12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 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 ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15)
(Slaves in Egypt) Thoughts: This command is the longest of the Ten Commandments. It is the last of the God-centered commands. The word "Sabbath" means rest or stop. There are several parts to this wonderful command.
1) We are to keep the Sabbath Day holy
2) We are to labor six days- work is not evil, but limited.
3) We are not to allow those associated with us to work on the Sabbath
4) The reason in Deuteronomy given is that we would remember our slavery and not be slaves to our work.
Too many in our culture are slaves to this world, to their debt, to their work. God seeks to not allow our work to become our god. Some in hyper-productive-oriented America see this command as an evil thing. But it is a gift to be able to step back from your work, and not let it control you. This also is a corporate command, not just an individual command. That is because keeping the Sabbath is much easier when other people are keeping it too.
Prayer: God, thank you that you value our rest and rhythm in life. Help my rhythm be as yours, for you are the giver of every moment, every hour.
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