The Third Commandment

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Exodus 20:8, King James Version)

The third commandment in the good old King James Version. But let me tell you what else God had to say about this law in Exodus chapter 20, verses 9 through 11, in the New International Version.

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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Over the last two months, I’ve been writing about the ten commandments, starting with the last seven of them. Commandments four through ten should be easy for anyone to understand, believer or non-believer. They are all about how you should love your neighbor more than yourself. That you shouldn’t do anything to harm them, but should instead help them in any way you can. The kind of stuff where if everyone was obeying them, we wouldn’t have all the crap going on that makes the evening news. Killings, cheating, stealing, people talking smack about each other. We could live in peace.

Now, however, it’s time to circle back to the first three commandments. The ones we should keep to demonstrate our love for the one Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation (Genesis 2:3, New Living Translation)

Honestly, I’m pretty sure that God didn’t really need to rest after creating everything in the heavens and on the earth. He is God and He can just keep going like the Energizer Bunny. But He sure deserves to rest.  

But really, because He is such a loving Father, I think this commandment is for us as well for Him.

For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the Lord. (Exodus 35:2, New International Version)

We aren’t God, so we need to rest periodically, one day a week. Take a day for yourself, to put all your troubles aside. As a believer, you should attend church that day or spend time in some sort worship and praise to your Creator. Study your Bible. Pray and thank God for all He has given you. As a child of God, you should be more than happy to spend your day off remembering your Lord and Savior.

If you aren’t a believer, you still need to give yourself a break. God didn’t create us to go on and on; He knows we need a day off.

And as a side note – something that isn’t really about the third commandment, but which God does want us to do – we are to work those other days of the week.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17, New International Version)

Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards. (Proverbs 12:14, NIV)

Do not be lazy but work hard, serving the Lord with all your heart. (Romans 12:11, New Century Version)