Pushing Pause: Safeguarding from Disconnect

In part four of this series, Major Mat Badger continues to encourage us to move away from the restlessness of the world and move towards the gifts of true rest offered by Sabbath practice—reflection, refreshment, restoration, space to delight ourselves in God, in his creation and in our identity as image bearers.

The book of Leviticus was essentially the guidebook for the Levites (the priests of Israel) as they wandered through the wilderness and then as they entered the Promised Land. Chapter 23 outlines the festivals that Israel was told to practise, and which became central to the life of God’s people. Note that the first festival listed is the Sabbath.

‘The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals … which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of Sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly”’’ (Leviticus 23:1–3a).

Sacred assembly

For the Levite priests, sacred assembly was integral to their role, but even they were commanded to Shabbat (Sabbath): to cease working, to stop completely, to rest. Sabbath was probably the most important of all the appointed times of sacred assembly because it occurred every week, and it was the first of the sacred assemblies God gave to Moses. Leviticus reinforces the ongoing importance of Sabbath rest for God’s people.

Sabbath rest for the land was also commanded. ‘But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards’ (Leviticus 25:4).

Trust and obey

This law allowed the land to rejuvenate itself by returning vital nutrients to the soil, which enhanced the quality of the produce, leading to healthier people and livestock. This is perhaps the earliest record of conservation as we know it today. From a human perspective, letting the land rest for a whole year was risky. Observing the seventh-year rest was ultimately an act of obedience to God and trust in his faithfulness to provide. If they obeyed, they would be a blessed people, but if they didn’t, their disobedience would result in judgement. Which leads to the next part of our framework for rest, which is a warning: not keeping the Sabbath leads to disconnection from God and an imbalance in creation.

This was one of the primary reasons the prophets repeatedly warned Israel to keep the Sabbath, or they would be taken back into captivity for 70 years. Why 70 years? It was the exact number of Sabbaths—including Sabbaths for the land—that the Israelites didn’t keep. Essentially, God came debt collecting! Hey Israel, according to our agreement—the covenant we made—you owe me the sum total of every Sabbath you have missed, which comes to 70 years.

Israel was taken into captivity under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon for 70 years to the day. Due to this period of Babylonian captivity, the land finally rested.

We see this numerical pattern popping up in the New Testament in Matthew 18:21–22, ‘Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventyseven times.’ This is of course the same number of years that God forgave Israel for not keeping the Sabbath—for sinning against him. It’s a strong example of forgiveness!

Weighted warning

After 70 years of Babylonian captivity, Israel returned to Jerusalem in stages, under the leadership of Ezra, Nehemiah and Zerubbabel. Ezra helps set up the temple and teachings, Zerubbabel brings back the temple items and Nehemiah leads the rebuilding of the city walls. However, despite being in captivity for 70 years, Israel failed to learn the lesson. They began breaking God’s laws again, Sabbath being one of them.

‘Therefore, I warned them against selling food on that day. People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing— desecrating the Sabbath day?”’ (Nehemiah 13:15a–17).

Nehemiah rebukes the nobles of Israel—the wealthy elite—who were making money on the Sabbath.

‘“Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.” When the evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day’ (Nehemiah 13:18–19).

The weight of Nehemiah’s warning got through: ‘From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy’ (Nehemiah 13:21a–22a).

As the Old Testament teaching on Sabbath comes to an end, we once again see the struggle for Israel to keep the Sabbath. Breaking the Sabbath leads to disconnection from God and imbalance. One of the key driving factors for breaking the Sabbath was making money, which we know (see part three) led to all sorts of injustice.

Kingdom values

As we think about life here in 2024, there are obvious parallels and applications for us. We live in a society that is driven by the values of excess and material gain at the expense of people and the planet. But as the people of God, we are called to live out the values of the kingdom, not mirror the values of the world.

Next month we explore what Jesus said and did when it came to Sabbath practice and see what ‘rest for your soul’ looks like in everyday life.