Sunday Devotion - Sabbath

Re-read Genesis 1:1-31
Sabbath is both an ordinary and extraordinary day. On one hand Sabbath is simply another day of the week. On the other hand, Sabbath is a unique day, whereby work is set aside for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. The renewing grace of the Sabbath is rooted in the renewing power of God.

What we know about Sabbath is largely from Jewish history. As an ordinary day of the week, Sabbath, like other days, begins at sunset and ends on the following day’s sundown. Therefore, instead of the morning being the beginning of the day, nighttime begins the day. The day begins the night before, “there was evening and there was morning, the first day” (Genesis 1:3).

When we wake up, according to Jewish history, it is midday. This understanding is helpful for understanding work and God’s relation to us as workers. Historically, Jews celebrated the Sabbath at the beginning of the day. In the creation account (Genesis 1), the first full day of humanity was the Sabbath. Therefore, we rest first in order to participate in God’s work in the forthcoming days. Rest is preparation for the coming work just as much as it is rest from the previous days’ work.
For us, Sabbath usually happens following a hard workweek. In common understanding, we think about working hard so that we can then enjoy a long rest. However, what if we rearrange our thinking to put Sabbath first. If we put Sabbath first, Sabbath becomes peaceful preparation for upcoming work. Sabbath as the first day is a preparation day.
So then, as we enjoy Sabbath rest, God is already at work, and when we arise for work, following a day of Sabbath, we actually join God, who has already been at work. This was true in the Jewish understanding as well. Remember that the day began the evening before, therefore, as we rest through the night, God works; when we rise in the morning, we simply join God as he was working throughout the nighttime. God is working during our resting.

The fact that God works as we rest develops a holy dependence. Though we rest, God is hard at work with and without us. By taking a break from work, we cultivate a deep dependence on God’s labor versus our own. Though work is partnership with God, God is able. As we rest, God prepares us. As we are prepared, God is blessing us.
Sabbath is a joyful celebration of God’s commitment to the world. Sabbath is not a day off. It is a period of intentional rest, where accomplishment, success, and exhaustion are set aside to remind us of our dependence on God.