God instructs Israel to honor the Sabbath day by keeping it holy—setting it apart. The seventh day, Saturday, was to be a day of rest from labor. Toil was to be done in six days. On Saturday, the people were not to work themselves, anyone, or anything else. They were to rest. God rested on the seventh day in Genesis 1-2. He blessed the seventh day. Therefore, Israel was also to rest—to enjoy their blessings on the seventh day.
After being slaves for four hundred years, this was new for Israel. God was giving them a law for them. In Mark 2:27, Jesus teaches that the Sabbath was made for man—not man for the Sabbath. Keeping the Sabbath was never a matter of legalism. God is just good. People could not gain eternal life or be righteous by keeping the Sabbath. Keeping the Sabbath would bring happiness, enjoyment, and longevity to their lives. We know that when we rest, we also do better work. Keeping the Sabbath, then, would also bring prosperity to the people. Here, I find a principle that applies to the whole Law. The Law was given for people, not people for the Law. God does not need us to be righteous. We cannot earn eternal life. When we keep the principles of the Law, in this case resting from our normal labors, it is good for us and good for society—so that we may live long and prosper (cf. Deuteronomy 5:33).
As Christians, we believe this command is fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is our rest. If we want to live happy, fulfilled, and long lives on this earth, we should enjoy a day of rest. Take a day each week to enjoy the blessings that God has given you instead of working to get more. It sure makes the work much more worthwhile during the other six days. God blesses us through our labor so that we may enjoy what He has given and praise His holy name.
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