God’s Holy Day
Exodus 20 8-11
When God created the heavens and the earth He took six days to put it all together. Then, on the seventh day He rested and He also commanded that everyone should rest and do no work on His holy day of rest. People often wonder why God, the all powerful God, should even need a day of rest. We are not told that He was tired and certainly He wasn’t fatigued. All we are told is that He rested and declared a holy day for us to do so as well.
He declared that the Sabbath, the last day of the week, should be a day of rest. The Jews still celebrate the Sabbath. Anyone who has been to Israel knows that, on the Sabbath, one can’t even get breakfast served by the hotel people who are Jewish. Everything is shut down for that day of rest as commanded by God. The Bible often refers to laws of conduct on the Sabbath. Someone always asks the question: “If God set apart the Sabbath for rest and worship, then why do Christians worship on Sunday. Christians, from the very earliest days began to worship on Sunday because Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week and the Christians were celebrating His resurrection which is the foundation of their faith. 1 Cor 16:2 refers to the fact that they gathered on the first day of the week. But, that is another topic for another day. The point is that God told people to work six days and then to rest on the seventh day just as He did.
I remember when Sunday, the Christian day of worship, was truly a day of rest and worship. Nothing was done on Sunday. Stores were closed, no alcohol was sold on Sunday, restaurants were not open and just about everything shut down. One had to make provisions for anything they might need because they couldn’t buy it on Sunday. One could not buy gas on Sunday so they had to be sure to get a needed fill up prior to Sunday. Everyone took a Sunday nap. It was a day of rest. I remember that we could not be running around the house and screaming and hollering in the yard because my parents were taking a nap on Sunday afternoon. It was something they looked forward to each week.
I recall that my parents let us play outside on Sunday but we could not make a lot
of noise because our neighbors were resting on the Lord’s Day. No fishing on Sunday. Certainly, no fire crackers on Sunday and absolutely no hunting where one would fire a loud gun. We couldn’t go swimming or to a movie on Sunday. Families respected what God said enough so that they kept Sunday as a day holy unto the Lord. It was the day for worship. It reminded people of the fact that they were to be a holy people unto the Lord. Worship was a special thing on Sunday. People planned for Sunday and worship. The ladies made sure that they had their best dresses ready for that trip to church and the men always looked their best even if they had only one suit. The whole family attended church together on this day which was set apart for worship and rest. In today’s world things are quite different and I think it shows us just how far we have drifted away from honoring God and trusting in His guidance for our lives. Society, in general, pays very little attention to God’s day of worship and rest. Stores are open as if it is just another business day. Restaurants serve more on Sunday than any other day it seems. Sunday School is no longer viewed as a necessary thing for the family and especially for the kids. No activity is too loud or wild for Sunday.
Why is the Sabbath (for Jewish people) and Sunday (for Christians) so holy to God. The answer is that because He said it is. He is God and whatever He says is the final word. The point is: there is a day set aside for rest and worship. Sunday is no longer a holy day in the eyes of the world, but it is a day for profit. Stores which would have ben closed years before now think that if they don’t open and compete on Sunday that they will lose profit and customers. It’s just another day. The Lord’s Day is now used for every purpose under the sun except for honoring God and keeping a day holy unto Him.
God told us to honor Him and His day. Society was more tempered and gentle when we did so. There is something about honoring God in one’s life. It gives them stability and a sense of peace. People acted different on His day. It was not a day for us. It was a day for Him. In this wild and disjointed world in which we now live, God’s Day is not revered and honored as in the past and we are much worse off for it.
Let me suggest this: If you are one who has taken God’s Day for the world’s fun and frolic as well as for business, I suggest that you change the current direction of your family, find you a Bible believing church and do as God said to do…”Remember the Sabbath (Sunday) to keep it holy.” He will honor you for it and you will find that it is essential for peace in your life. This is just one way in How Every Christian Ought to Live.
The Rev. William F. Harrell is a retired Southern Baptist pastor who served at Abilene Baptist Church. He is a faith columnist for the Augusta Press.
