Read: Hebrews 4:9-10 (NIV)
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.”
If the Sabbath was instituted to remind the Israelites of their freedom from Egyptian bondage, what does it mean for us today? The answer is Christ. We have been freed from the ultimate bondage—the bondage of sin. Christ bore our sins and died on our behalf, fulfilling the law and setting us free.
We don’t observe the Sabbath out of fear of death, like the man who was stoned in the Old Testament. Instead, we are bound to it out of a celebration of life! The Sabbath is not an optional suggestion; it is a vital part of our Christian walk, just as much as “You shall have no other gods before me.”
It’s a day to rest from our own works and enter into God’s rest. It’s a day to recognize the goodness of His creation and praise the Creator of all that is, seen and unseen. We are not just physically resting our bodies; we are spiritually resting our souls in the finished work of Christ on the cross. We are celebrating our freedom in Him.
Pray: Jesus, thank you for fulfilling the law and for setting us free from the bondage of sin. We rest in your finished work. Help us to celebrate this freedom by honoring you with our time and our rest. Amen.
