Secularized Sabbath

Scripture: Nehemiah 13:17-18

Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day? "Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath."

Insights:  The verses today are really from verse fifteen to verse twenty-two.  The third area that Nehemiah noticed the people were sinning against God was the sabbath.  It was in fact the fourth of the Ten Commandments given to the people of God.  After the resurrection the early church moved the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, the day in which the Lord Jesus rose from the dead.  Here is the point: we often times make anything and everything come before the Lord our God.  We do not manage our time or wills very well.  People often tell me that they need to get their “ox out of the ditch”.  The reality is they could do that task after the worship service, but there are other things they want to do in the afternoon or evening, so church is the easier agenda item to skip.  I know of people asking God for a job and one is offered to them, but it causes them to work on Sundays.  A lot of times these individuals accept the job before going back to the Lord and asking Him for confirmation.  They are so desperate for the income that they do not see the danger of the job and then they tell people how God got them this job.  After watching a number of these situations over the years, it is interesting to me how far the person’s relationship with the Lord has drifted as a result of this “blessing” from God.  Now I am not saying in our present economy that the Lord does not give a person a job in which they have to work on Sundays, but what I am telling you is that if indeed God did give a job of that nature, then you need to find a church that offers Saturday night worship services or some other opportunity for you to be with the Body of Christ.  The intent behind the sabbath was to have a day separate to the Lord.  Not just a day of rest for you to go fishing, but an intentional day of rest in the Lord; a day in which your thoughts, actions and visible worship were explicitly directed to Him.  Beloved, keep a day of worship holy to the Lord.

Questions:

1. Is there anything that is preventing you from being obedient to the Lord’s sabbath?
2. What steps are you going to take in your life to become obedient to the Lord?

Prayer: Father, there are so many pressures in this world and I desperately need You.  Help me to keep a day holy devoted to You. Amen.