
Connected: Sabbath – The Battle of Resistance
Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5
January 22, 2023
Jay Haugh
Sabbath means “to stop” or “to cease.”
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep 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…Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. —Exodus 20:8-11
Sabbath is still a command by God that is wise.
God in His wisdom and care gifted us Sabbath for our benefit.
(1) God cares about your physical and emotional wellbeing.
Insufficient rest (sleep) has an effect on your mind and body.
(2) God cares about your spiritual wellbeing.
Sabbath is a 24-hour time period in which we stop all work and set aside a day to rest, delight, and worship God.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” —Matthew 11:28-30
Resistance keeps us from experiencing Jesus’s rest.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep 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, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. —Exodus 20:8-11
Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 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, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. —Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Sabbath is like a weekly holiday.
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. —Exodus 20:11
You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. —Deuteronomy 5:15
Exodus 20 – Sabbath is about the Rhythm of rest.
Deuteronomy 5 – Sabbath is about the Resistance to rest.
Sabbath rest is a way to break our addictions of accomplishments and accumulations.
We neither purchase nor perform for God’s love and acceptance.
Big Idea:
The practice of Sabbath is an act of resistance to accomplishment and accumulation.
STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS:
Memory Verse: 1 Timothy 4:8
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
What do you find to be the biggest distraction from being able to rest? As you reflect on what prevents you from being able to rest, what do you believe to be the root behind the fruit? (For example if someone is displaying fruit of being a workaholic, the root issue may be that they enjoy the accolades which points to having an issue with pride.) How do you see this struggle impacting things at work, home or school?
Read Matthew 11:28-30
Do you feel weary and burdened? What is a yoke? Why should we take the yoke of Jesus upon ourselves? What are we to learn from Christ when we put on His yoke?
God gave Adam & Eve work to do in the Garden of Eden. We know that work is a good thing, but it can easily become THE thing. How does sabbath rest help to break our pursuit of addictions and accumulations?
What do you struggle with most: accomplishing more and more things OR accumulating more and more things?
Read Mark 2:27
Does anyone practice the concept of sabbath well? If so, share your experience with the others in your group. Why have you prioritized this spiritual discipline and what benefit have you seen come from it?
Read Exodus 20:8-11 & Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Exodus & Deuteronomy share two tellings of the Ten Commandments. Who is the audience of the Exodus telling vs the Deuteronomy re-telling? What is the same between these two accounts? What is different? Why are the differences important?
Egypt was a place of bondage and God is commanding His people not to be like Egyptians. Are you unintentionally acting like an Egyptian to others? How do you think your drive for accomplishments OR accumulations is impacting those around you? When you send/reply to emails after business hours, are you unintentionally setting a precedent that others believe they need to follow? When you never find time to rest in the home, are you exasperating your children?
We often frame our busyness in terms of “have to’s” in order to provide an excuse for our behavior. As an example, in order for me to advance at work I “have to” put in extra hours. Share about the tension you feel between accomplishing things and actively resisting the temptation to work by practicing the spiritual discipline of rest.
Are you wanting to change? Are you willing to wage war against the restlessness of our age by taking on the easy yoke of Jesus who gives rest to our souls? What step can you take this coming week to help bring about a change?