Deuteronomy 5:12-15 • Rest Assured

HOOK

Did you know that one in three Americans don’t get enough sleep, leading to higher stress, anxiety, and even heart disease?

We live in a world that glorifies busyness, yet God designed true rest as a gift—not just for our bodies, but for our souls.

Review & Overview

1. Previous Study’s Review

You know, we are going through the 10 commandments one commandment at a time.

And we started of with the Foundation of the Ten Commandments by looking at Deuteronomy 5:6, where God reminded Israel who He is and what He has done before giving them any commands:

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

We established that God's commandments are not just rules but a relational covenant, calling His people to obedience rooted in gratitude rather than duty.

The heart of the commandments is not legalism but a response to His rescue. True obedience flows from understanding His love.

That powerful point led us into Deuteronomy 5:7, where we unpacked the first commandment—the call to exclusive worship of God:

"You shall have no other gods before Me."

We saw that this command demands total loyalty—no rivals, no idols, no divided devotion.

Then Vs. 8-10 we looked at the 2nd commandment:

Deuteronomy 5:8 “8 ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;”

We learned that our relationship with God is both exclusive and all-inclusive—He is not just first place, but the only one worthy of our worship.

Idolatry isn’t just bowing to statues; it’s allowing anything—success, relationships, comfort—to compete for the devotion that belongs to God alone.

3. Current Study’s Overview

That brings us to Verses 12 and commandment #4 as Moses gives His second message

Let’s begin our reading in vs. 6 for context. Read…

The Title of Today’s Message is: Rest Assured

Because how many of you have ever been completely exhausted—physically, emotionally, or even spiritually?

Maybe you've had seasons where life felt like an endless cycle of work, stress, and responsibility, with no real rest in sight.

In our fast-paced world, the idea of stopping—and truly resting—almost feels impossible.

But from the very beginning, God established a rhythm of rest. Not just as a command but as a gift.

Today, we’re going to see that God gave Israel the Sabbath—not just as a day off—but as a powerful reminder of who He is and what He has done.

Again, as a reminder, when we look at the 10 commandments, it makes sense to first focus on the commandments that deal with loving God our vertical relationship (Deut 5:6–15) and then those about loving others our horizontal relationship (Deut 5:16–21). That’s the heart of what the Ten Commandments are all about.

1. Keeping the Sabbath Vs. 12-15

1.1 Vs. 12-14

The word Sabbath (from the Hebrew šābat) has two key meanings: “to cease” and “to rest.”

Both ideas show up in the two versions of the fourth commandment.

In Exodus, the Sabbath is tied to creation—God stopped His work on the seventh day, so people are told to stop their work too (Exodus 20:11).

Exodus 20:11 NKJV

11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

But here in Deuteronomy, the focus shifts to the concept of freedom. The Israelites were once slaves in Egypt, but God delivered them. We see that in Vs. 15.

In a way, God delivering them from Egypt was the "creation" of Israel as a nation.

So Resting on the Sabbath is a way to celebrate that freedom (Deuteronomy 5:15). More on that in a second.

In both cases, in Exodus and here in Deuteronomy, the Sabbath is to be made “holy.”

To be holy means to be set apart for a special purpose.

Originally, it didn’t necessarily have anything to do with being morally perfect, but because holiness is so closely tied to God, it eventually came to reflect His perfection and purity.

But for people like you and I, being holy like God (as in Leviticus 19:2) means living in a way that honors Him and is above reproach.

Leviticus 19:2 NKJV

2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

But since a day can’t be morally “holy,” keeping the Sabbath day holy means setting it apart for a specific purpose that is holy.

It’s about taking that day and dedicating it to God, not just using it like any other day.

On the Sabbath, Israel is called to stop their regular work and instead focus on reflecting on God—on who He is, what He’s done in creation, and how He has delivered them.

The idea is to intentionally make the day different, turning it into a time of worship, gratitude, and rest.

So the Sabbath was a special gift from God to Israel.

By observing the Sabbath, Israel showed that they believed in a personal, all-powerful God who not only created everything but was also actively involved in their lives.

This belief stood out in the ancient Near East, where many nations worshiped multiple gods tied to nature rather than a single Creator.

Now, while Israel was called to observe a literal Sabbath day, the deeper reality is that the Sabbath was a shadow of something greater—Jesus Christ Himself.

Because, out of all the Ten Commandments, this is the only one that isn’t repeated in the New Testament.

