He Gave You Six Days
8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it, you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the 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
A CALL TO REMEMBER
The fourth commandment begins with the word remember because it is all too easy for us to forget it. Even more, it is all too easy to forget that the command concerns a holy day and that we are to keep it as sacred by the word of Almighty God.
The word "holy" means to be set apart; it means wholly different, distinct, and extraordinary. If we are going to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, our approach to this day must be fundamentally different from any other day in the week.
HE GAVE YOU SIX DAYS
According to the command, we have six days to accomplish our labors; we have six days to work in our vocations; we have six days to work in our homes—to catch up on the laundry, to make meals, and clean the home; we have six days to mow our yards; six days to pay our bills; six days to attend events; six days to run our errands; six days to sleep in, six days to exercise; six days to engage in hobbies and leisure activities; six days to patron restaurants, six days to buy our Starbucks or Dunkin', six days for grocery shopping, six days for attending parties and celebrations. All these activities are meant to be completed within the six days allotted, allowing the seventh day to be kept holy and set apart for rest and worship.
This means that the only work permitted for us on the Lord's Day, the only work that can be described as holy, is to come and meet with God, fellowship with His people, worship Him, rest in His provision, and dine at His table. This is the most joyful, critical, and holy work that any of us could ever do, which is why the commandment is so clear in what it commands. In light of this, the Westminster Larger Catechism says this:
"The fourth commandment requireth of all men the sanctifying or keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his word, expressly one whole day in seven; which was the seventh from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, and the first day of the week ever since, and so to continue to the end of the world; which is the Christian sabbath, and in the New Testament called The Lord's Day." - Westminster Larger Catechism Q&A 116
A CALL TO REPENTANCE
Brothers and sisters, we must examine our hearts and lives in light of this commandment. How often have we treated the Lord's Day as any other day, filling it with activities that crowd out the holy rest and the worship God commands? How often have we neglected the sanctity of this day, pursuing our own pleasures and interests instead of seeking communion with God and His people?
The Lord calls us to repentance. Let us not harden our hearts but turn to Him with contrite hearts, seeking His forgiveness for our failures and His grace to honor the Sabbath rightly. As Isaiah says, let us resolve to make the Lord's Day a delight, finding our joy in Him and His holy worship.
May we remember that Christ is our rest, and we find true Sabbath in Him. As we repent and seek to honor this day, may our worship be pleasing to Him, and may we experience the fullness of His blessing and peace. Amen.
