Pushing Pause: Slowing Down to be with God

In part two of this series, Major Mat Badger adds to the biblical framework for Sabbath rest offered in part one. In this instalment, Mat explains that Sabbath rest is more than just taking a day off—it is both a command and a gift from God, which we ignore at our own peril. When we remember the Sabbath we take part in a powerful countercultural practice.

For those of us who have been through burn-out, compassion fatigue or a season of bone-weary exhaustion, you will know from personal experience that when we push ourselves beyond the pace we were designed to live, the wheels start to fall off. Some of us even crash, and recovery can be long and slow.

The first three of the Ten Commandments can be paraphrased as no gods before me, no image before me, don’t misuse my name and, the fourth, don’t neglect to rest.

We all love a day off! In theory it’s a day when we don’t work for our employer, however, we still work. We run errands, we pay bills, we do the shopping, we mow the lawn or clean the house. For many of us a day off is simply a chance to catch up on all the things we haven’t had time to do! Eugene Peterson calls this kind of day off the ‘bastard Sabbath’.

Perhaps shockingly, attending church does not a Sabbath make! As we know, Sunday means different things to different people. For the doers among us it’s the day to tackle the to-do list; for the careerist, it’s the day to get ahead on emails or other aspects of business administration; for the sport lover, well that’s self-explanatory.

Restoration versus relaxation

Most of us know how to shop and how to play, but very few of us know how to rest. In fact, most of us confuse restoration with relaxation. How many of us binge-watch a series and come away feeling refreshed, full of clarity and spiritually reinvigorated? Most of us simply escape our life for a few hours. The average Kiwi watches at least two hours of TV every day, spends a further 2.5 hours on social media—and that 4.5 hours in front of a screen doesn’t include work-based screen time.

The Sabbath day, in contrast, is a day set apart for soul rest. It’s a holy day, and the older I get the better I have become at practising Sabbath. I now ask myself two key questions: Does what I choose to do offer soul rest? Does it cause me to delight in creation and in my Creator? If the answer to either of these questions is no or maybe, well, I have six other days when I can do those things. To be clear, activity isn’t a bad thing. If what I choose to do is spiritually refreshing and restores my soul, I embrace it wholeheartedly. Remember, Sabbath can be translated as ‘delight’—so consider what brings you joy and allows gratitude to rise within you. How can you feed your soul with beauty and wonder?

A command and a gift

Theologians point out that within the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath is the bridge between the first three, which are all about our relationship with God; the last six are all about our relationship with one another. It’s important to note that the Sabbath is the only practice of rhythm in the Ten Commandments. I believe the practice of Sabbath rest fosters and supports all other spiritual disciplines. We are not commanded to remember to pray or to read Scripture, or even to be still. But we are commanded to rest.

There is a lot of debate over whether followers of Jesus are required to keep the Sabbath. But in the New Testament neither Jesus, Paul nor any of the apostles make such a command. Most scholars would say that we don’t need the Sabbath because we now have the ‘Lord’s Day’, when we worship together. Christ’s finished work on the cross is sufficient for us to ‘rest’ in. This is the majority position. However, it is important to note that on this side of the cross the command to not murder remains, as does not lying nor taking the Lord’s name in vain. Why would Sabbath rest be the only commandment no longer applicable? Jesus never broke the Sabbath—he broke Jewish Mishnah laws on the Sabbath, but he never broke the Sabbath. If the other nine commandments are not in question, why just this one?

And if we are content with breaking it, how’s that working out for us? As a society? As the body of Christ? The Army that brings life? Jesus never said anything to cancel the Sabbath or to annul it.

I love the language of the text: ‘The Lord has given you the Sabbath’ (Exodus 16:29). It’s a gift! And like any good gift, I want to enjoy it!

Remember the Sabbath

I believe Sabbath rest is both a command and a gift, with an emphasis on the latter. It’s commanded: ‘Remember the Sabbath...’ (Exodus 20:8). I’m not sure about you, but I am prone to forget things easily. This is why so much teaching in church is about things we already know. As humans, we need to hear things repeatedly. The idea in Hebrew thinking is that when we are reminded of God’s ways, the very core of who we are is impacted. Throughout Scripture we are told to remember…

Remembering the Sabbath is more than just taking a day off every now and then. It’s about a rhythm embedded in creation itself and endorsed by our God who rested. We work for six days, and then we rest. When we remember the Sabbath, we remember that while life is hard it is also good. The world is full of evil and pain, but it is also full of wonder, kindness and generosity.

Sabbath won’t happen by accident. It’s a deliberate, countercultural practice. The more intentional you are, the more blessed your Sabbath rest will be.

Based on a sermon series given at Johnsonville Corps. For full sermons, go to tinyurl.com/TSAJohnsonville