When I was growing up, Sunday dinner was a big deal. My mom
usually made a roast with all the fixings – potatoes, several kinds of vegetables,
homemade rolls and a big cake or pie. I’m sure she prepared some of it ahead of
time, but when we got home from church we all ran around helping her get it
ready to serve, setting the table, and cleaning up afterwards. It was so much
work that on Sunday night we had what we called Sunday Supper. Mother put out
sandwich makings and chips and we all helped ourselves so she wouldn’t have to cook
another meal.
There were also times when we travelled into the city for
church and then we went to a hotel for dinner afterwards. We felt so important
sitting in a fancy dining room, being waited on by men in tuxedos. On those
days Sunday dinner was still a big deal, but Mother didn’t have to do the work. But somebody was cooking our food, bringing it to us and
cleaning up afterwards. Somebody was working to earn a living.
Keeping the Sabbath is a tricky thing. God made it clear in
the Old Testament how He wanted the Israelites to keep it. But what does He
expect from His people in the New Covenant? Jesus had a lot to say about the
Sabbath but I don’t have room here to examine the whole teaching. One thing He
said that stands out because it’s a theme I’ve seen as I’ve read different
scriptures about the Sabbath is ““The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of
people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27
NLT)
God made the Sabbath for me. Keeping it is not just another
rule I have to follow. So keeping it holy is good for me. It was good for
the men of Judah too, so when they broke it they not only disobeyed God, they
trampled His gift and lost out on the blessing He wanted to give them.
What they did was to work to earn a living. They made wine,
loaded their produce on donkeys and brought it into Jerusalem to sell. They
brought fish and all kinds of merchandise into Jerusalem to sell. They treated
the Sabbath like any other day and didn’t rest. They didn’t take any time away
from their regular lives to think about God. Nehemiah, who put a stop to it,
held the nobles of Judah responsible. It was not only an accepted practice, it
was approved by the government.
But it was wrong. It was the sort of thing their ancestors
did that brought trouble on them in the first place.
We also live in a society that approves people working on
the Sabbath. In fact, most people don’t think about the Sabbath at all. So how
should I respond in this culture? What does God expect from me?
What pleases God is to honor the Sabbath rest He has given
His people. I should enjoy the gift He has given me; a day to focus on Him.
What pleases God is to for His people to remember the evil deeds
of those before us and not to repeat them. The men of Judah were more concerned
about making money than worshipping God. I should seek God’s kingdom first and trust
God’s provision for me.
What pleases God is to do what I can to stop the evil that I
see being done around me. When Nehemiah stopped the Sabbath commerce, he called
it a good deed. He saw the disobedience of the people and put a stop to it. I
may not be able stop the Sunday commerce in my city but I should look for ways
to help others enjoy God’s gift of holy rest.
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