The Sabbath: A 5-Day DevotionalMuestra

For the Israelites, an agrarian people who had to work to get food “by the sweat of your face” (Gen. 3:19), this commandment announced a welcome gift from God: a day of rest from their labor at which they worked during the rest of the week. This day was also a time in which they could draw near to God in worship, a day that God “blessed” (Ex. 20:11). The commandment was not intended to impose onerous restrictions on human activity, such that obedience would come to be viewed as a dreadful burden, and even the ordinary conduct of life would result in harsh accusations and fearful guilt. Jesus understood this, for he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). The Lord spoke through Isaiah to explain how he intended the Sabbath to be a “delight.”