Quarantine Devotional – Day 6

Passage to Ponder: Exodus 20:1-20

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” --Exodus 20:8-11 (NLT)

    
  Last night I ventured out to West Bend (a smaller city near us for those not familiar with this part of Wisconsin). We needed a few supplies and West Bend is a little closer than the big city. My thinking was also that it might be little safer from the epidemic to stay away from the larger crowds you would expect in the big city. That is probably just wishful thinking, but I will take any mental edge I can get right now! Driving around, I was struck by how little traffic was on the roads. The grocery stores were busy, but most other businesses were empty. This reminded of me of Friday evenings when I was in Israel a few years back.
  
The Jewish observance of the Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday evening and ends at sundown on Saturday evening. In modern Israel as Friday afternoon wanes toward twilight, people are hurrying to get home before the Sabbath begins. On my tour of Israel, our tour group was at Yardenit, a beautiful baptismal site on the Jordan River just south of the Sea of Galilee. I chose to be baptized again in the cold January waters for a personal rededication of my love and life to Jesus. We had to hurry after the baptisms to get back to our hotel for supper. I was amazed that everything had become a “ghost town.” Where did the cars go? Where are the people? 

  The people of Israel were at home observing the Sabbath. Our supper was set out buffet style at the hotel, but there were not any hotel restaurant employees around. We served ourselves and put up our own dishes.  A simple breakfast for the next morning was already set out for us—breads & fruits. Later that evening I walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and watched the moon rise over the mountains of the Golan Heights on the other side of the lake. Lost in the moment of the shimmering moonlight on the water, I heard the soft singing in Hebrew of “We Choose the Fear of the Lord” coming from the hotel compound employees gathered in an upper room to worship. 

  Contrasting that with how Christians in America observe the Sabbath (Sunday for Christians), I was embarrassed. The 10 Commandments are given to us in Exodus 20. I think that the most often broken of the 10 is the 4th one, the commandment to observe the Sabbath. Even when we go to church, do we fill up the rest of the day with work? Let’s take a lesson from modern Israel! After worship, the rest of the Sabbath is spent resting. Resting doesn't mean just sleeping or laying around doing nothing. It means focusing on God and spending time with family. On Saturday afternoons in Israel people begin to come outside. While there still aren’t many cars on the streets, the parks are full of families picnicking and being together; families are taking leisure walks together on the sidewalks. Isn’t that what God want us to do on the Sabbath? Spend one day each week relaxing together with Him and with those you have been blessed of God to have in your life.

  “Heavenly Father, You are the God of creation. You ceased Your creative work on the seventh day as an example for me to stop being so busy and to relax with You. Forgive me for neglecting You and help me to keep the Sabbath holy. Thank You, Father, for my family and friends. Help me to have peaceful fellowship with them on this special day each week as we all together to give You praise and express our thanksgiving for being such an amazing God! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Love,
Pastor Larry

(This is from a series of devotionals written during our time of restricted meetings and activities due to the coronavirus.)