Isaiah 58:13-14 – Don’t Trample the Sabbath
If we outwardly keep the Sabbath Day with a heart that is far from it, then the day becomes long, tedious, boring, and it becomes the worst of days. But for the believer, it cannot be so as he grows in Christ. It is the weekly remembrance of our Lord’s Resurrection, when our Lord Jesus comes forth from the grave, because sin is totally paid for. Because He lives, we have life. As we grasp that more and more it becomes a delight. The Sabbath Day is also the day for the people of God to be gathering together in worship, to be spending a day with God and His people. And the believer, as he matures in faith, delights in that more and more. And it becomes not, ‘When will this day be over?’ but ‘When will the Day get here?’
We must not trample the Sabbath by our actions. We must not do as we please, but we must set our pleasure upon the Lord, particularly that Day. We must not trample it in our words. It’s so easy to be talking about our own cares or our own delights, instead of things directly pertaining to godliness. And we must not trample it in our hearts. We must call it delightful. And as we love the Lord of the Day, more and more, we will love the Day itself.
The Day is to be kept then for rest and for holiness. There are different kinds of rests we might think of. It’s a physical rest. It is a time when especially we are to cease from sin. We are to be resting as well spiritually in the righteousness of Jesus alone. It should be set off from the rest of days. We must set aside that which is permissible, even commanded, on the other six days.
When we come to the Sabbath Day with the right attitude, the Day becomes that which is a joy in the Lord, and it leads to joy in the Lord in the rest of our lives as well. As we invest in the Day, we get some truly wonderful dividends from our investments. As we know God better and better, and spend more and more time with Him, the more delightful all of our life is, not just on the Day, but on all seven days of the week. Another dividend is a promise of dominion. We go forth empowered to do our work for God’s glory the rest of the week. The third dividend is the promise of the inheritance of Jacob, promises of a holy land that now extends to all the earth, promises that many nations will come from him. These promises are the word of the Lord. This is how we know that these things are certain.
Question
- How can we make the Sabbath a delight?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for the Sabbath day.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.