Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.“
Genesis 2:3

The word ‘rested’ here is NOT the word REST. It is not based on that word (nuah). It is the word sabat which at its most basic form is ‘to cease’. It is a word about ceasing from work, which might include rest but not necessarily. This is not a stress on resting from WORD, but rather God CEASING from creating because it was COMPLETE. There was nothing further to create, so He stopped creating.

The root of Sabat was about a desisting from exertion. It is tied to the idea of celebrating because of completion. To ‘keep’ the remembrance of the celebration of the completion. This is why God BLESSED this day. This was a day where exertion could be ended and a celebration made of the total provision of all that was needed. Since the BLESSING of the Lord provides ALL that we need to function and succeed in life (Genesis 1:28), this is a celebration of God as our SOURCE and being blessed because we remember it. The best way to remember it is to 1) take it VERY seriously, 2) completely rely on Him, and 3) be consistent in our remembrance – which was the idea of the Sabbath in the Law. A blessing is an increase in well being. It is a BENEFIT. Our strength is renewed and our capacity for intellectual creativity and reason are increased when we SABBATH with God. Rest is essential for us to rebuild and recharge ourselves whether we are accountants, teachers, or athletes. It’s essential for productivity. It’s essential for good judgment. All of this comes from the BLESSING of weekly rest. We are provided in this BLESSING the potential to produce in the coming week.

Why make it HOLY? Because holy objects are not permitted to be used for one’s personal gain. Therefore, Sabbath is not permitted to be used for our personal gain. It is not for our livelihood or personal profit. Instead, it is a day of abundance in God. Not just spiritual abundance, but an abundance in the physical as well. All the abundance of all the six other days are channelled into the Sabbath. With that abundance, we are imbued with the staying power to last another week. It is a change to reset our thinking, reset what is before our eyes, so that we can focus on God. So that we can rest in HIS finished work. So that we can engage what He has provided ahead of time. We’re not trying to CREATE opportunities for growth, we are thanking Him for the opportunities He has ALREADY created. For the supplies He has ALREADY given. This is an important lesson to learn if we want to enter into the SABBATH that Jesus has provided for us (Hebrews 4:9-11).

Why observe it weekly? Because reliance on God as our Source is a primal part of living. It is a basic component for daily life and as such needs to be constantly reinforced because we are human and prone to ignoring what is not right before our eyes. If we remember our relationship with God and His preeminence as our Source a MINIMUM of one day a week in a dramatic and sacrificial way, we are much more likely to remember we rely on Him for everything the rest of the week. The Sabbath is about getting a blessing TO US, not about depriving us of anything.

Some sages teach that the Light of God shone for the full 24hrs (hence the no evening then morning). They see this as the holiness that was imparted in the day. That it is an example and a call to us. When the Word talks of the call to ‘be holy as He is holy’, it is speaking of this Light of God shining from us 24hrs a day. We are called to spread His Light ALL the time. The Sabbath, then, is our day to bask in the Light of Life in order for us to reflect it the rest of the week. A reminder that in God there is NO deterioration. He is MORE THAN and provides all things for all people – ALWAYS.