Daily Word: The Gift of the Sabbath

Hebrews 4:9 says: There is left behind a keeping of the Sabbath by the people of God. (JHT) The Sabbath is about the sacredness of time. It was not until the 1880's that time began to be kept the way we know it today. There was no such thing as being 20 minutes late. People got up and went to work when the sun came up and when it went down, they came home and went to sleep. Time was much simpler then. However, when the introduction of the railroad, schedules were made and time was kept very precisely. Time became uniform from the east coast to the west coast. Time became very organized and structured.

As society advanced, we had regular mail service. A letter would be mailed to you, and you would respond. The entire process might take ten days. Then, overnight mail developed. Now, a person could overnight something to you and you would respond back the next day. The total time was three days. Then, faxes developed. Someone could fax you something and you were expected to fax an answer back the same day. Finally, E-Mail was created. Someone sends you an E-Mail and they expect an almost immediate response. Time has become a struggle to perform instantly. How often do you hear, "I just don't have the time for that." In the midst of the craziness, God has given us a Sabbath of time to retreat and be refreshed in Him. The Sabbath is, in the words of Abraham Heschel: "The Sabbath day is for being with ourselves, a day of armistice in the economic struggle with our fellow man and the forces of nature."

If someone gives you a gift card to your favorite restaurant. You may go and relax and enjoy the meal. The gift card will pay for your enjoyment. In the same way, God has given you the gift of the Sabbath. You can use the gift card, or you can pay the bill yourself. You can likewise accept the gift of the Sabbath, or you can reject it. The choice is yours. Time can be sacred or it can be profane. God has set one day in seven to be sacred. Will you accept His gift?