Why I keep Sabbath

Yesterday I told a friend that I keep Sabbath. He was impressed that I could make it through four years at Stanford without doing any work from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. To be honest, I don't know if I could have made it through without Sabbath.

However, despite the blessing of Sabbath, I'm sometimes slow to tell friends about my Sabbath observance. Not because I'm ashamed, but because I'm afraid that when I share Sabbath, I'll fail to communicate the point of it. I fear that it'll sound like Sabbath is just my weekly vacation from work or a time I spend with friends. Those are nice aspects, but they totally miss the central theme. Sabbath is a celebration of Jesus.

Let me explain.

The first mention of the Sabbath is at the end of the creation week in Genesis. Throughout the week God had been speaking the world into existence. On the sixth day God stepped down, knelt on the ground, crafted man from clay, and breathed life into him. Then we see creation week come to a close:

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. [Gen. 2:1-3]

Thus God gave humanity an example to rest on the seventh day. As if that wasn't enough, He made it a command (one of big ten actually):

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. [Exodus 20:8-11]

As God rested, we rest. The Sabbath is a memorial of creation--every week we stop what we're doing and remember God our Creator. Talk about a regular dose of perspective! Also note the emphasis on the seventh day. This makes sense, it's the only day that was made holy and hence the only day that we can keep holy. Sabbath on Tuesday wouldn't make sense.

Now, jump forward to Jesus. One Sabbath Jesus encounters a blind man. Jesus often healed the blind, but his method this time is unique, "he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud" (John 9:8).

Don't miss the significance. This is happening on the Sabbath. The day everyone has been commanded to rest and remember creation. And what does Jesus do? He kneels down, shapes some dirt, and breathes/spits into it.

Just like God did at creation. By his actions, Jesus is identifying himself with the Creator.

This is no new idea for the gospel of John which opens by declaring of Jesus, "All things were made by through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:2).

But here Jesus isn't creating new life. He's healing disease and restoring broken life. The Creator is also the Redeemer!

What does this mean for Sabbath? Good question. Let's go back to the Ten Commandments. We read the version recorded in Exodus, but another is recorded in Deuteronomy. Nearly identical, except the Sabbath commandment:

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. [Deuteronomy 5:12-15]

Before Sabbath was linked to creation, but here it is linked to deliverance. The New Testament closely ties God's act of bringing Israel out of Egypt with bringing individuals today out of the slavery of sin. Hence Sabbath celebrates both God as Creator and God as Redeemer.
We see this on the cross. It's the sixth day of passion week and the Christ is on the cross. In triumphant agony he declares, "It is finished". Then he rests on the Sabbath. Just like at the close of creation week when God finishes creating and rests on the Sabbath.

Powerful. The acts of creation and redemption are linked. Sabbath is the golden thread that travels across time, connecting us with God's mighty acts in history.

Perhaps that's why Jesus was so passionate about the Sabbath. He spent his Sabbaths challenging the popular opinion that Sabbath was just about avoiding tasks like snacking and heavy lifting (cf. Matt. 12, John 5). Instead, he teaches Sabbath is about doing good, healing, and blessing. This kind of seventh day Sabbath keeping he expected his followers to continue with after his return to heaven when they would be facing troubling times (Matt. 24:20).

Most importantly, Jesus is clear about the central focus of Sabbath. Matthew, Mark, and, Luke all record Jesus claiming the title "Lord of the Sabbath". And no wonder. Jesus is the Creator-Redeemer (Col. 1:15-20). The seventh day Sabbath is a celebration of what He's done and is doing for humanity.

That's why every Sabbath I rest from my work and remember the works of Jesus (Heb. 4). Because when it comes to me standing before God, me and my works are nothing. They contributed nothing to my creation and are no basis for my redemption. But Jesus and his work are everything. He molded me and his blood covers me.

This Friday, when I see the sun begin to set, I'll stop. I'll look towards the heavens and marvel at God's glory. Then I'll notice the setting sun's red glow and reflect on the blood shed at Calvary. I'll spend the Sabbath celebrating my living Creator-Redeemer. Will you join me?

Creation Song

You're familiar with the Genesis creation account. 7 days. God speaks the world into existence. But there's an extra detail provided in the book of Job. The setting: God is addressing Job.

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone,

when the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy? [Job 38:4-7]

The last two lines really catch my attention. They tell us that at our world's creation, the angels and sons of God were present.

Sons of God is often a title to describe God's people (such as in John 1:12), but clearly that isn't the case here as man is not yet created. So to whom does Job apply the title "the sons of God"? Some think the angels, but I'd like to suggest another possibility: in Job the sons of God are representatives from the many worlds God has made.

This idea that God has created multiple worlds shouldn't be surprising--He's the Creator and has eternity. Hence why He has angels, or translated literally, messengers.

This understanding of sons of God fits well with the opening of Job. There the sons of God gather "to present themselves before the Lord" (Job 1:7, 2:1). Like a congress of all creation.

But Satan also comes. God asks which planet he is representing, "From where have you come?". Satan answers by claiming earth as his turf (similarly, he claims possession of the world in Matt. 4:8,9).

Not so fast. Satan can't claim the planet for God still has an embassy on it, His faithful servant Job. "Have you considered Job... who fears God and turns away from evil?"

Satan's response: Job is only faithful because God has blessed him. It is not authentic loyalty to God. Not a true embassy for God.

With all creation watching, God allows Satan to test his claim and remove those blessings. Thus begins Job's trouble, but I'll let you read the story for yourself.

Back to the sons of God. In our original passage, we see that they assembled at this world's creation with the angels. They watch God create. They sing. They shout for joy!

Our creation had a soundtrack. We were born into music.

But there's another song as well. It appears in the climaxing chapter of Revelation, a book about the second advent and end of earth's history.

I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. [Revelation 14:2,3]

Those singing are God's redeemed people from earth--a group also often given the title "sons of God". It is their unique experience that allows them to sing a unique song.

Our history started with a song of creation. It ends with a song of redemption. The end echos the beginning, because at the end the world is made new again (see Rev. 21). This new song is the new creation song. And we'll be the ones singing it.

We'll watch God recreate. We'll sing. We'll shout for joy!

What will it be like? I can't wait to find out.