For generations, residents of the small Danish surfing community of Klitmøller closed their town every Sunday. Their townwide day off reconnected families, lowered stress and health-related issues, and developed a profound increase in contentment.

Key points

• So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. (Hebrews 4:9 NASB).
• Our creator did not require a rest day, but He foresaw that His easily distracted creation was going to.
• Listen to the Sabbath Rest series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.

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So, is the Sabbath just a day off? In Genesis, the first Sabbath was God’s final act of the creation week.

“So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9 (NASB)

Our creator did not require a rest day, but He foresaw that His easily distracted creation was going to. In Genesis 2:15, the Hebrew word for ‘rest’ [yânach] translates to ‘dwelling place’ as God gives Eden to Adam to live in. The Sabbath is a ‘coming home’ time.

In Deuteronomy 5:15, God reminds Israel ‘… 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.’ The act of observing a weekly Sabbath reminds Israel of God’s deliverance from slavery. Our own Sabbath offers a weekly reminder that God offers us freedom through the life and death of His son.

Our creator did not require a rest day, but He foresaw that His easily distracted creation was going to

In Luke’s account of Jesus’ visit with Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38–42) Mary chooses to sit at Jesus’ feet, while Martha remains consumed by the important work of the day. While Martha was anxiously managing her chores in her own power, Mary put her tasks aside and chose to sit at Jesus’ feet. Before we haughtily judge Martha’s mistaken priorities, how often do we fall prey to our own distractions and sacrifice precious moments of peace and freedom at Jesus’ feet?

The Sabbath is God’s gift to us. A reminder there is a place at His feet for me to rest and soak up His love.

Listen to this episode in the player above.

Sabbath Rest is a six-week series inviting listeners to incorporate this Biblical practice into their everyday life. Subscribe to the YouVersion plan.

Subscribe to listen to this series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.

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Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro

Episode supplied with thanks to Dwayne Jeffries.

Originally published as ‘More Than Just a Day Off’ in Real Hope, Jan-Feb 2024.