My tired minivan has a digital readout with initials DTE: Distance ’Til Empty. It gives me a precise mileage countdown. Most newer cars these days have this feature. It’s a handy one: Knowing exactly how far I can go before I need to fill the gas tank is important data to avoid being stranded!
Did you know the Ten Commandments offer something of an ancient analog to the DTE feature? It’s called Sabbath. In Exodus 20, God tells us that after six days, we’re out of metaphorical gas: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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” (vv. 8-10).
We might be tempted to ignore this commandment. After all, the prohibitions against lying, stealing, murder, adultery, coveting, and idolatry (vv. 1-17) seem pretty obvious. But resting for a day each week? Is it really that important?
We might think we can “cheat” here. But the gift the Sabbath offers is an invitation to rest. To cease laboring. To remember that God provides for us, not our own constant labor.
Distance ’til empty? Six days. And on the seventh, God graciously invites us to rest, recharge, and to relinquish the notion that it’s all up to us.
When do you find it easy or hard to rest from your work? What are some things you need to do to enable you to rest?
Dear Father, it’s so tempting to believe it’s all up to me. Thank You for the Sabbath, Your invitation to cease from my work and to trust Your provision.
The Israelites arrived at the base of Mount Sinai two months after escaping bondage in Egypt (Exodus 19:1). It was there that Moses climbed up the mountain to meet with God and receive the Ten Commandments (the law). These commandments were meant to guide Israel to a life of holiness, a life pleasing to God. The first four commands focused on their relationship with God, and the last six concerned their relationship with each other. Note the fourth commandment’s wording: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (20:8). The people were to remember that after creating the world, God rested on the Sabbath, or seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3)—and they were to do likewise. This commandment wasn’t meant to be a burden or restrictive but instead to provide needed rest from labor. It was a holy day set aside for their bodies and souls to be refreshed. Today, we also need rest from our work and to trust God to provide for our needs.
