Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
In the ancient days of Israel, God freed his people from captivity in Egypt, lead them into the desert and gave them the law. (This is the highly condensed version. If you’d like to read more, see Exodus 7-20; 32-34. Be warned: these chapters are not for the faint of heart!) Among God’s commands outlining how his people relate to God and live in community, God commands a day of rest. The Sabbath was to be a day when the people of God are to focus on their reliance and need for their heavenly Father. “‘This will be a sign between me and you for generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy’”. (Ex 31:13) In our modern age, do we have the same need for a time of rest? How do we take time out and focus on our dependence on God? Take a moment today to thank God for being your provider, your strength, and your savior.