was cut off. The finished work of redemption opened for us a truer rest and a surer entrance into the holiness of God. As He rested in His holy day, so He now rests in His holy Son. In Him we can enter fully into the rest of God.” - Andrew Murray
It is Holy Week and the death burial, and resurrection of Jesus is being relived in churches all around the world. This week will culminate on the seventh day, the Sabbath, but in Judaism during the very first Holy Week there were three Sabbaths; there were two “high Sabbaths”, and then the typical Sabbath of the seventh day. Passover is a “high Sabbath”, the 1st day of the feast of unleavened bread is a “high Sabbath”, and the seventh day of the week (Resurrection Sunday) is the third and final Sabbath. The significance of this should not be lost to Christians. Holy, Holy, Holy should be our cry unto God. To the Jewish faithful, Passover is a celebration of their liberation from Egypt, but for the Christian it is the triumphant celebration of the liberation of mankind from sin. It is the fulfillment of an eternal prophesy that pointed to this day and said words like rest, and holy.
“And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"”
Isaiah 6:3 ESV
The Sabbath is the only day of the week called out in the Ten Commandments and reiterated as holy. It is more than a casual day of rest because we are not just told to rest, but to keep it holy. Listen again to this commandment...
“"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Exodus 20:8 ESV
From the very beginning, God set this day aside; it was to be more than just a day of rest, but a sanctified day that would be prophetic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the redemption of sin... it was to be Holy always and forever, and tied to Passover. Listen to the words of this Psalm...
“For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways." Therefore I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest."”
Psalms 95:10-11 ESV
As sinners, and lost to sin, we had no rest from it, just as Israel had no rest in their wanderings, but Jesus has returned the sanctity and rest of the Sabbath to us. His sacrifice and resurrection has reconciled us to God in a magnificent way... to be kept holy by us on the Sabbath forever. We need no new commandment for this because it was established in Genesis as holy... where it is the only mention of holiness in all of Genesis... the shadow of what was to come.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the Sabbath, and for your Son Jesus Christ who restored rest and holiness to man on it. I thank you for the Holy, Holy, Holy Week of the fulfillment of prophecy. I thank you for showing us that you never abandoned us, but had designed a plan that existed from the moment of creation. The cleansing of sin, and redemption of mankind was never in doubt, your love has never been short of perfect. When all of heaven chants “Holy, Holy, Holy art thou God Almighty” it thrills my soul, and reaffirms your unwavering love. Holy Father, from Genesis to Isaiah, to Revelation, you have established the Sabbath as your chosen day, and its holiness is eternal in your Word. Praised be your name, and glorious your kingdom forever!
“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"”
Revelation 4:8 ESV
Rich Forbes