No working on the Lord’s Day

Deut 5: 12 – 15 No working on the Lord’s Day; keep it holy just as God, your God, commanded you. Work six days, doing everything you have to do, but the seventh day is a Day of Rest… Don't ever forget that you were slaves in Egypt and God, your God, got you out of there in a powerful show of strength. That's why God, your God, commands you to observe the Day of the Lord and rest. (The Message)

We too have been delivered from slavery. Sin and evil are cruel slave owners that cause hardship, addiction, pain and suffering. Yet, when Jesus died and rose, God said about his people, about you and me: “Let my people go!” We too have been set free to serve God by our Lord’s powerful show of strength. We too need to obey God’s command to enjoy our freedom in Christ that enables us to worship, praise and serve our God with joy and to find rest in his salvation.

This Commandment of God comes into conflict with our culture, but keeping God’s commandments is the one way we certainly can show our love for the Lord. The commandment about the Lord’ Day is no exception.

It instructs us that there is a time when we must avoid work.
It should be apparent from a reading of this Commandment that God makes a great deal about avoiding work on the Lord’s Day. Beginning at verse 9, it says: "Work six days, doing everything you have to do, but the seventh day is a Day of Rest". God emphasizes that we should do no work on this special day. Why does God make such a big deal out of this?

The truth God is communicating to us, is that there is more to life than labour. The reason is that “you were slaves in Egypt and God, your God, got you out of there in a powerful show of strength” We are no slaves anymore and our daily work should never equal slavery in any way.

It is interesting that people are only recently "discovering" what God said thousands of years ago. Production analysts have concluded only recently that reasonably spaced work breaks clearly increase productivity. The medical community gives statistics, which indicate that workaholics top the list in work related disorders such as high blood pressure and premature heart attack. God knew this before all the doctors and analysts. He knew that our bodies need a break.

Our emotions need a break as well. By the end of a long week we are emotionally exhausted. Our nerves are on edge, our stress level is way up, and we are in desperate need of a change of pace. If we continue working at that point, we will inevitably begin making mistakes. We will make bad decisions and do sloppy work. We need a break. Too many people and too many demands take their toll. And the price we pay often reflects in our faith-life and our peace with God! We need a break and that break is for more than just rest.

We need to Worship!
There is a flip side to this Commandment. God gave the Commandment for two very important reasons. The first is that rest from daily work will benefit us physically, emotionally and spiritually. The second is that we will be blessed by authentic, peaceful worship of God and to hear the voice of God’s assurance of his love. God not only wants us to stop working on the Lord’s Day, he wants us to start worshipping.

This Commandment begins by God saying, "No working on the Lord’s Day; keep it holy just as God, your God, commanded you" Throughout history, people have worshipped on the Lord’s day. God’s people, Israel, gathered together for worship on the Day of Rest.
Jesus too always worshipped on his Sabbath, "as was his custom" (Luke 4:16). The Early Church continued this pattern.

When we gather together in Jesus’ name, we must remember that God is there. Sometimes we lose sight of that. Jesus has promised us his special presence when we gather in his Name. This is something more than his indwelling presence in our daily lives. There is a special presence reserved for the corporate gathering of his people. When we come together for worship, God visits us in a special way. There is a certain anointing of the Holy Spirit that is reserved for God’s people when they gather as the Lord’ sacred assembly

How can we keep the Lord’s Day a special holy day? There are several things we can do. Set the Lord’s Day apart as a priority day. Treat the Lord’s Day as a special day. Block it out on your calendar and don’t let anything or anyone interfere with it. You have an appointment with God on that day.

Renew your commitment to obey God and find that special blessing his day brings. Remember the words of Jesus:
Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. ––Matthew 11:28-29.