Fourth of the 10 Commandments

Exodus 20:1,8-11 NLT Then God gave the people all these instructions: 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

This one I am personally still trying to understand the fullness of it. I know it has significance, otherwise it wouldn’t be there. A lot of people when we get to this commandment they start using the passage, we are  no longer under the law but under grace, which is true. That sentence was written after what though? Paul said don’t let sin reign in your body. He said we are to give our bodies to God, to be used by Him. Right now, I believe with all of my heart, that He is drawing His children into a closer relationship with Him through the truths in His word. We are slaves to whatever we choose to obey. I choose to obey the Lord. His commands are not grievous. Who is with me?

The Bible says it best, please read in its entirety the following scripture.

Romans 6:9-18 NLT We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. 12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. 15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

Jesus was all about a man’s heart. He said it is not what goes inside a man that defiles him but what comes out of a man (Matthew 15:11). The Lord looks on our heart (1 Samuel 16:7).  That is why, I believe, that this commandment is equally as important as the others. If, we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind and soul, wouldn’t we want  to honor Him by following ALL of His commands? They aren’t punishments. This one in particular is a well-earned rest for the people of God. He even led us by example. He rested on the seventh day from all of His work in creation. (Genesis 2:2-3) Since God rested on the seventh day, doesn’t it stand to reason that it would be good for us as well?

Think about it. What do people say is the cause of all  their anxiety and stress? Mostly it is because they don’t have the time for themselves that their body requires. If you light a candle at both ends, what will happen? It will burn out. That concept is the same with humans. The Lord knew that and designed a day for His children to rest. Since the beginning of the week is actually Sunday, I can only conclude that this day of rest is to be Saturday. This might be different for you personally. I am not judging anyone. Judgement is for God alone (Matthew 7:1-3). The Bible says let each man work out his own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). I am just saying what I feel is right for me according to what we have read in God’s word. The day that we are to honor God by resting may be different for each of us. It does mean no working, take it easy, have fun with your family and friends, and talk about God and His ways.

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Rest is so important

But, the thing is, we might still have to work on the Sabbath IF someone needs us for something. It is our heart that has to be right with God. We cannot turn away someone who has a need, with the excuse that we are resting. Then we would be like the Pharisees who were just concerned with the law (the outside of the cup). They didn’t take into consideration the heart of God, or the things which were inside a man.  Jesus didn’t do what the Pharisees and scribes did, He condemned them for their attitudes. Their actions were not honoring to God. That is why the Commandments are to be written on our hearts and we are to use common sense. Love and do good. Those two things are always right no matter what day of the week it is. Let the Lord lead you as He sees fit.

Matthew 23:26-28 NIV Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. ²⁷ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Pray with me please asking  Him what He wants you to do on His Sabbath.

Lord God of all creation,

We sing forth Your glory, beauty and praise. We declare that You are God alone. We so want to honor You by, not just memorizing the Fourth Commandment, but, applying it to our heart and life. You and You alone know what is best for each of us, Your children, as in, what time and even what day would work best for each one of us. Lead us to know what we could do, that would be honoring to You, on that day. Help us to receive from You the blessing of time off, time alone with You to unwind and relax. Lord, as the ruler of our homes and the God on the throne of our hearts, we ask You to tear down anything that would separate us from the knowledge that You would have for us in Your word. We ask You to speak to our hearts and guide us in a way that is pleasing to You. Help us to understand the importance of resting in You. Reset our minds and hearts to be, say and do the things that we know are right, according to Your word. Please remove any blindfolds that satan (purposefully not capitalized) has over our eyes on this the Fourth Commandment. Help us to honor You with all of our life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

To know Jesus more personally read the following
https://thefathersfeet.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/you-never-let-us-go/

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