STMA: Quiet Time

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 §

We often celebrate the Sabbath as a day of rest. I celebrated it this weekend by blowing leaves (and playing video games). I read this passage Saturday and I wondered what the Israelites thought of the Sabbath requirements. I think it must have seemed onerous to them because they needed to get things done. They needed to feed themselves (and their households, and their animals); they needed to keep the fires burning, they needed to draw water. So it is not merely a day of relaxation. It is a day set aside to honor God, specifically by trusting Him rather than worrying about what isn’t getting done. In time, Jewish tradition evolved (following the example of the manna) of getting everything prepared the day before so that as little as possible went undone. But still, there is the worry that I could be using this time to get ahead for the next day. Or, I could be doing that one project, or I could be investing this time for my own good elsewhere. The Sabbath is about honoring God.

I’m going to have to pray about how to do that better. And I think there are deep parts of my heart that resent the time I spend with God (and with His people) already, so I need to work on that as well.