Deuteronomy 5:12-15 - Observe the Sabbath Day
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
[READING - Deuteronomy 5:6-21]
6 ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 7 ‘You shall have no other gods before Me. 8 ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 9 ‘You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 11 ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 12 ‘Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 ‘Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 ‘You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day. 16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you. 17 ‘You shall not murder. 18 ‘You shall not commit adultery. 19 ‘You shall not steal. 20 ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 21 ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’
[PRAYER]
[CONTEXT] When the first generation of Israelites escaped Egypt and made their covenant with God, God commanded that they keep the sabbath.
The sabbath is the seventh day, the rest day.
It was instituted by God and followed the pattern of God Himself who rested on the seventh day after six days of creation.
Genesis 2:1-3 says...
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
As God worked six days and then rested on the seventh, God’s people were to work six days and then rest on the seventh—which was from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown.
In this way they would follow God’s pattern of work and rest and also trust God to provide.
[ILLUS] An example of this trust is seen in Israel’s collection of the manna that God provided for them in the wilderness.
In Exodus 16 the people of Israel (if you can believe it) grumbled because they were hungry. God told them that He would rain bread from heaven.
They were to go out everyday to collect the manna that God provided but on the sixth day they would gather twice as much because the seventh day was the sabbath.
They were to trust God to provide for that day.
They were to trust that what God provided would carry them through that day.
As this new generation of Israelites was about to enter the Promised Land, they too were commanded to trust God and to demonstrate that trust by resting in Him.
[TS] That’s our first major idea tonight: The sabbath day is a day of rest.
Major Ideas
Major Ideas
The sabbath day is a day of rest (v. 14)
The sabbath day is a day of rest (v. 14)
14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
[EXP] The sabbath day was different from any other day during the week. It was holy, a day set apart—a day of rest. But this day of rest followed six days of work.
[EXP] The sabbath day was different from any other day during the week. It was holy, a day set apart—a day of rest. But this day of rest followed six days of work.
While we might be tempted to skip the work to get to the rest, we need to remember that both the work and the rest come from God.
Work is not apart of the curse of this world. We were created to work, and we are to work to the glory of God.
And when we pass into eternity, we will still work. Work will then be free of the frustration we sometimes experience while working here on earth, but we will still work.
The point is that work is apart of keeping the sabbath.
We work six days and after that… we rest.
[ILLUS] When I was a youth minister, I had a student who graduated high school and got his first part-time job while going to college.
[ILLUS] When I was a youth minister, I had a student who graduated high school and got his first part-time job while going to college.
He came to church one Sunday and we asked him, “How’s the new job going?”
“Well, they’re making me work a bunch of hours.”
“Oh yeah. How many hours they got you down for this week?”
“22 so far.”
We all laughed, but many people think of work like that—as something to get out of—but work is a gift from God to embraced.
But it cannot be embraced too tightly because the command to observe the sabbath is a command to cease from work and rest.
You’ll notice in v. 14 that the sabbath command extends not just to the Israelites but to their children, servants, animals—and even sojourners who lived among the Israelites but were not ethnically Israelites.
You’ll notice in v. 14 that the sabbath command extends not just to the Israelites but to their children, servants, animals—and even sojourners who lived among the Israelites but were not ethnically Israelites.
Everyone and everything was to observe the sabbath because everyone and everything was to rest.
Despite what we tell ourselves, we can’t just keep going and going. We have to rest.
[ILLUS] A while back I started to feel weird, tired all the time, which was unusual, so I went to the doctor’s office. I swallowed some stuff, they ran some tests and ultimately said, “Everyone’s exhausted. Try to get more rest.”
[ILLUS] A while back I started to feel weird, tired all the time, which was unusual, so I went to the doctor’s office. I swallowed some stuff, they ran some tests and ultimately said, “Everyone’s exhausted. Try to get more rest.”
We really cannot burn the candle at both ends and hope to survive for very long.
As our Maker, God knows we need rest, that’s why He commanded it.
And let’s not forget that fact—the sabbath day is commanded (v. 12b).
And let’s not forget that fact—the sabbath day is commanded (v. 12b).
Look again at v. 12…
12 ‘Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
This is not something that we get to negotiate with God about. We must abide by this pattern of work and rest.
When we do we demonstrate our trust in God.
[TS] …
The sabbath day is a day to remember (v. 15)
The sabbath day is a day to remember (v. 15)
15 ‘You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.
[EXP] In Exodus 20 the sabbath command was rooted in God’s creation. Exodus 20:11 says…
[EXP] In Exodus 20 the sabbath command was rooted in God’s creation. Exodus 20:11 says…
11 “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
We rest because of God’s pattern of work and rest recorded in the creation account.
But here in Deuteronomy 5, the sabbath command is not rooted in creation but in salvation—“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out...” (v. 15).
How should we understand this? Well, Israel is to obey the sabbath command because the command came from the LORD, the one who rescued them from Egypt.
How should we understand this? Well, Israel is to obey the sabbath command because the command came from the LORD, the one who rescued them from Egypt.
Just as the Ten Commandments as a whole are prefaced with salvation—with, “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” (Deut. 6:5)—so this command in particular is prefaced with a reminder of God’s saving work among the Israelites.
Because He saved them, they should obey Him in general and in this command in particular.
When Israel crosses over the Jordan River, they will meet enemy after enemy, and the temptation will be to fight while forgetting that God was fighting for them.
But God’s people can rest on the sabbath day because the God who saved them from Egypt will sustain them in the Promised Land.
What will bring them in and keep them in the Promised Land is trusting the LORD.
[ILLUS] Their first conquest in the Promised Land will be proof of that. Jericho was heavily fortified but trusting in God—resting in His power—obeying His command brought down its walls.
[ILLUS] Their first conquest in the Promised Land will be proof of that. Jericho was heavily fortified but trusting in God—resting in His power—obeying His command brought down its walls.
You remember that Israel’s men of war were to circle the city once a day for six days.
But then on the seventh day—likely a sabbath day—they were to march around the city seven times, make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and shout with a great shout.
It doesn’t sound like much of plan for conquering a city, but Israel obeyed—they trusted—they rested in God’s wisdom and power and Jericho fell.
Sometimes we have to march or even fight on our day of rest, but even when we do we should rest in God—the One who saves and sustains by His infinite wisdom and power.
[APP] As we obey the command to rest, let’s remember what God has done for us by saving us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
[APP] As we obey the command to rest, let’s remember what God has done for us by saving us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
We were not slaves in Egypt, but we were slaves to sin and death.
We are not being brought into an earthly promised land in the Middle East, but we are being brought into a heavenly Promised Land in eternity.
And while it still benefits us to follow God’s pattern of work and rest, we do not demonstrate our trust in God by resting on a certain day of the week, but we demonstrate our trust in God by resting in His Son.
Hebrews 3 references that wicked generation of Israelites that perished in the wilderness. It says they did not enter God’s rest (i.e., the Promised Land) because of their disobedience and unbelief (Heb. 3:18-19).
The Holy Spirit then uses the example of that wicked generation as a warning to us, saying in Hebrews 4:1-2…
1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
It is responding in faith to the good news that allows one to rest now and in Heaven to come.
The good news is the Gospel—the message of salvation by God’s grace through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Born of a virgin.
A perfect life of obedience.
Sacrificed on the cross for our sins.
Raised as proof positive of our right standing with God if we trust in Jesus.
Do you respond to that good news with faith?
[TS]
Conclusion
Conclusion
“One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Rom. 14:5)
“The Sabbath is made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)
The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:28)
In fact, He is our sabbath rest. (Heb. 4)