PAUSE | Week 1 | Saying "No" to Pharaoh
October 22, 2023

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By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. —Genesis 2:2-3 (NIV)

“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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. —Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)


The Hebrew word for Sabbath means to “

” or “ .”


And God spoke all these words:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. —Exodus 20:1-2


The Sabbath commandment shows us three important things:

1. God is not a

.

2. God is not

about how creation is going to get by.

3. The well-being of creation does not depend on

.


“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. —Matthew 6:24 (NIV)


The only alternative to anxiety is

.


Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. —Matthew 11:28-30


All throughout the Bible – and throughout history – the “choice of gods” is a choice between restlessness and restfulness, anxiety and trust.

One of the ugliest things about our culture is that we usually assess a person’s worth on the basis of his or her productivity and accomplishments. One of the first questions we ask when meeting a stranger is “What do you do?” as if the data in the person’s response will help us really know who he or she is. —Marva Dawn

Most people spend life bowing to false gods that tempt us with endless desires, produce “needs” in us that can’t be satisfied, and always require more from us.


God’s better requires an

…an exit from the anxiety and restlessness and constant stress that have defined our lives for far too long.


There are two reasons the Ten Commandments instruct us to observe the Sabbath. First, the worth of people does not come from work – life is a gift, not what we can produce. Second, the systems and structures of our world do not give life; God does.” —Dr. Brad Kelle


You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. —St. Augustine


FOR REFLECTION & PRAYER

  1. How does it make you feel to think about stopping to rest and be in God’s presence?

  2. When you take an account of your life - for real - what are the false gods that you’ve served?

  3. Do you really believe that God can take care of you if you obey Him by carving out time in your life to observe sabbath rest? Why or why not?

  4. What, specifically, has the Holy Spirit been saying to you during this time?

  5. What will you do this coming week to respond to the Holy Spirit’s move in your heart?


YOU’RE NOT DOING THIS ALONE! HERE’S SOME HELP:

12 PRACTICAL TIPS FOR SABBATH-KEEPING