In fact, Paul specifically warned against forcing people to observe it (see Romans 14:5-6; Colossians 2:16-17).

Romans 14:5–6 NKJV

5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it…

So early Christians eventually shifted their main day of worship to Sunday, celebrating Jesus’ resurrection.

The reason the Sabbath law wasn’t carried over is that it was meant as a sign of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:12-17).

Exodus 31:12–13 NKJV

12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

Once that covenant was fulfilled through Christ, the sign was no longer necessary.

Instead, Christians now have a new sign of the New Covenant—the Lord’s Supper.

So for us today it’s important to understand that the ultimate Sabbath rest is found in Christ, not in a day.

Hebrews 4:9–11 NKJV

9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

The Sabbath was never meant to be just a ritual. It pointed to something greater—Jesus.

Just as God’s people in the Old Testament were called to cease from their physical labor on the Sabbath, we are now called to cease from trying to earn salvation by our works and rest in Christ.

This is why Jesus said in…

Matthew 11:28–29 NKJV

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

See! Jesus is our REST!

Jesus Lord of Sabbath - In fact, Jesus often confronted the Pharisees, who had turned the Sabbath into a legalistic burden, and instead revealed its true purpose:

Mark 2:27–28 NKJV

27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.

Jesus makes a radical statement here—He is the Lord of the Sabbath! In other words, He is the one who gives true rest.

The Sabbath Was a Shadow - Paul also reminds us that the Sabbath, like other aspects of the Old Testament law, was just a foreshadowing of the reality that would come in Christ:

Colossians 2:16–17 NKJV

16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ

The Sabbath pointed toward Jesus, the one who gives us rest from striving, from sin, from trying to prove ourselves before God.

True rest isn’t found in observing a day but in trusting in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

When we place our faith in Him, we enter into a permanent Sabbath rest—a rest from sin, striving, and trying to earn our salvation.

1.2 Vs. 15

Notice there in the beginning of VS. 15 the call to "remember" (zākar) is a big theme in Deuteronomy, showing up 14 times (see Deut. 4:10; 11:2).

“Beware lest you forget” is a key theme in Deuteronomy.

Moses emphasizes the danger of forgetfulness because it leads to arrogance and disobedience. They must remember two things:

(1) when they prosper, it is God who has caused it, and

(2) If and when they disobey God, He will discipline them as He did when the previous generation failed to believe Him.

So in other words, make sure to keep this sabbath day or these 10 commandments.

Again here in Deuteronomy, the reason for keeping the Sabbath shifts. Instead of pointing back to creation, it focuses on how God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt.

Notice the phrase "God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm" (Deut. 4:34; 7:19; 11:2)

It highlights the amazing power God used to deliver them.

So, every Sabbath, when Israel rested in front of their pagan neighbors, they weren’t just taking a day off—they were making a bold statement of faith in the God who both created and redeemed them.

APPLICATION: Just as God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, He has also delivered us—not from Pharaoh’s grip, but from the bondage of sin and the world.

Egypt is a picture of the world—a system of oppression, toil, and striving that keeps people enslaved to sin, shame, and spiritual exhaustion.

But just as God brought Israel out of Egypt, Jesus has brought us out of the world through His death and resurrection.

Colossians 1:13–14 NKJV

13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

APPLICATION: Think about this—you are no longer a slave to the pressures of the world, to sin, to fear, to trying to earn your way into God’s favor.

You have been set free! And now, just as Israel rested on the Sabbath as a declaration of their redemption, we rest in Christ as a declaration of ours.

APPLICATION: The Sabbath was a weekly reminder for Israel to stop, reflect, and remember. In the same way, we must intentionally remember what Jesus has done for us:

Remember the sin that once held you captive.

Remember how powerfully God saved you.

Remember how faithfully He has provided for you.

Remember how mercifully He continues to lead you.

APPLICATION: For Israel, resting on the Sabbath meant trusting that God would take care of them.

They didn’t have to work every single day to survive. They could stop and trust that God was enough.

For us, true Sabbath rest means trusting in Jesus as our sufficiency.

Jesus is our true rest. We don’t just take one day off—we enter into a lifestyle of resting in Him.

We don’t work for our salvation; we rest in His finished work.

We don’t strive for God’s approval; we rest in His grace.

We don’t carry the weight of our past; we rest in His forgiveness.

ENDING…