From creation, the LORD set aside one day each week for us to rest to heal and recuperate and to be in a deeper communion with him. He called this day the Sabbath. It was the 7th day of creation. It says in the bible that Jesus honored this Sabbath day all His life, and that we will all honor this day in the new earth for all of eternity. It is vital for our health to have rest. Without it we become worn out and our immunity suffers, as does our mental health, our cognitive health, etc. I can discuss more of the health benefits of rest but first let me share some bible verses talking about the importance of the Sabbath.
“By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done.” Genesis 2:2-3
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and 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
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.'” Mark 2:27
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:9-10
“I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.” Ezekiel 20:19-20
“‘If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.’ For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 58:13-14
“There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD.” Leviticus 23:3
It’s clear to see that the Sabbath is a day that God clearly wants us to keep. There are many more verses and stories in the bible that emphasize this point and some even talk about the Sabbath being observed in heaven throughout eternity. The original Sabbath from the days of creation were given as days for us to come together to worship God and to remember how he formed us from the dust of the ground and how he made our whole world in six days. The world has rejected this day and these truths. The roman catholic church claimed to have the authority to change the original Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. But no where in the bible does it say that the Sabbath should ever change from honoring God’s creation story to a new sabbath to honor God’s resurrection from the dead as the roman catholic church claims the authority to have done so. Certainly Christ’s resurrection is vitally important and wonderful news, but it never replaced God’s sacred Sabbath day, nor changed our observance of it, as much of the modern world has come to believe.
Why is rest so important though? God wants us to be healthy. We cannot be happy and healthy if we do not have proper rest. The bible talks about the importance of good sleep and about finding rest for our souls. We need rest to rebuild our bodies. Our bodies heal while we sleep in a much more powerful way than they do during the day. Our brains do wonders while we sleep, processing and organizing all the information that we went through during our days and moving some things into a form of deep storage while moving others into areas to be forever forgotten. Our immune systems rebuild when we sleep. We heal from diseases, sickness, and muscle fatigue and tears when we sleep. Our body detoxes. It is really something worth a deeper study and in time I may do just that with you but let’s just say a proper 8 hours of sleep at night does amazing things for the body, and having one special Sabbath day each week to recharge our spiritual batteries as well is absolutely wonderful. Certainly, we need to recharge daily but a weekly day of special rest does amazing things for our bodies as well. I have seen healing miracles happen on the sabbath. There is a certain power that recharges and heals for those who choose to honor God by keeping the commandments that He has given.
“‘Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.'” Matthew 11:28-30
“In peace I will lie down and sleep for You alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.” Psalms 4:8
“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – For He grants sleep to those He loves.” Psalms 127:2
“You will keep him in perfect peace those whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3
Please take time daily to rest when you are weary and tired. Self-care is vitally important not just weekly but daily as well. Be sure to take that time weekly to gain a special Sabbath blessing from God! It’s well worth it. Nothing that you worry about daily that needs to get done is worth worrying about on the Sabbath. In due time things will be accomplished if you work hard through the week. Take that one special day to commune with the creator of all life and to recover from your hard toil during the week.
Biblical Health And Wellness 